DOES YOUR MORNING ROUTINE BUILD YOU UP OR KNOCK YOU DOWN?

This time last year I used to get up 30 minutes before I had to leave for work because that's how long it took me to get ready and I was ALWAYS literally running to catch my train every morning and usually missing it. 

I believe that you should take care of your mind, body and spirit as a unit to ensure you are working with the best version of yourself, I always exercised and looked after the "body" part but to look after the mind I started to meditate for 10 minutes. This meant I had to get up 40 minutes before I had to leave for work and to be honest when I first started it I didn't know how I was going to fit it in but there's a great saying that ~

"you should meditate for 15 minutes a day unless you don't have time, then meditate for 30 minutes". 

I am NOT a morning person but little by little I managed to increase my daily meditation time to 20 minutes and found that because I was calmer and making time for my morning routine (as well as getting ready for work) I actually had more time to do other things such as have breakfast and a short work out.
I really want to enjoy my morning's even if it is cold and pitch dark in the middle of winter and recently found out about the Ayurvedic philosophy. 
It believes the choices that you make regarding your daily routine either build up resistance to disease or tear it down. Ayurveda invites us to get a jump-start on the day by focusing on morning rituals that work to align the body with nature’s rhythms, balance the doshas and foster self-esteem alongside self-discipline. 

One of the things it suggests and I have decided to include is drinking warm water and lemon. I think we all know this is meant to be good for us but I did wonder what it exactly helps with, check out the top ten benefits ~

1. Aids Digestion 
2. Cleanses Your System / is a Diuretic. 

3. Boosts Your Immune System 
4. Balances pH Levels 
5. Clears Skin
6. Energizes You and Enhances Your Mood.
7. Promotes Healing. 
8. Freshens Breath. 
9. Hydrates Your Lymph System. 
10. Aids in Weight Loss.

I read a quote recently by Michelle Obama who said she wouldn't think twice about getting up early to help with work or her kids but when it came to herself she just didn't make the time. How can you look after your loved ones if you don't look after yourself?

I've found that taking time out, especially in the morning to set the right intention for the rest of the day is the best way to show yourself love and respect, it's something you do solely for YOU!
When was the last time you did that?
What could you make time for that shows you care about yourself?
Even 10 minutes every day is a start.

WINTER IS COMING : LEARN TO FALL IN LOVE WITH DARK MORNINGS

I would like to be a "morning person" but I have to admit it feels a lot easier to get up early when the summer sun is streaming through my window and I have definitely felt my body struggling to wake up as the mornings get darker. 
My morning routine has changed since last autumn, I now meditate for 20 minutes every day and try to fit in a little bit of exercise too. My goal is to go for a run and meditate every day before work but I've not managed that yet and I decided to look at my routine.
I came across a post on the Free People Blog which I absolutely loved ~

"If there's any season to welcome change into your life, its Autumn. 
Don't just wake up earlier, make adjustments to the rest of your day to account for this change. 
Dawn is a different kind of dark, one full of possibility at the cusp of the day,
a time to appreciate the world around you.
Do some yoga, drink tea, write a few lines about thankfulness.
Our lives are so hectic in one form or another, any time we can set aside time to just "be" is so valuable and rare.
Make time to allow yourself to simply exist, to breathe in a new day and sit quietly.
Try being a morning person and your perspective of the day ahead could change dramatically"

After reading this I realised as well as changing my routine I had to change my attitude to how I felt about the upcoming winter mornings, I began to see it as an opportunity to invest in some "me" time which definitely helped get me out of bed (and the 3 alarms didn't hurt either). For the first time in years I am actually looking forward to Winter and using the time in the morning to fit more into my day and to spend time on myself.

How do you deal with dark mornings? I'd love to hear.

2014 RESOLUTION > JANUARY GOAL

It is the end of March already so I decided to recap on my resolution to not set a resolution at the start of the year.
I decided to mix things up in 2014, instead of stating one big resolution to keep to for the WHOLE year I decided to give myself little goals to meet every month.

I've really enjoyed it but at the start of every month I'm like "I've got to do this for 30 whole days? No way will I do it" but I have and it has made me feel so much more accomplished than I think I would feel if I kept it up for say 6 months, got bored and then resolved to try again next year, where's the empowerment in that?

I'm one of those people who over thinks situations and has a million and one things going around in my head at one time, sometimes this works for me when I need to multi task but it was becoming more draining than useful so in January I set myself the goal to try meditation.

I was a complete beginner so to help me I used the website Headspace which offers guided meditation for modern living, it has a cool app you can download to your phone so you can grab some clarity wherever you are, great for when you sleep in so you can do it on the train (which can be a real test).

Let me be clear that when I decided to meditate every morning for 20mins, it wasn't an easy decision as "I am NOT a morning person" I repeat "NOT a morning person". 
I love my bed, I love my sleep and to fit in a daily meditation I had to get up at 6.30am every morning. It was hard at first but totally worth it, as almost instantly I noticed that I was less stressed and able to deal with difficult and people more calmly whereas before they would have definitely pushed my buttons.

I also noticed when the 30 days were up I had incorporated this single task into my routine so it was easier to carry on doing it, people say "if only I had an extra day" or "I need more time" but I'm starting to think the key is to make more of the time we do have to fit the things we want to do into our lives.

You can keep track of your progress which is great and so far I have completed 87 sessions and 23% of my Headspace journey. Looking forward to completing 100% by the end of 2014.