Morning Flow
I’ve talked in the past about how important a five-minute flow in the mornings is to my overall wellness. It helps me get ready for the day by clearing my mind and allowing me space to set up my week. However, I want to talk now about how that morning flow has evolved into Nine Minutes of Nourishment as my intentions have become more clear over the last few months.
Every morning, I take nine minutes to set myself up for the day. It’s an idea I got from reading about how Dana James, founder of Food Coach (Source) sets herself up for the day and has become a routine that I sometimes even return to mid-day if I am feeling the extra stress and pressure of the days’ activities. Before I do any of my flows, I set my phone to Do Not Disturb, turn off any extra noise (like the podcast I usually listen to in the morning) and dim the lights so that I can focus on my own thoughts and breathing.
The first three minutes of my NMN are dedicated to my flow. I stretch and go through yoga poses as I have explained before in my blog.
Why I start every day with a 5-minute flow
“When I start my flow, I move my body in whatever direction I am feeling. I circle my joints, I go through a yoga flow, and I move my body, joint-by-joint, from my head to my toes. Before I even have to wonder when the timer is going to go off, I have loosened all of my muscles and head to the sink to drink a full glass of water. Then, BOOM: my body is thanking me for the love.“
The difference between the five-minute flow I began my year doing and now is that now, I sometimes need to limit my flow to three minutes in order to get my morning routine finished in under ten. However, if I have the time, I still do a full five minutes of flowing. (And Alexa still doesn’t listen to me 80% of the time when I set my timer… once again, that’s another problem for another time.)
The second section of my morning routine is dedicated to gratitude. It is helpful for me to start the day in gratitude because it reminds me about how much I have to be thankful for, which is so important to my overall health.
Beginning my day like this helps me start from a more peaceful place than if I just jump out of bed and race for the shower and then the door.
Finally, I spend three minutes strategizing for my day. I think about my to-do-list and I mentally walk through all of the activities that I have planned for the day so that I can be ready to face them all with the proper approach.
Dedicating time every morning to getting centered with yourself and where you are with your life on that particular day is something that has helped me remain focused and driven. Nine minutes of nourishment helps me on multiple levels as I set up for the day. It helps me wake my body up, wake my mind up with positivity and set my intentions. Remember, it only takes a few small decisions to help change your outlook on life – and therefore, your overall wellbeing and life.
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