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The Secret to Break Bad Habits
Every January 1st we start the New Year with the best intentions and resolutions to leave behind the bad habits we got used to. Breaking habits doesn’t have to be confined to only once a year, though. Here, I will share the secret to break bad habits and it is shockingly easy!
You can do this breathing exercise anywhere, anytime. It is ideal to awaken and energize when you have an afternoon dip at work. It works wonders to clarify the mind and to make you more alert and aware. Ultimately this will help you to break bad habits once and for all.
Get many more exercises and like is “the secret to break bad habits” on our YogaMap App. Download today for a 7 minutes yoga workout, meditations and tracking to see your progress. No set up required, just play and do yoga. Breathing and warm up included, variations offered and benefits given to motivate! On the AppStore NOW.
yogamap app – 7 minute yoga exercises, poses, meditation, breath and progress tracking available on the AppStore
STEPS
Come in a comfortable position, for example easy pose. Close your eyes and behind closed eyelids, look up towards the place in between your eyebrows.
Gently breathe through the nose 4 equally sized sniffs in. Take a short break and breathe out in 4 equal parts. You basically break up a long inhalation and exhalation into 4 sniffs.
Although segmented into 4 equal parts, your breath is meant to be smooth, gentle and flowing. This is not about jerking or squeezing.
Do this exercise everyday, 31 minutes for 40 days. According to the Kundalini yoga philosophy that is how long it takes for change to show and bad habits to break.
BENEFITS
With segmented breathing, you breathe in and out in equal sniffs. Dividing the breath up in 4 parts in and 4 parts out, will help to clarify your mind and bring alertness. Alertness and awareness can help to overcome addictions and is the secret to break bad habits.
MANTRA
Use a mantra like ‘Sa Ta Na Ma’ to help make the breaths evenly long. You can chose any mantra of your choice. A few suggestions could be “I am stronger”, “I can do this”, “I am worthy”, “I love myself”.
PRECAUTIONS
Stay with either 4 parts in and out or (as suggested in the variation) 8 parts in and out. It is not advised to just sniff away on your own merit. Making your own breathing patterns will not be useful.
VARIATIONS
You can try breaking up the breath into 8 sniffs in and 8 sniffs out (2 times SA TA NA MA) for a calming effect and to feel centered.
Segmented breathing is one of many exercises that are beneficial for strengthening willpower and not the only secret to break bad habits. We are currently working on a new version of YogaMap that will enable you to choose a yoga set or kriya that focusses on those things you want to improve or work on. So stay tuned on social media to be the first to know when our new YogaMap app will release. We are on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter
YogaMap helps you mapping out a Yogic Lifestyle in your professional and personal life. We give tips and share our personal story on how to live the way you want to live. We believe you can balance a yoga life with demanding work, busy family life and travel. Stay tuned, get inspired and start mapping YOUR yoga route to a balanced everyday life.
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Being social without drinking alcohol, may seem a paradox. Going out with friends to bars and restaurants, drinking beer on the beach. Holiday parties with open bars. And at work, many deals and promotions are discussed over drinks. Bonding with clients happens with bottles of wine on the table. It is needless to say, you are the odd one out.
Following the yogic diet, may make you stand out even more. Drinking water and eating salads while the others are having wine and steak. Your fellow socialites may look at you funny, question – or even challenge – your choice to be social without drinking alcohol and sometimes this can lead to uncomfortable situations.
But not to worry! In this smart guide, we will share with you 5 funny, smart and creative ways to be social without drinking alcohol PLUS recipes for alcohol free drinks and store-bought alternatives. These tips will help you stand by your choice and still have a social life, without being looked upon as an outsider by your friends or difficult to bond with by your colleagues.
Bye Bye alcohol
Congratulations, you decided to say goodby to wine, beer and alcohol in general. Maybe you even decided to start the yoga diet. Any which way, you made a wonderful choice. Many people make this decision for many different reasons every day. Sometimes going without alcohol is only for a short period of time, sometimes it is the result of a complete change of lifestyle.
Weightloss
The first reason to spotlight is to lose weight. A clever choice, because alcohol needs to be broken down first before your body can start breaking down the food you ate, causing it to be stored in your body longer.
