Rise + Shine: The ultimate guide to a natural high.
Image: Pinterest
Written by Marlee Klemm
Rise and Shine
Yes Queen, it‘s a new day. This is your opportunity to set the pace for the rest of your day and potentially the rest of your week, month, year, life. Imagine a simple morning flow of thought and practice that puts pep in your step, gets you going, fills you with energy and lightness. Sounds delicious right!?
Beginning with thought. Thoughts of acceptance, gratitude and an outlook of positivity is where it starts. Accept what ever has been; be grateful for what you have and what is to be. Knowing that you have the opportunity to make something great for yourself in this moment, and the next, even right now. This concept radiates positivity and will assist you in beginning your day with enthusiasm and confidence.
In todays working world we are constantly pushed for time, especially time for ourselves. Getting to a morning gym session, yoga class or even going on a morning stroll often puts unnecessary pressure on us. However it is in the early hours, those very first waking moments that we can truly take for ourselves, if we allow our selves to do so. This might mean setting your alarm, half an hour or fifteen minutes early than you usually do. I can hear you already thinking, “half an hour earlier!? That is valuable sleeping time!” That is what you think NOW, but wait. Try it!
Creating a morning ritual is soul nourishing and provides you with the energy you need for your day because you have cared for yourself, nurtured your own needs and that feels good. We all want to feel good right? Well I’m going to share with you a few little tricks I personally use to help encourage your own little routine or ritual to implement to Live your Best Life.
Waking just that little bit earlier, feel in to whatever it is that is there, that physical sensation we connect to inside and sometimes externally. No matter what feelings you wake up to, do yourself a favor and make your bed! This is the basic essential to begin your very own morning ritual. Whether you feel happy, a little flat or down set up the space you return to at the end of every day as a place that makes you smile when you return. Appreciate yourself and prepare your space by using your favourite colours, different textures, pretty pillows and personal touches. Create your own haven of love, express yourself, do you for you! At the moment my bedding is yellow, well mustard corduroy; I use a mixture of dark and white sheets and pillows. I also decorate with blankets and way too many cushions that complement my bedroom. I started using the yellow set as a bit of an experiment with the concept of colour therapy. Never have I slept so well…Just saying. The feeling of getting in to a nice bed can be just as good as a cuddle.
Whether it’s some breath work, a still meditation, some personal mantras, fitness circuit, stretching, a short yoga flow, or a dance around your bedroom to your favourite song. Set up the day to be in your favor, start your day doing something for yourself. Feeling accomplished first thing motivates you to maintain the energy you hold through out the day. Maintaining a high frequency or shifting stagnant energy, shaking off the day before is important. Today is a new day! Take some time for you. NOW you’ll be buzzing off your own energy you created, feeling fully charged and ready to hit the road running.
Jump on YouTube, a platform that is easily accessible and a great place to start. There is an abundance of meditations, easy to follow yoga flows, fitness circuits… I guarantee there is something for everyone. Deciding whether stillness or some movement is best for you, even preparing an alternating schedule to explore, or just go with what you feel in the moment. Exploring different mobile applications is also a great option. These generally have a program you can follow and provide you with structure, which is also something that gives us satisfaction. Love a bit of structure!
Meditate. Meditation doesn’t necessarily have to be sitting cross-legged; eyes closed. Meditation is the practice of being present. To be in the moment. To be with breath. To be with your thoughts. To be with yourself. Accepting that thoughts are there for a reason, allow them to serve you with purpose. Take the time to process, to feel what it is you need to feel. You could even say getting up a little earlier and doing those dirty dishes is a meditation, if you can be calm, mindful and present during the process. Imagine that! A tedious chore being a catalyst to the perfect start to the day! Chuck in an attitude of gratitude and voilà! Genius huh!?
Now depending on how you structure your morning, being still or moving first is going to decide when to implement the next little trick to your natural high. Apple cider vinegar, although debatable I consider it to be a life hack, life’s nectar I would argue. From personal use and a consistent intake I have found that a shot of this zingy potion first thing in the morning helps get the body going, encouraging a kick start to the metabolism and assisting in smoother digestion. Other benefits I experience are a boosted immune system, clearer skin, a decrease in skin irritations such as dry skin, in my case psoriasis. I truly could rattle on about this ancient tonic but lets just put it this way, it’s life changing!
It is not for the faint hearted and can also be harmful if taken in large doses or too frequently as the acidity levels are high. Dilute the liquid with water, making it more palatable and easier to handle the tanginess of the vinegar. You will build a resistance and soon enough you’ll be knocking it back like a champion.
Will power. A tricky one to grasp and a tricky one to hold on to, but you just wait. The next practice I have to share with you will actually strengthen your will power in all areas of your life. So simple and so effective! The old cold shower. It is a good sign if you are currently shivering in your skin. You are connected, you are alive! Now imagine how alive you will feel going from your perfectly temperate shower, then at the end turning the hot water completely off and waiting for the change remaining under the stream. **shock, horror** . The tactic is simple. You immediately step in to the uncomfortable and you immediately create space for growth. Over time this part of your shower becomes something enjoyable and even essential. Believe it or not, this invigorating practice, wakes the body up, strengthens the immune system, tightens the skin, defies aging and you heard it here, builds will power!
Through out your day you may need a quick ‘pick me up’, you can always, always take your self back to breath. Educate yourself. Do some research on breathing techniques that invigorate and restore. Popular techniques such as the Wim Hof are amazing for just this. Use the time you have for yourself to self educate, learn something about the things you want to know more about, about things you don’t understand but take an interest in. Listen to podcasts or even chuck on an inspirational speech by someone you find empowering. Find a mentor that encourages you to be your own teacher. By empowering yourself you will gain a sense of accomplishment and through this you will feel motivated to maintain your high energy that you have so delicately built for your self.
It’s important to take responsibility for our own energy, what we put out and what we take in. It is in our power to move and shift unproductive or negative feelings and emotions, often by just allowing them to be. Feeling accomplished in yourself at home is just as important as at work. Just as they say beauty comes from within, your beauty, your abilities, your positive energy starts at home, in the physical space, and within you. The tools and little tricks I have shared can help you create your very own bad ju ju proof ritual that sees you through the day beaming like the Yes Queen you truly are. Your energy field will impact your work environment, it will penetrate the collective consciousness and you will see the shift. Let that high freq in you flourish and inspire others. Soon enough you’ll have people just begging you for your secrets.
Live, Laugh and Love. Be the light that you are and shine bright. In the darker moments handle your shit the best you know how and take the time to stop, breathe and flip it. Slay your dragon! Tackle the uncomfortable in the early stages of your day and watch your ability to tackle the uncomfortable throughout the day improve. Make choices based on what it is you need in the moment, what is going to serve you in order for you to progress to where it is you want to be, with yourself, your job, your living situation what ever it may be. Have patience and come from a place of understanding, kindness and compassion and your authenticity, that wonderfully attractive vulnerability will inspire others around you to do the same. The collective energy you are surrounded by will rise and shine at that very same frequency you hold.