It’s never too late to start living out the life of your dreams. While you could argue and say that there can be many things outside of your control, the reality is that life is all about taking back that control by starting your day off right. 

Thinking about incorporating more mindfulness practices into your everyday life, but don’t know where to start? Not sure what practices work for you? Mindfulness is all about living in the present moment, being thoughtful with your actions, and ultimately finding joy in taking care of yourself.  

This makes me think of that Backstreet Boys song “As Long as You Love Me,” in that I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, what you did, as long as you love..you. Because really, the only requirement in order to be able to establish a morning practice, is the desire to improve your relationship with, you guessed it, yourself. 

While there are many ways you can create a successful morning routine, here’s a few tips on how to incorporate mindfulness into your day while manifesting the lifestyle that best suits your growth in the most holistic way possible.

5 Mindfulness practices to start your day

1. Set your first alarm for 30 minutes before the time you actually get out of bed

Starting with the sound of your alarm, it’s important to find something that feels softer than a siren, yet more energizing than a lullaby. This allows you to wake up with a calming sense of ease, rather than an abrasive jolt of panic. Some good examples are singing crystal bowls, atmospheric or nature noises, and soft bells or wind chimes. 

The second thing that this does is it allows your brain to shift out of the delta or deep sleep frequency of 0.5 to four hertz, and enter a theta frequency of four to seven hertz. The theta state is where the brain goes when you dream. 

Consciously choosing to allow yourself to dream, can actually help to stimulate the connection between your conscious and subconscious brain. This can assist with a variety of things like activating higher levels of creativity, short and long term memory, and overall enhanced sense of self. 

2. Drink room temperature water upon waking up 

Set yourself up for success by placing a full glass or bottle of preferably filtered water by your bedside. Instead of jumping on a hot coffee that not only is highly acidic for your stomach, but also promotes a heightened sense of anxiety over time, water helps to lubricate your bowel movements and leaves you with a sense of natural sharpness. 

For thousands of years, Ayurveda, the oldest form of codified medicine first studied in India, has advised people to start the day off with one cup of warm water with lemon. This allows you to eliminate toxins, clear out any bad breath naturally, and give you that energetic pick me up to feel fresh.

3. Develop a morning meditation practice 

Now I know what you’re thinking, meditation can sound hard or boring for a lot of people. What you might not know however, is that there are actually a lot of ways you can meditate. Contrary to popular belief, meditation is not about sitting in silence and avoiding your thoughts. It’s actually about embracing all of them at once, and becoming the gentle impartial observer of your own mind. 

One of the ways that you can practice meditation is through guided meditation. Another way is through pranayama, or more popularly known as breath-work. This allows you to follow along with the narration of your choice, and let go of the need to be in control. 

While there is overwhelming evidence indicating that meditation helps reduce stress and anxiety, many people are often deterred by the arbitrary amount of time they think it needs to take. In reality, fifteen minutes a day is all you really need to start. 

In addition to starting your day with meditation, positive affirmations can also help you stay present and positive throughout the day. Set your phone wallpaper to one of the below wallpapers so you’re reminded of your power each time you look at your phone.

Download the positive affirmation wallpapers here and here.

4. Journal about how you envision yourself going about your day

Once you’ve gone through your meditation practice, taking even just five minutes to journal can help to set you up to achieve the goals that really matter. Specifically, focus on the way you want to feel while moving through each activity, and the ideal scenario for every part of the process.  

Try out the mindful morning journal prompt below to help get you started.

Download the printable journal prompt here. 

5. Go outside and move your body 

Last but certainly not least, pull out your favorite pair of women’s athletic shoes, and take fifteen to thirty minutes to sweat it out. It doesn’t matter what your movement of choice is, whether it’s going for a light jog in the park or just an easy stroll around the block, this is your time to really treat your body.

Ultimately, what all these practices do is they provide you with a buffer zone between the moment you wake up and the time you start doing things for anyone else besides yourself. Find what works for you, and gift yourself the first hour of your day as a time for gratitude to what your body does, and all the ways that it supports your growth.