Health
Oftentimes it is also health awareness. We probably all know how it affects and damages the brain and the liver. Another motivation is medication, some treatments do not allow alcohol together with the prescribed medicine. Pregnancy is of course a very good and healthy reason not to drink. Or maybe you simply really get really sick from alcohol.
Safety
Driving is probably the most commonly used excuse by people at a social event without drinking alcohol. It is, thank goodness, a commonly accepted reason not to drink and no one would question your decision. A very smart and safe move.
Taste
It is totally possible that you simple do not like the taste of alcohol, no matter what shape or form it comes in. People will probably try to make you taste all kinds of spirits, since that is what people commonly do when you say you don’t like something they love.
These are all well accepted reasons and excuses to say Bye Bye to a spirited toast in our society and professional life. However if your reason is your yogic lifestyle or yoga diet, it may still raise some eyebrows. What to do? Read on for more.
You yoga, I yoga, we yoga
Yoga
Yoga is more mainstream than ever. It is everywhere you look and is accepted and adapted in many ways, shapes and forms. It is generally accepted as a great workout practice. Instagram is full of photos of people performing marvelous postures. Yoga classes are full and yoga clothes is big business. Hey, even at YogaMap yoga is our main focus with our 7 minute yoga apps!
Meditation
Just like yoga practice, meditation is a commonly accepted way to gain focus and balance. If you ever read the morning routine of the most successful business people, they will share that they meditate in the morning. As a matter of fact many high profile professionals advice to meditate daily to improve focus and reduces stress.
Healthy diet
Eating organic vegetables and shopping at farmers markets is considered hip and totally cool. A lot has changed since the time when eating organic vegetables was equal to tree hugging and sand in your salad. Organic foods is widely available in grocery stores and many restaurants are sourcing organically grown produce. For deliciously healthy recipes, have a look at our YogicFoods apps.
YogicFoods Apps offer vegan and vegetarian recipes to help you eat healthy and balanced
So in your personal and professional life, it is easy to do yoga, meditate and eat organic food without standing out – thank goodness. Unfortunately, cutting down or completely cutting out alcohol can make people uncomfortable to drink around you. So play your cards well to feel included while being social, without drinking alcohol. Read on for some tips.
Be a part of it
Whatever the reason you decided to stop drinking alcohol, your friends, family, colleagues, clients and boss probably haven’t made the same decision. It always feels better to be around people that do the same as you. Being the only one that doesn’t drink, you will risk being considered boring or a spoilsport in the eyes of your social circle.
Mirror image
You may be aware of how mirroring body language can make you more likable. In short, it works this way. When you have a great connection with someone, both of you unconsciously copy each other’s gestures, postures and expressions. This gives a feeling of comfort and safety, which further enhances your great connection. You can turn this around to make it work for you as well. In this case you can (subtly!) mirror the body language of your client, interviewer, date, etc. to make yourself be liked more.
The same goes for drinking. If everyone is having a drink, it gives a feeling of camaraderie. You toast together, drink together, share stories together. If you are the one not drinking alcohol, you will be the odd one out and the others can start to feel uneasy when you are sober as a judge. Since, you want to be included and part of it all – without the drinks – you will need a strategy.
Go for it
With this knowledge it is easy to understand that the best chance of being included an accepted is not by staying at home. If you want to be social, without drinking you have to say “YES” to going out with your friends and co-workers. This does not mean you should suggest an eco-friendly, vegan, organic bar with great fruit cleanses to ‘change things up’ a bit. Just go with the flow, be a part of it, but do it your way.
Options that won’t work
Always fun to read; things that will not work if you want to be social without drinking alcohol – in my opinion.
Stay home
Not going is always an option. If you feel awkward or an outsider. If you want to avoid questions, looks and remarks. Maybe you want to do Sadhana at 3:30am. That’s not easy with late nights and alcohol still in your system. Nevertheless, you pay a high price for not showing up. For starters, you’re not being social, and that’s what this is all about, right?! Second, a lot of deals are made, plans perfected, promotions promised and friendships forged over drinks. Besides that, think of all the juicy details that you will miss. Next morning everyone will still be smirking over what happened and you will be the odd one out. Uh-uh, the goal is to be part of it all, remember?
