A Morning Routine for Uncertain Times
Do you have a morning routine? Check out what our founder Grace Harrington-Murdoch had to share about her morning routine.
I have been thinking of you all a lot and myself too, during the uncertainty of these times.
For a moment this summer, it certainly felt like there was some serious momentum forward and then we got the news of delta… but even so, something did not really change.
And that something is: we still have to take supreme care of ourselves.
And also, we never really could predict what was next moment to moment (except a little bit astrologically of course.)
When the pandemic hit, my gut instinct was to go even deeper into my spiritual practices as well as my health routine, versus further away from it. And as things started to lighten up I drifted a little. But recently I re-committed to my practices and am taking it all several steps deeper.
Before I get into that, I wanted to share some of my favorite practices that are good for the vaccinated/unvaccinated alike. And good for those on a tight budget and those who are not.
These are ways that I have shortcut my morning routine so it is with me as long as I have internet access and a yoga mat and some water and lemons.
As I was in meditation today, I realized some of you might benefit from these resources and my framework around it, so am sharing again here today.
One thing that I try to start my day with is warm lemon water. I learned about this years ago in my Polarity therapy training as a simple way to flush my liver everyday. All you do is warm up some water, and squeeze a whole lemon into it. Do this 30 minutes before you eat anything. This gives your liver some time to do a very gentle cleanse & because lemons are actually alkalizing when they are in your body, this is a way to cut down on acidity and get things flowing.
Our liver helps us with so many things--detoxing from chemicals in our food, air, water, medications if you are on any, and the environment. In Jin Shin Jyutsu, I learned a healthy and clear liver helps us even menstruate with more ease and fewer symptoms. So you want to keep it clear.
I just love setting the stage for a healthier morning even if my food choices don’t always align, it helps to give me the motivation to make better choices.
The next thing I do is a short 20-minute yoga set. I found a really lovely woman on Youtube recently and her page is called Yoga with Adriene. You can find her link here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFKE7WVJfvaHW5q283SxchA .
While I also think it is super awesome to support your local yoga studios, and I do it when I can for sure, my mornings can be tight and I want to make sure that I get at least 20 minutes in of yoga to keep things moving and grooving. Seriously, she is lovely, and it is no surprise that she has 10.2 MILLION subscribers. She has made it simple and easy to get your yoga in and she has the cutest dog Benji by her side that will warm your heart.
At this point I sometimes do a short meditation, doing some spinal breathing which I am happy to share more about if you all want. I have a devotional playlist where I feel like I connect with Spirit on a deeper level as well.
And then I transition into my 20-30 minute workout with Betty Rocker. Thank the Goddess, before the pandemic, I was doing Betty’s 90-day challenge which consists of short workout routines and recipes and it was treating me so well. I started cycling back through it before signing up for her workout membership as it included all of her challenges plus regular new workout videos. Honestly, I have never felt like I ran out of good workouts. It always challenges me. And the monthly membership is less than $30.00 a month as I write this. Here is the link to find out more about her membership.
I am not receiving any compensation for this. I just want to share with you what works for me. And I love Betty’s way of letting you know when you make mistakes and when she does you are being “flawsome!” Her workouts and that of her teachers are always encouraging.
A while back, and I tell my clients this too, I said to myself: “If I cannot workout 15 minutes a day, something is wrong with my schedule.” Having that kind of perspective also helps motivate me to try to squeeze this in.
The truth is, when you take care of your body, you take care of your mind and soul. And vice versa. By carving out and committing to morning practices you really begin to see this uplifting your life. And it may change how you operate in your days as well.
Some days, even when I have had my lemon water and my workouts, I still go to the local bakery and eat a yummy and somewhat decadent croissant on the way to work along with my oat milk chai latte. And I feel just fine about that too because going to the bakery has also been a comfort to me throughout the pandemic.
Depriving yourself during these times is also not the answer.
We need creature comforts and also to deeply take care of ourselves.
As a Sagittarius, I am not one for routine! But throughout the pandemic, this has been what has sustained me. And maybe it will bring you some new ideas as well for your mornings.
Some other changes I am implementing for myself is that I am going to be taking Sundays off to re-commit to spiritual group services, which is typically when they are being run. There have been some spiritual traditions knocking on my door as of late, and I want to try meeting with them in community to see what they are like as well.
For years I have taught on Sundays but this will be shifting for a bit to make time for those services come November. I am excited about this new energy. I have always been super spiritual but haven’t practiced collectively in a service in a while.
I have also decided to cut down on sessions for a time in November and December to see what this feels like to create more time to write and teach which are also my passions in serving you all. I am just tuning into how this feels and reserve the right to change my mind. It’s been fun giving myself the space to feel into this all.
Also, an assistant to me will be taking over some extra tasks I took on during the pandemic. Delegation appears to be a theme for me right now and creating spaciousness which is something I need for increased creative flow and ingenuity.
But my mornings are truly the best practice I can gift to myself in a daily way.
My friend Reina Prado, who is one of our teachers and healers over at www.rainbowsoulcollective.com said earlier this year that she “covets her mornings,” and doesn’t do any work before 9 am.
That one phrase also made me realize that I want to covet my mornings as well and treat them as a space where I fill up my cup.
I hope you find ways to fill yours too. You deserve to feel good in your body, mind, and spirit even though and because things have been uncertain.
And again, they always have been. It is just that we are seeing it more clearly now. Find your anchors and give yourself deep permission to lean into them.
You and Spirit are the ultimate Source of your energy. Don’t leave it in someone else’s hands to do that valuable inner work.
Sending you all lots of love during these times!
And if you need me, you know where to find me here at Flowers and Stars!
Love,
Grace
