When I was little I would watch my grandmother wake up and stretch for about 15 minutes. She slowly stretch each limb, elongating her arms and her legs and then slowly bending over towards her toes (without pushing herself to touch them). She would roll her neck to one side, then the other, turning her head to each side. It was always a very soothing ritual to watch and one that I've considered incorporating but got around to it but I guess there's no time like the present .

When I was little I would watch my grandmother wake up and stretch for about 15 minutes. She slowly stretch each limb, elongating her arms and her legs and then slowly bending over towards her toes (without pushing herself to touch them). She would roll her neck to one side, then the other, turning her head to each side. It was always a very soothing ritual to watch and one that I've considered incorporating but got around to it but I guess there's no time like the present .

Could you tell us where the mug is from? Love it!

Husband brings me tea and toast in bed. I love waking up slowly.

currently, my morning routine consists of cleaning up cat vomit, packing up 4 different food storage containers for toting food to work, running shower water for a 1/2 hour before it gets hot, and washing dishes from the night before. I am out of the house before the sun is up, as I am a teacher. I think I am in need of a routine change.

I know this is true. But it's also a lot easier on a bright and sunny summer morning vs. cool and dark Autumn snuggly under warm covers.

I go for a walk with my dog, then come back for breakfast. Walking gives me a chance to wake up, and time to think about things... plus some much-needed exercise for both of us!

I have the fortune of living in an apartment with full sea view (even from remote) . So everytime I wake up I always check the sea color and the sky and see if there is wind or if it is in absolute calmness. Most days I am taking a quick pic with my BB and have it as a wallpaper to remind me how was the sea today @ 07:30 . than I water my flowers/plants and enjoy my coffee in the veranda no matter how cold it is.
this is a small ritual which reminds me how is free of stress life look like, cause after it I jump into a hell of traffic morning and a full day until midnight. and than the view is pretty useless..

Kamibear - Amazon has one version of it: http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Wolf-Ltd-Scrabble-Alphabet/dp/B007Q2X9K8/ref=pd_bxgy_hg_img_y

These are great rituals, thanx for sharing!

@ kamibear I bought the mug at a local store but you can get them online here, http://acornonline.com/scrabble-letter-mugs/p/15773/

I can't relax until I've done what I've needed to do so I wake up ready to get the day started. My relaxation time is in the evening with the sun is coming down. I don't have an ocean view but I have a bay view with beautiful sunsets.

I have been crashing with my parents in anticipation of moving to a new apt in a new part of town (I previously lived 2.5 hrs away)....it's been this strange time warp back to my teenage years...a good one. On that includes eating breakfast standing at the kitchen counter watching breakfast television Toronto....my previous routine was 30min out the door...this one is 1 hr, but I wake up earlier....and I LOVE IT....I only hope I carry it on when I move to the new apt.

I do this every morning: sit and relax on my patio with a good, strong coffee and listen to the birds. Living in the Southwest makes it easier and one can almost sit outside all year round. When I come inside, it's with more energy and the morning chores get done quickly.

@Xeni, I love your ritual! Especially taking a picture of the sea to carry with you through the day. Lovely.

LOL to the cat vomit. I have the same problem, usually preceeded by my stepping in it. Why do they only vomit at night?!

I am anything but a morning person; most of my morning routines consist of hitting the snooze button 2-3x, showering, and getting out the door. My commute is stressful at times (New England weather makes for worse New England drivers) and always long, and Bob Oaks on NPR can't always ease the pain. In short - challenge accepted and thanks for the kick in the pants!

I'm wondering, what time do others wake-up for their day? Most mornings I get up at 5am, do yoga/stretching for 30 minutes, then start making breakfast and coffee, getting everything ready for the kids before 6am (when they are allowed to come down for breakfast, and yes, they are awake before this, but I've become selfish with the quiet alone time). We leave the house at 7:30am. Most mornings this works, but sometimes...just sometimes, I wish it was later especially on the weekends and later weeknights, when I just want to feel like a grown-up and to be able to stay up past 9:30pm.

I started waking up a bit earlier so I could spend a little time cuddling with my kitty and dressing myself up a bit nicer than I usually do. The kitty cuddling has immensely improved my mood in the mornings, and dressing up nicer gives me a confidence boost all day!

My husband wakes up before me and lets our two cats into the bedroom. We have about 10-15 minutes of snuggle time before I get up for a run or a shower.

I love my five-mile bike ride to work so much that I pack my stuff the night before so I can roll out of bed and just go. It starts in my calm, quiet neighborhood and ends in the heart of the city so that by the time I get to the office I am energized and ready to work--and sip mint tea at my desk with breakfast. I will be moving a 45-minute commute away soon, but I am looking forward to a new ritual of prepping something warm for the road and then savoring my reading time on the bus ride.