White lie
I can tell you right now that telling a lie won’t work either. You cannot come up with a lie every time you go out. In some professional settings, drinks are common every week or even multiple times a week. You have to be VERY creative. Besides that, how can you build friendships or partnerships if you are lying all the time. On top of that, pretending to have a medical condition or to take medication that doesn’t allow you to drink, is not recommended either. Although it does provide a long term reason, you will be pretending you’re sick. Think of the energetic and karmic load you’ll be accumulating. A big NO there.
Going full on, activist style
If you are aiming to top the ‘people-to-avoid’-list, you will certainly succeed this way! I get it, you are super charged, enthusiastic and have discovered the answer to eternal youth. You want to share, no, you want everyone to follow. Having drinks, chilling and being social with friends, colleagues and clients, though, might not be the right place or time to go all out on your no alcohol philosophies. In fact, you will make them feel uneasy and that will surely lead to being left out.
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So, How CAN you be social without drinking alcohol?
1. Practice your lines
Your reason not to drink is very personal. Maybe it is the yogic lifestyle that brought you here today, maybe it is another reason all together. Whatever the reason, if you want to be social without drinking alcohol, having an answer ready when asked or confronted, is a smart thing. Practice one-liners, quick responses, witty replies and always be a step ahead. If you know what to say and how to respond, you can be honest and straightforward about your reasons. Remember that your motivations are your own and you do not need to defend them to anyone.
You should always surround yourself with people that accept you the way you are. Friends that have the same mindset or are open to your lifestyle will help you and support you. Sometimes, however, we cannot choose. Think of professional situations like dinners with clients, holiday parties from work, lunches with colleagues, but also family gatherings like Thanksgiving, Christmas or the quintessential New Years Eve champagne toast. For those cases, here are some alternatives.
2. Wear a funny t-shirt
I love this one. Wear a graphic t-shirt with a funny yoga quote that could be about alcohol. This is a great option for casual drinks. If jean and tee is not an option, for example in a professional setting, consider wearing it tucked in and under a jacket. A quirky tee can really make light of the situation and still get a message across. You can make a joke about it, have some laughs and be done with the topic. Also, people will remember you, for the right reason. Not the sober odd one out, but the funny one with the t-shirt.
We have some great t-shirt designs that can help. Visit our YogicFoods shop on Teespring or Redbubble to get some great original designs and t-shirts with funny yoga quotes. We have tees that simply say NO and t-shirts that refer to a yoga diet with fun texts like “I’m not drinking my yogic age is still under 18” or “tea for me, my yogic age is still under 18”. There are many more, and we add to them often. In fact, so many that we started a separate blog to keep you informed of our newest and greatest designs. Visit our YogicFoods Shop blog here soon we will open our shop blog on YogaMap.com as well. Stay Tuned!
funny yoga t-shirts from the YogaMap – YogicFoods shop to be social without drinking alcohol
3. Be (a) faster
Everyone seems to be on an alcohol fast some time or other. Many of your colleagues and friends will actually be on a fast, go on a fast or have just ended one. Especially January is a fantastic alcohol fast month. After mayor holidays and summer an alcohol fast is a smart and natural thing to do. It is a socially accepted break from drinking and may be a great conversation starter. When you are practicing being social without drinking alcohol, you could be on an alcohol fast as well (just a long one…). Maybe you have a bet with a friend to see who can keep up the longest. Everyone loves a good match and you’re going to be the winner!
4. Be wise, disguise
You don’t really have to say anything at all if you stick to your own secret virgin concoction disguised as a drink on the rocks or a cocktail. Maybe you are drinking juice with club soda in a fancy glass or a mocktail and no one will notice. You can order your drinks separately or be the one ordering for everyone. If someone else is ordering for you, get up to the bartender afterwards to make sure your drink is made alcohol free.
5. Jam the traffic
You know drinking and driving is a big no-no. Did you know that even biking under influence is dangerous and fined heavily? However you get home, you are going to be in traffic. So, if all else fails you can always fall back on traffic safety. Offer to be the one driving, carpool your colleagues or friends home or just say you still have to drive (even it’s your bike). A good, honorable and very well accepted reason not to drink alcohol.
