“Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

The morning is the ideal time to bring more mindfulness into our day. Creating a morning routine is one way that supports opportunities for mindfulness moments.

Currently, I would consider myself as a morning person. Not long ago, if someone were to ask me if I am a morning or night person, I would reply without a doubt that “I am a night owl”. I use to have trouble waking up early in the morning. Point of saying this is:

I have made a conscious effort to become a morning person because I come to realise that it is the ideal time to bring in more mindfulness into my day. That is the true motivation behind waking up early. Or perhaps it is the other way round. Maybe it is the moments of mindfulness that I have cultivated that allowed me to be more conscious of sticking to a routine in the morning, which includes waking up early.

Its tend to be still and quiet, which makes them perfect for slowing down and paying attention. As I mentioned in [EP 19: The Importance of a Mindful Morning Routine], practicing mindfulness does not need to be complicated nor time-consuming. With a simple shift in our routine, we can cultivate a frame of mind that we can sustain for the rest of the day. 

FOUR THINGS IN MY MORNING ROUTINE

Here are four things I have incorporated as part of my morning routine, which has in turn helped me cultivate more mindfulness.

1. I engage in a 1- minute deep breathing the first thing I wake up. I would breathe through a minimum of five breath cycles, lying down on my bed. During this time, I would pay attention to how my breath feels and how my body is feeling. I would pay attention to my thoughts without labelling anything as good or bad. I would just notice and let it flow. This helps me to start my day in a slow and intentional way without jumping out of bed and rushing from daily tasks to tasks.
    
2. Next, I would also engage in mindful content consumption. You may ask what I mean by this? This means that I would consciously take in as much uplifting content as possible in the first few minutes of my morning. As soon as I wake up, I try as much as possible to refrain from engaging in any social media scrolling during this part of my day, especially in the first few minutes. Research has shown that how we set our mood in the morning has a direct impact on how we feel for the later parts of the day. The reason for refraining from social media is because I cannot control what I see on social media. Negative news or content may induce unwanted stress and anxiety in me. We typically do not want our mornings to start off on a bad note. I know it is difficult and what many of us are not used to doing. In the past, I literally checked my phone and scrolled through my news feed on my bed the first thing in the morning, before I even got out of bed.
   
   Now, however, instead of checking on my social media, what I would do is to engage in information that will help my long-term growth and start my day on my own terms (i.e be more in control of what I allow into my mornings). As a result, I usually listen to podcasts as part of my morning routine. I read online articles as well on topics that I am interested in. Basically, these contents are usually more motivating and positive. They are great consumption before the chaos of the day starts, when we are constantly bombarded with stressful and negative information.
3. Movement is essential for me in the morning. I cannot emphasise this point enough. Some people do simple stretches and yoga exercises. For me, I go on a mindful morning walk which I have elaborated in [EP 19: The Importance of a Mindful Morning Routine]. I find that movement in the morning is incredibly beneficial because it helps me feel more present during and after the exercise.
   
   
   

   “While it’s tempting to think of exercise solely as a means to fitness or weight loss, it’s really much more about making you feel alive in your body.” — Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar

4. Making breakfast has always been part of my overall routine. Apart from nourishing our body, the whole point about making my own breakfast is that I do think it gives a great opportunity for me to strengthen my mindfulness muscle. By boiling the water, grinding my coffee beans, pouring the water, observing the aromas, the steam and the warmth etc. There are so many aspects of this process that we can pay attention to. This is also another way of connecting with the present moment by engaging my five senses while making my breakfast and also savouring it. Before I take my coffee, I would pause for a little to feel the warmth between my hands. I would watch the steam rising, breathe in the aroma, taking those few sips slowly and purposefully.This doesn’t have to be a long process. Even a few seconds of remembering to intentionally engage your five senses during random parts of the whole “breakfast process” will reap huge benefits for oneself.

CLOSING WORDS

I would like to end off this blog post by saying that cultivating a mindful morning routine isn’t an overnight thing and I did not do the above four things all at one time. I built it into my routine in a step-by-step process, over a period of two years. I started small. I started with one breath instead of 10 breath cycles. I also started my morning walk as a 5-minute walk before it eventually became a 45-minutes walk. The point is to create your own routine that works for you. Something that is not too intimidating and within your reach to accomplish every morning. It can be anything really. And in that routine, we are able to take better control of our mornings and allow opportunities for short moments of stillness and mindfulness.  Over time, through cultivating mindfulness we might even find ourselves adding more to our initial routine we set for ourselves. Whatever your choice of routine, it only takes a few seconds of each morning to make a huge difference to the day ahead.

Written By:
Jeannette Qhek
BSc in Psychology & Human Resources (Singapore Management University)
Voice of Chill By Nette