It's so interesting to read everyone's routines! I've recently started getting up at 5:30am, and it has improved my daily life and well-being immensely! I keep a pad and paper beside my bed and write two-three pages as soon as I wake up. Like many people, I often rise with a million things on my mind, and the writing really helps me wrangle my thoughts - both chaotic and creative! Then I spend fifteen minutes meditating. After that, I make coffee or a smoothie and spend about 45 minutes painting, drawing or researching art. I leave the house at 7:30, feeling like the morning was my own.

I usually wake up an hour before I need to get ready so I have time to run, read, make a more time-consuming breakfast, and/or drink tea. I used to be a wake-up-and-go type, but the little morning relaxation time -- because I am a morning person -- is really nice.

I make sure to wake up with at least 90 minutes before I have to leave home in the morning. It gives me plenty of time to make a good breakfast, and relax to my favorite news show before starting the day :)

Neat timing on the post. I just started trying to change up my morning routine a couple weeks ago. I've been waking up 45 minutes earlier than I was before and taking that time to prioritize for the day, get organized, stretch, and have a big glass of water. Summer would have been the best time to start because the mornings would have been light, but I really enjoy having some quiet, peaceful time to get my day going before my partner and son wake up. That way I can focus on getting my own day started before I turn all of my attention to getting my 3 year old's day started.

I do as much as possible to get ready for the day the night before. Lay out my clothes, pack my lunch, pack my tote bag, that sort of thing.

That means that in the morning, all I need to do is make my bed, shower, get dressed and eat breakfast.

I get up at 6 am, so that I can make a cup of tea, feed the cat, and read for 45 minutes before I do anything. Then I have plenty of time to get ready for work and be out the door at 7:30. I really hate to start the day off in a rush, so I plan my evenings so that my morning can be calm.

Fantastic! My yoga class was challenged to meditate at 4am since that's the calmest part of the day. However I'm not there yet, and might not ever be haha I am up at 6am instead and give myself half hour to move (not a planned yoga routine, but sun saltues are included) and then go about my day. I have a morning playlist that gets me dancing for sluggish days. Cheers :)

I just did a few things to make my waking-up progress easier:
1. Asked my husband to make it so the heat comes on at 6 am
2. Got a sunshine-ey alarm clock that slowly lights up

It has made such a big difference in my ability to get out of bed.

Phase II: going downstairs to do something I enjoy in the morning before leaving for work. Not sure what, just yet. But something.

One great feature of being a child of the night (I work 1030p tp 7a) is that I can wake up slowly in the afternoon. Sit outside or in my chair in a sunny window & drink coffee & blink for as long as I need to most days.
Life is much better without an alarm clock.

One great feature of being a child of the night (I work 1030p tp 7a) is that I can wake up slowly in the afternoon. Sit outside or in my chair in a sunny window & drink coffee & blink for as long as I need to most days.
Life is much better without an alarm clock.

I have so much trouble getting up in the morning and would really like to get into a nicer routine! My alarm goes off 1hr before I need to leave, but that still feels like I'm rushing and not having enough time to, say, prepare lunch. To be fair, it does take me at least 20 min after my alarm went off to actually get out of bed and afterwards I'm still so sluggish.

Any advice from other night owls on how to enjoy the mornings more?

I usually wake up to a state of complete alertness (it comes with being a light sleeper) and on purpose, I get up at 6:30 a.m. even though I don't leave for work until 8 a.m. My dogs get 1/3 of their daily food and I feel I need to give them some time to go potty several times because I won't return until 5:30 pm.

In summer, I voluntarily get up at 5:30 a.m. because I absolute hate hot and humid weather and I prefer to walk my dogs early in the morning (this entirely summer it already felt like swimming in a warm soup that early in the a.m.) as opposed in the horrible heat of late afternoon.
I enjoy several mugs of coffee and I watch TV or read before I go to work.

i live in montreal and i saw those scrabble mugs at a major bookstore chain. i also saw them at a little bookshop when i was in sydney this past summer. you probably will start seeing them in bookstores in your city too soon! :)

I love mornings but I also love sleep... and as a surgical resident (think 130 hour weeks at the hospital), sleep is in short supply and my workday starts at 6 am, 7 days a week.

I would love to wake up earli(er) and do some sun salutations or turn on some sweet music while I sip a cup of tea but (a) my husband sleeps later than I do and (b) I need to maximize how much sleep I get whenever possible.

To this end, I try to go to bed a little earlier and spend some time beforehand reading something non-work related with a scented candle burning. The smell tells my body that it's ok to relax and the book takes my mind off work before I sleep.

Currently, my morning routine is a mad dash from bed to shower to work. It would be lovely to start my day with the same peace and mindfulness that I use to end it. I'm going to spend the next week making those sun salutations happen. Thanks for the encouragement to do so.

AT, please do a post on "going to bed" rituals. I get home around 6:30 or 7 and need a 2-3 hour "evening" before turning in. I have a hard time shutting down before or by 10. I'd like to know what others do. Thanks!!

I've learned to look before I step out of bed...