Alcohol-free drinks and recipes to try
Going social without drinking alcohol is easier with these drink and cocktail alternatives and recipes to make yourself.
Social without drinking beer
Kombucha is a great refreshing drink alternative to have when beer is served. Especially enjoyable in the summer, chilled and naturally fizzy. Make your own with this brewing kit.
To make a delicious bubbly apple drink yourself combine 1 part apple juice with 1 part sparkling water.
If you rather have a more grown-up drink, however, try this. Mix equal parts cranberry juice and club soda or sparkling water. Add a squeeze of lemon. Garnish with some fresh cranberries and a slice of lemon. Very festive, sparkly and delicious. Not too sweet.
Alcohol free bellinis are made by mixing 1 part peach puree with 2 parts sparkling water.
Alcohol free mimosas you get by mixing 1 part orange juice with 2 parts sparkling water.
Social without drinking liquor
When everyone else is having drinks on the rocks, it is not easy to blend in with a glass of juice. For those times you need an alcohol free drink alternative, consider a drinking a Crodino. An Italian alcohol-free bitter that goes well on the rocks with a twist of orange peel. Or this promising looking trio of Bourbon, Sweet vermouth and Campari from Lyre’s Boulevardier with great reviews.
If you want to make a tasty drink yourself, try this. Add some ice to a whiskey glass. Fill a third with club soda, then add a teaspoon of ginger paste and a generous squeeze of lemon. Stir until combined. You could add a twist of lemon or even orange peel and sprig of mint, but that isn’t necessary. A great drink, healthy and looks good too.
Social without drinking wine
Socializing without drinking wine is easier with an alcohol free version. There are many alcohol free wines available nowadays. I haven’t tried them myself, but I wanted to give you the options. I found this well rated red Cabernet Sauvignon from St Regis and this alcohol free Chardonnay also from St Regis. This set of a Cabernet and Chardonnay from Ariel, also has good ratings and would be worth a try.
Your turn
Could you use any of our tips to be social without drinking alcohol wether with work colleagues or friends? What did you end up doing? Let us know in the comments below.
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Sat Nam and Namaste Caroline & Gurpreet
We believe you can balance a yogic lifestyle with demanding work, busy family life and travel. Stay tuned, get inspired and start mapping YOUR yoga route to a balanced everyday life – 7 minutes at the time.
Note: This blog article may contain affiliate links. These links will bring you directly to Amazon and the product page. You pay the normal Amazon prize for this product and I get a small commission from Amazon. This way you support our blog and make it possible to keep blogging and adding recipes to our website and apps. Thank you.
Do you recognize this scenario? You wake up disturbed by your alarm clock and from that moment on your day is taken over by life itself fueled by coffee and stress. Everything seems to go on autopilot from the moment you wake up and there isn’t a moment you feel in control. You forget your keys, are distracted and unable to focus and get to work and come home exhausted feeling like you’re never going to get out of this rut. But fear not! I am sharing with you 10 morning habits that improved my productivity, so you can make yours better too!
A good morning routine can help you feel more balanced and productive throughout the day. It takes away the rush and the stress and can set you up for success on the long term. Adopting morning habits that work for you, can benefit you right away as well as in the future. That is why I started to make conscious decisions on how to start my day. I really wanted to take the lead, rather than to let the morning lead me. To be in control of my morning habits and with that improve my whole day.
Morning habits gone wrong
Most of the things you do in the morning are probably a reaction to your situation, family members or environment. We have to get to work, so we need to shower, get dressed, eat and catch the train. Maybe you have to get your kids ready as well, which adds to the stress and chaos with which you start your day. You respond to the little crisis of lost shoes and hurry through the house to get everyone and everything ready. These reoccurring events have now become your morning habits. You may have gotten used to it, but that doesn’t mean you’re happy with it.
Some morning habits actually become habits by accident. One day you overslept and you didn’t have time for a proper breakfast. In your rush you took a cereal bar to eat on your way and made it to work in time. You now realized that you can sleep longer and still reach on time, hence you wake up later next day too.
Maybe your worries or the chimes of your phone wake you up and your morning habit is to read your emails, work texts and newsfeed first thing with your eyes still half closed. Some of us are in such a rush or so preoccupied with the stresses and responsibilities of the day ahead that we go on autopilot and don’t really wake up until we reach our destination.
