This is how my altar looks today:
a beautiful poem + mini malas
a bowl full of water (for movement & flow) + rocks & crystals (for charm & magic)
pictures of the people who I love & who I feel guide me
powerful symbols & figures: mother mary + ganesh + stunning om doodle by my cousin + golden heart + shiva
FUN! air plant + wooden hot pink feather
inspiring quote & hot pink lotus candle
One of the best things you can do for yourself when you first wake up is drink your H2O. Since you haven’t had any water for over 8 hours your body will be thanking you when you fill it up with the good stuff. So go ahead and pour yourself a nice tall glass and drink up.
Another fantastic thing you can do is squeeze some lemon into your cup and sip on some lemon water.
Lemons & Lilacs
Lemon is super alkalizing, meaning it brings the internal state, or ph level of your body towards alkaline if it is lurking in the acidic end. Your PH level is largely a result of your diet, and if you have been indulging on a cappuccino & sugary treat, followed by some meat and cheese – it may be more acidic than you would like. An acidic environment is void of oxygen, and disease, sickness, and colds thrives where there is little oxygen. So eat your plants, and get your lemon water on.
Lemon water also gets everything moving inside and wakes up your digestive fire. And that my friends is a very wonderful thing.
So go get some lemons, leave a cup of water by your bedside, whatever you need to do – to make sure you are hydrated right away. And you may notice yourself craving less throughout the day.
This week, I am sharing the things I do to practice loving myself so I can be the purest expression of me: here is where it started.
Thought #1: Self-Care
Self-care is one of the many subtle ways we can show ourselves we care, we matter, and we totally rock. Self-care can look like many different things, like the typical brushing your teeth, flossing, & showering, which are common practices. I have been using my morning routine as a base to sprinkle little rituals that leave me feeling sparkling, clean, and nourished. Here are four Ayurveda practices that you can try on and see how it fits:
Scrape: Scrape your tongue. Your what? Your tongue! You can do it with a metal spoon, or get yourself a tongue scraper – scrape from the back of your tongue to the front (about 5-7 times) to remove all the gunk that surfaces throughout the night. That film is your body detoxing, and if you don’t scrape it off you end up ingesting it back into your body as you drink water/coffee. ick.
Pull: I hop in the shower with some coconut oil in my mouth and swish it all around. Swishing this oil arounds pulls all the toxins and mucus out of your system and into the oil – so when you spit it out all the stuff you don’t want or need in your body leaves with the oil. Make sure to spit it out in the trash – it will clog up the sink otherwise.
Brush: Dry brushing. Before I get in to the shower I brush my body moving in circular motions from limbs towards my heart. This increases circulation, gets rid of dead skin, stimulates lymphatic system (which gets rid of toxins) and leaves the skin glowing.
Rub: Lather up my body (well mostly just my legs) with almond oil or even coconut oil. This hydrates the skin in a beautiful, clean, and toxic free way.
Now, there are some days where this all just doesn’t happen. But I aim to make it a routine so it occurs more often than not. Try one, two, three, or all four on for size! Let me know how it goes, or what other practices you do to get yourself ready for the day.
I used to start the day by waking up and immediately reaching over for my phone. I would automatically and mindlessly check my email, Facebook, and whatever else.. all within 1 minute of opening my eyes to a brand new day. I began to realize I could start my day in a much more thoughtful way, and now this is what my mornings looks like:
Then I am free to check my phone…
In order to feel grounded and ready for my day, I need to take this time to get clear about the day. Lately, I have been meditating for at least 10 minutes before I move on with the rest of my day. And don’t think when I say the word ‘meditate’ I am sitting with an empty mind, completely enlightened, watching my breath… haven’t gotten there yet! My mind normally is a big swirl of thoughts, and I just work on watching them and observing rather than reacting. A definite work in progress. But from that quiet comes my intention that I create for the day.
One of my favorites from this week was:
‘I greet this day with fluidity, moving into the spaces of my day – present and clear.’
How do you get ready for the day?
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