I have enjoyed reading everyone's morning rituals. This has been my morning ritual for the past 5 years....I always get up 2 hours before I have to leave the house for work. (Yes, some people have told me they think I'm crazy). But it gives me valued time to read a book or magazine, to meditate, to check my emails, to do some online banking or to balance my chequebook, to make a "to do" list for the day, visit eBay or just to do whatever I feel like doing. And at the same time, enjoying a smoothie or soy drink or a cup of coffee.

If the weather is nice and warm outside (I live in Canada) I sit on our front steps with a coffee watching our horses and our chickens. Or sometimes just watching and listening to the birdsong in the air. Sometimes I bring my dog Daisy on the porch with me and I sip my coffee and pat her and it is our special morning time.

I always allow myself time to have a warm bath filled with essential oils (I suggest Ombra) to relax/energize for the day. That way by the time I leave the house for work that day, I feel like I've already been enjoying the day already. It is my time.

I have always been a morning person and I especially enjoy this time of day. In fact, I often wonder how (in my youth) I used to get up and leave the house 30 mintes later.

Deborah

Usually wake between 5:30-6 to whatever DVD I've put in the old fashioned wake-up machine.
Make a pourovercup of coffee with freshly ground beans.
After that, read, internet, write emails to family, etc.
Do 15-20 minutes stretching/strengthening exercise
Eat oatmeal & fruit.
Make lunch, tidy kitchen.
Do one small house chore.
Get dressed, make myself even more beautiful than I already am, and walk a mile to the bus stop.
It's taken me years to get this down...years. But it does work for me. I do it all in about 2 hours. If I have more time I tend to expand either the reading/quiet or the chores, depending on how much time.

my husband gets up first, which wakes up our 5 year old daughter, who then comes in to hop into bed and snuggle before breakfast. I would be hard pressed to improve on that routine! :)

Xeni! I love your morning ritual so much. I'm moving soon to a place that has a panoramic view of the river, the bluffs, and all the way to the Capitol. I think I'll take daily pictures ofr "my" river and trees and watch how they change everyday. And put if on my phone! How gloriously centering that is. Thank you!

Every morning, I do about 20 minutes of yoga, or dance around my apartment in my undies, accompanied only by the music in my head. Then I'll prep my coffee, and while it stands (my method requires about 15 minutes of waiting-time), I'll have a piece of fruit, or chocolate. Then, I froth up some almond milk, add the coffee, sprinkle some cinnamon on top, and make sure to start my day off on the right foot!

I always set my alarm to go off half an hour before I really need to be up. I spend that half hour cuddling with my boyfriend, Will, and slowly waking up. I am eventually completely awake and head off to the bathroom to get ready for the day while listening to a podcast; This American Life, Savage Love, The Moth, Risk!, Freakonomics, 99% Invisible, the Story Collider, and the highlight of my month Radiolab. Before I leave, I cuddle Will for a moment and kiss him good-bye and wish him a good day. This is the alarm clock for insane little brown boston terrier, Igby, who stretches, jumps up onto the bed, directly onto Will’s chest, and proceeds to lick Will’s face with great fervor from forehead to chin. Having been shoved out of the way by a 22 pound dog, I leave Will at Igby’s mercy and head out the door with a chuckle.

Ooooh AT, I love these features.

Deborah, your morning routine is lovely, but if I did that, and took a relaxing bath, I'd just get right back in the bed and go to sleep.

thanx everyone for sharing these truly fun and inspired routines!

that's a great throw pillow- where did you find that?

@439design. it's an outdoor pillow from Target a few years back.

Thanks!

Wake, dress, walk the dog. Observe the weather and the morning itself. Come home to coffee and the news online. I love my mornings.

Great post. Start my first "real" job in the corporate world this week after spending half of my life and all of my adult life in the restaurant/hospitality/nightlife industry. I was just thinking how I was going to spend my mornings in a fulfilling enough way to look forward to being awake for them! It's lovely to read everyone else's mornings and get some ideas for mine!

I'm hoping I can organize enough to spend 15 minutes reading, doing yoga while waiting for coffee water/french press, eat some breakfast, pack a lunch, and still make myself up for a day at the office. Additionally, I plan to have tons of meals in my freezer by the end of the week, so I will pull something out to thaw for dinner and most likely touch base with my mom who always has a wish for a great day and a prayer for no traffic!

Hej atliz, this may not work for you, but I had the same problem, even with 2 hours before I needed to leave. I found a 1-cup-coffeemaker which sits on my nightstand. I prepare the mug with a shot of milk and fill it with water and coffee before I go to bed, so that I only have to hit the switch when I hit the snooze button. Even after only a few hours of sleep the smell wakes me up gently (can't let it get cold!), and when I finished half of the coffee I can take it to the bathroom with me - or pass it over to my husband. After a few nights the cats realized that the coffeemaker signals my willingness to snuggle - before I'll only grunt and bury deeper under my pillow.
Hope you can adapt something like that to your lifestyle and preferences - good luck!

Y'all are amazing. I would love to wake up at 6, stretch or run, read the paper, have coffee and look at the sea, but my husband and I love sleep too much. He gets up at 8; I'm 15 minutes behind him, and we're out the door by 9.