It is easy to understand why running after the facts and rushing without thinking is not a desirable way to start the day. Don’t we all like to start our days calm and in control? Let me share the morning habits I adopted that helped me be more productive.
Here are the 10 simple morning habits that made my days more productive
Before we start, a quick reminder. These are just suggestions and ideas that worked for me personally, please do what feels right for you and fits your personal life and situation. Most importantly, you need to do what makes you feel happy and productive for the day ahead and long term. Waking up early has many advantages, but if it is counterproductive, maybe that isn’t for you. Listen to your body and mind, zero in on your personal needs and wants, find out what inspires you and what can be left out. I am no expert, but this sounds logical to me. Here we go.
1. Wake up early
About 2 hours before the family wakes up, I open my eyes. I am a morning person, so to me it may be easier than for you. Just know that you can get used it. It is a matter of training your body.
In summer, with the sun up early it will be easier than in winter, when it so dark you may feel you never even went to bed! But don’t give up! Morning habits don’t work if you don’t make time for them in the morning. Start by waking up 10 minutes earlier at first. Once that is your new normal, try 30 minutes earlier. When you get used to that, try another 30 minutes. This way you can train yourself to wake up earlier. Starting slowly and waking up little earlier every day, will help you to maintain this new morning habit. It is no use waking up at 5am one day, only to feel exhausted and then to give up. Get used to it slowly and stick to it.
Waking up early gives me a chance to do things for myself and to have some alone time. Since the pandemic we are all at home 100% of the time and sometimes even with the best intentions, it gets a bit much. So alone time may be even more important now. Still, also before the pandemic I appreciated the quiet morning time just for me.
2. Meditate
Once I am awake, I take a moment to clear my head. I usually do that by focusing on a chant or reciting a chant in my mind. This way I focus on one thing and my thoughts are not taking me all over and back again. It is easy to be distracted by the schedule of the day ahead, work, school, what to wear … Nevertheless, to make more out of morning and your day it is better not to jump right in and react to what is being thrown at you. Rather take a moment, take a breath, clear your head and start your day balanced and calm.
Don’t skip because you think you lack time. Meditating doesn’t have to be long – you can start with a few minutes (moments even!) and slowly you’ll notice you can do more and longer.
Another misconception is that you have to sit on the floor in a special room with incense lit and a mandala on the wall. If you have a practice room, that is great! But when I wake up early, I just sit upright in bed, close my eyes and focus on my chant. I breathe in and out normally, I’m not doing anything special with my breath. My body is relaxed, but my back is straight.
Many times I found it very hard to meditate, especially because I wake up with many ideas in my head. I would worry that they would fade away when meditating. This of course doesn’t help with clearing my mind and letting my thoughts and visions float by like clouds in the sky. I wanted to hold on to them! Thankfully, I found a way to deal with that, let’s get to the next point.
3. Writing ideas down
I actually learned about this during a conference about sleep. Many people have problems sleeping, because of the many thoughts going through their head. One way to fall asleep, our speaker told us, is to write these thoughts down and with that allow them to leave your head. Next day you can find all your thoughts written down.
This works very well in the morning too! I wake up with lots of ideas and thoughts in my head. Things I want to get working on right away. Nevertheless, by the time I am done with half of my morning habits, these ideas are faint flickering memories of a distant dream. When I’m ready to sit down for work, I have no idea anymore what I wanted to do.
Recognize this? Here is the number 3 tip of my morning habits; Keep a notebook next to your bed. I prefer a notebook over your phone, because you want to start your day with your own thoughts, a clear head and on your own terms. Your phone will entice you with text messages, the news, emails, work, social media etc and in no time you are back to square one.
Here are some notebooks we made for you from our YogaMap and YogicFoods initiatives. These are original artworks (proudly made by myself) and are available at our YogicFoods shop at RedBubble. You can keep track of the latest and greatest in this Shop Blog, where we share a curated collection of our designs. Soon there will be a shop blog on YogaMap.com as well
So, what I do is to write my ideas down after I wake up. Then I can meditate without distraction and worry that I will forget what I wanted to do. I can come back to my notes later when I am ready to work.
