The First Hour

Amazing days begin with amazing mornings!

The way we begin anything says a lot about the way it’s going to go. This has been on my mind this week because my classes started, and I’ve been bouncing between feeling excited and overwhelmed, proud and terrified, eager, and what the hell have I done? Ever mindful that the way I start is going to influence the way it goes.

So I’m really focusing more on the fun than the panic, and it occurred to me that the same kind of thing can be applied to daily life. The way we start our day can influence the way the rest of the day is going to go.

I mean it, if you get up and stub your toe first thing, go back to bed and start over.

That means the first part of the day is crucial. It’s where we set the tone for the entire day to come.

First Hour Rituals

Here are some parts of an empowering, nurturing morning routine that can vastly improve your days. This isn’t meant as an instruction list. It’s a group of suggestions to get your own mind going. Pick one to try, or more than one, or better yet, let the suggestions inspire your own ideas.

The point is to take a step, try a new thing, change things up. Change begins with us.

So here are my ideas for ways to improve your morning.

Shower: A lot of people shower first thing in the morning. The shower can be the best part of the day if you can manage to be in the shower while you’re in the shower. Usually, we’re not. In our minds, we’re two hours ahead, into our day. We’re thinking about the to-do list, the deadlines, the bills.

But we can just… not.

We can just decide to shut that mind chatter off and focus on the shower. On the hot water, the soft lather, and the wonderful scents. We can give ourselves a back massage with the water flow, and a scalp massage while we wash our hair. We can be fully present in the shower, with all our senses engaged.

Now that’s a shower.

Meditation: This is another few minutes of quiet mind. Right after the shower, while my skin is still warm, I wrap in a spa robe and sit comfortably. I set a timer for 15 minutes, and meditate, counting my breaths and focusing on a soothing, droning sound. I always say that meditation is how humans plug in to download the latest updates.

Devotional: When the weather is nice, I like to step outside for this. Facing east, the direction of the sunrise, while inhaling, raise arms outward to sides and slowly up overhead until palms meet. Turn palms out and exhale completely, lowering arms to the sides. Repeat three times.

Say good morning to the sun, to the sky, to the trees, to the breeze, to the birds, to the bugs, to everything you see. Say it aloud. State your intention for the day. Not the to-do list, the core intention.

Today, I’ll give my whole heart to whatever I do, and it will turn out beautifully. I will share smiles with strangers, and hold doors, and let someone ahead of me in line or in traffic. Today I’ll be the energy I want to see more of in the world. Today I will be love.

Oatmeal: Okay, I know it doesn’t seem like it fits here, but trust me on this. There is just something magical about my oatmeal. I pile it high with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, a whole banana, raisins, cinnamon, a heaping tablespoon of flaxseed meal, and one measured tablespoon of maple syrup. Oh, and I scatter chia seeds over the top. This will power you up for anything.

Yoga: If there’s time, a 20-minute morning yoga routine is a wonderful addition to get your day started.

The Time Factor

This looks like a lot of things. But you don’t have to do them all. You don’t have to do any of them. Do one or two if you feel like they would help your days get off to a better start. Try one one day, try another the next. Yoga can pretty much double as meditation, and you can combine the devotional with the meditation or the yoga or both.

The point is to do something. If we want better days, we need to be proactive about it, and develop some new habits that can help us to have better days. Funny how that works.

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