Monday doesn’t have to be the enemy. You don’t have to be behind enemy lines every time the alarm goes off. There are so many tips and tricks for having a better morning, and below are the ones I love and live by. Try them, just for one week, and see if you feel better about mornings.

Leave your thoughts in the comments. We’re here to take back the mornings!

5 quick changes that make Monday, and every morning, better.

Log Off – what are you doing online so early!? Always take at least 15 – 20 minutes to yourself to come into the day! We’re always killing our alarm and instantly getting on the internet on our phones. We all do it. I’m terribly guilty. This immediate concern with what’s happening in the world and, if we’re honest, how many likes you got over night, takes away from out ability to check in with ourselves and see what’s happening with us. Often, these 15 minutes in the morning are the only time we have to check in, so keep them sacred. Avoid the immediate onslaught of information before you’re awake enough to digest it! That includes Instagram… 🙂 Set a timer if you need to!

Sit Quietly – meditate, sip tea outside, whatever you connect with most. Most important is that you take time to sit with yourself, check in, and have the peace and quiet to listen. I like to sit in meditation in bed. Propping myself up against the wall, I take the first 10 minutes of my waking to do just that. To listen to my breathing and come back into my consciousness. Just try not to lay back down.

Move – wiggle around a little bit! Whether you’re doing a couple sun salutes or just bouncing around to your favorite Fleetwood Mac song for an early morning dance party, move and bring a little life into your body. You have to wake up, so get the blood pumping in any way that brings you happiness!

Drink Lemon Water – squeeze some lemon into a big glass of water and toss it back. Having lemon water in the morning kick starts your digestion, refreshes and hydrates and gives you a solid boost of Vitamin C! YAY for early morning refreshment!

Set an intention – just as you do at the top of your asana practice, set an intention for your day. Mindfulness at the start of your day can go a really long way in keeping stress and anxiety at bay. Though setting goals for the workday an be helpful, try to instead focus on an internal and personal intention like finding more kindness with others and yourself or practicing patience. These more personal intentions allow for transformation so you can work with peace and ease.

Bonus – Smile. Smiling has been shown to reduce the recovery time of stress. So just smile. All the time if you can. It helps. 🙂

I hope you take back your mornings and start embracing them as the beautiful thing they are.

| namaste |