Until now I have been in bed. See, waking up early can be lazy too 🙂 This next morning habit is a beautiful ritual that you may want to adopt whatever time you get out of bed.
Before my feet touch the ground I express my gratitude for this new day. I say SatNam, you may say Namaste or Amen or just a simple Thank You. You can already integrate your moment of gratitude in your meditation. If you decide to get up right away however, taking a moment to be grateful before putting your feet down, really makes a difference. So, say thank you the Universe and Entities that are with us for this new day you have been given.
5. Visualization
This may be one of my favorite morning habits of all. It makes me happy and confident. It gives me a feeling or vision to return to if I’m feeling discouraged during the day and it always cheers me up. What do I do? Once I am ready to do some work. I sit down at my desk, close my eyes and take a moment to envision myself having achieved all the goals I have set.
You can do this too. Whatever you have planned out for yourself in your professional life or personal life, see yourself that way in your minds eye. This can be anything from being successful to getting married, from living abroad to being healthy, from graduating to just being happy. All you have to do is to feel the way you think you would feel when you reach your goal. See before you what you would do, how your life would be, what your day would look like. I only take a few minutes every day to do this, but it makes me feel happy and confident.
6. Me time
These morning habits all came to life when I found myself stuck between house chores, kids, homeschool, work. Where was I? I was either a housewife, a mom, a teacher, a wife, but rarely to never was I just ME. Since I am the only person in our house that can actually wake up early and be active and happy at the same time, I figured that was my ‘me-time’.
I work on my own projects. This can be this blog, handling social media or I do graphics. Whatever makes helps the family forward, helps me reach the goals I set in my visualization or things I that make me feel proud of myself. Sometimes that is reading an (educational) book or taking an online course.
What would you like to do if you had some time for yourself? Maybe you would like to study or take a walk in the fresh morning air. Maybe you’d be working on your own business or side hustle. Think about it, once you know you will look forward to it and won’t find it hard to wake up earlier at all.
7. Morning time hugs
With a busy schedule, working from home and everyone being inside during this pandemic, it is easy to get a bit of a family overload. I noticed I started to take my family for granted. If you are like us, living in an apartment in the City, you are always – and with that I mean 24/7 – together in a small space. Of course we get annoyed, I am not going to pretend here.
But we are blessed to have each other. So one of my morning habits is to hug the family when they wake up. It sounds so obvious, but in the hustle and bustle of the morning stresses it is easy to forget. I have made it a point to make this a habit throughout the day, just more hugging and more awareness of the great gift it is to have loved ones near.
Giving some hugs and attention in the morning, sets you up for the day. It allows your family members to understand you love them, but that you have a busy day and not as much time for them as you’d like. They will feel loved and appreciated. You can feel at ease with your busy schedule and long work hours, because you showed them first thing how much they mean to you.
Maybe you want to express more love for your partner or gratitude to your parents. Other ways to show love and appreciation is to write a thank you note, send a good morning message to dear ones or to just pick up the phone (handsfree of course if you’re driving).
8. Hot tea
Seriously, Caroline? You put hot tea as a morning habit for us to take over in our daily wake up ritual? I can hear you think, it is too simple to be on the list. But seriously. Have a cup of tea. Happiness is in the little things, right?
Having my cup of hot herbal tea to sip from really makes a difference. It gives me that feeling of comfort and coziness. Much better than coffee in my opinion. But then I don’t drink coffee, so that is easy for me to say. I also prefer it over chai, because herbal tea doesn’t have any milk or sweetener.
My herbal teas all need different temperatures to bring out the best taste. So I use this electric teakettle to set the right temp to enjoy my tea. It keeps the water hot even after it is done and it looks pretty too. Then I pour it in this smart cup that keeps my tea warm at the temperature that I can set myself. This was really worth it, I promise. This way I can focus on what I want to do and I don’t have to get to the kitchen all the time. Take it to work too, especially in long meetings, you will thank me for it later.
If you choose your herbal tea wisely, the herbs can benefit you more than just by giving warm comfort. There are many teas specifically blend to improve your wellbeing. There are detox teas, focus teas, digestion teas, sleepy teas … I would avoid the last one in the morning though.
