When those first fingers of dawn appear, one eye cracking open a glint, amber-honeyed tentacles of morning’s light warming my awakening; I unfurl myself from my cosy bed and start the day with my favourite morning rituals.
A while ago I set in place some rituals I like to follow as I wake… ways to check in with myself, connect to what’s happening inside and with my external settings wherever I may be. These are my ways to stay calm, present, to enjoy the morning’s gifts, to ease any stress from the day before and to tune in to the magic of my surroundings...
By Sophie Everard
1. Journal & Sage
Upon waking, my head can sometimes be filled with wild dreams and hey, dreaming has often been the basis of some of my most passionate ideas and adventures in life. I wake up slow, stretch, cat-like in bed, before padding downstairs and picking up my journal. I light a favourite smudge stick or incense, as I love waking up all my senses, through favourite smells, touches and sounds.I put on my favourite meditation playlist, get cosy on the sofa, and record whatever thoughts are in my head… dreams perhaps, ideas, intentions, even far-flung goals… whatever my mind wants to expel goes down on paper.
2. Breathing & Stretch
One of my favourite morning rituals is to spend a few minutes simply breathing… If the weather is nice I head outside, listening to the sounds of bird song, trees blowing, whatever I can hear around me.I turn my focus to my breath and just mellow out whilst taking deep belly breaths. Hey, sometimes my mind is wandering and that’s ok; I just take that time to be slow, breathe and be.
I love to do 10 sun salutes of whatever my body is needing. Just a light stretch, perhaps movement with more energy and fire, but always 10 sun salutes to get the joints working and give my body the time it needs to wake up.
3. Coffee Time
Taking the time with my manual coffee maker to brew up a real tasty coffee is one of my favourite parts of the morning. I try and get barista-like on my brew, using my go-to ground coffee, savouring the rich, heady scent, and drinking slowly.
4. Catch a Sunrise
Taking in the sunrise where I can outside is always a treat, even when it feels hard waking yourself up. Hiking out to my favourite spot and spotting the first ribbons of dawn on the horizon is a way to remind me of the magic of our planet, and how that magic is there every day...
5. Cold Dip
No better way to enliven the senses, wash a fresh day across you, boost your endorphins and feel stoked than by plunging into cool water... The benefits of cold-water of any kind have been well chronicled, from boosting the immune system to alleviating stress. As soon as I toss myself into the water, I always (even if my goose-pimpled skin is hesitant at that first dive) feel awesome afterwards.
Select Photography by @magikknox.
Words by @sophiemadtolive