9. Books at Breakfast
Skip forward a bit and we are at breakfast time. Since a short time I have adopted the habit of reading during breakfast time. I am fairly quickly done with my breakfast, but my kids really embrace the ‘eat slow’ philosophy. So breakfast can take a while. I mentioned a few times that we homeschool and breakfast time tends to ‘eat’ away in my school day, making it more challenging to get everything covered in a day.
That is why, when I am done with eating, I read aloud. This can be anything from classics like Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne or Wizard of Oz, by Frank Baum to biographies like Marco Polo or Jane Goodall. Some mornings are for stories about math some for stories about science. There are also wonderful stories to read about history and geography and inspiring people. It is a lovely morning habit that you can easily adopt and adapt for yourself.
Since you woke up early, following my first morning habit, you don’t have to rush to get ready in the morning. You have time for 10 minutes of inspiration. You may want to read a book, article, religious texts, educational article or a self development book. Whatever you choose to read, (and whether during a yogic foods breakfast or not) I suggest you make it a positive text.
There are some great audiobooks and audio book programs out there for you to explore, if you want to ‘read’ hands free. Amazon Audible has a great selection of books to listen to. An audiobook platform for kids with lots of fun and educational stories to listen to, is Pinna. They have a 30 day free trial, by the way, which I suggest you use. We really enjoy it and listen to it almost every day.
If you are looking for ideas what to make for breakfast or need inspiration for snacks to pack. Check out our blog post from YogicFoods.com ‘what we eat in a day – the yogic diet way’. It may inspire you to make something quick and healthy.
10. Exercise
Tell me you were wondering where the yoga would come in! Of course, it deserves a place in my morning habits. In anyones morning habits actually. It is great for body and mind to do some physical exercise before getting started with the day. Some people like to do yoga or a workout right after waking up, some prefer to do it just before sitting down for personal work, or me-time, as I call it here. We usually do our active session when the kids are up. We want them to be involved and inspired. This way we hope to teach them by example that working out, doing yoga or other physical exercise is a natural and healthy part of the day.
Let me share with you 2 wonderful, easy and beneficial ways to exercise in the morning.
7 minute yoga
If you find it difficult to get started and feel you don’t have time for yoga. Consider our 7 minutes Yoga App YogaMap to integrate a short yoga routine in your morning habits. I mean, you can spare 7 minutes, right? It is easy enough to use, there are many adaptations for beginners and advanced users. We are explaining the benefits of each pose and there is time to calm down and get into the yoga routine with some breathing. With the YogaMap app you can cover yoga, breathing and meditation all in one.
We have started doing the 5 Tibetan Rite in the morning as a family. Maybe you have heard of them, maybe this is totally new. Gurpreet came to me with this to try and it is really great. The 5 Rites are 5 simple moves to improve health and focus and reverse aging (I love that, although of course I embrace my aging process like a true yogi). You start with doing each move 3 times. When you feel comfortable doing that, you can increase the amounts of each move with 2 extra each time. So, from 3 you go to 5 times, to 7 times etc all the way to 21 times. It is easy enough for anyone to start, beginner or experienced yogi. It is also wonderful to do with kids, since the moves are simple and come natural to them. Adding them to our morning habits has been a lovely new way to start the day.
In fact, we love it so much that Gurpreet and I are working on a new app that will help YOU practice the 5 Rites to reap the benefits. You will be able to set your reps and keep track of your progress. We are busy writing, coding and doing graphics and I am excited to tell you we will have the app ready soon! Of course, we will keep you posted about the progress. If you want to read more about the 5 Rites, its benefits and the postures, It will be right here on the blog.
Your turn
There you have it. 10 simple and small things that I do that make my day happier. So what do you think, will you use some of these morning habits to start your own morning routine? Tell me how it worked out for you. I hope your days will be great, at least you know how get off to a good start.
Sat Nam and Namaste Caroline & Gurpreet
YogaMap helps you mapping out a Yogic Lifestyle in your professional and personal life. We give tips and share our personal story on how to live the way you want to live. We believe you can balance a yoga life with demanding work, busy family life and travel. Stay tuned, get inspired and start mapping YOUR yoga route to a balanced everyday life.
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Note; An adapted version of this blog article first appeared on www.YogicFoods.com
