How to Have a Mindful Morning

8 steps to starting your day mindfully.

We’ve all heard the numerous benefits of practicing mindfulness. What we hear less of is what this actually looks like in practice. How can we structure our day in a way that helps us to live mindfully?

The morning is a great time to incorporate mindfulness into your day. I always prioritize my mindfulness practice in the morning as I find that it to be the most beneficial at this time of day.

Starting your morning in stillness lays the foundations for a calm and productive day ahead. It also helps you deal with the challenges the day brings with a sense of clarity and increased levels of focus. You start the day stress and worry-free, rather than starting with a stressed and chattering mind. Your morning will set the tone for your entire day, so it’s important to go through your morning slowly, intentionally, and positively.

Here, I will outline 8 practices you can include in your morning routine that will help you start your day with mindfulness.

“Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

1. Breathe for five minutes

As soon as you wake up, lie still and flat on your back, and breathe. Breathe through a minimum of three breath cycles. Pay attention to how your breath feels. Pay attention to how your body is feeling. Pay attention to where your thoughts are. Don’t label anything as good or bad, don’t cling to anything. Just notice and let go.

“This practice provides a calm refuge for the mind and body to recharge, giving you the mental strength and focus you need to step into the day.”

— Laurie Cameron, author of The Mindful Day

This practice has been hugely beneficial to me. Often, I would find myself waking up with a racing heart and a body full of anxiety. But taking the time to pause and check-in can make a huge difference. Just acknowledging how I’m feeling and the thoughts I’m having reduces their power and I’m able to enter the day in a calmer state of mind. This practice has become non-negotiable for me — it makes a huge difference for the rest of my day.

2. Positive input

Train your mind to be positive from the minute you wake up.

Now is the time to start bringing in positive thoughts and positive input. I like to do a guided meditation that has a particularly positive tone to it. I like to hear positive and happy things when I wake up, before any other input.

You can also now start to bring to mind all that you are grateful for and to think of the joyful moments in your life. Think about the house you slept in, your friends and family that support you, and the fact that you woke up at all.

We must always remind ourselves of the privilege of being alive, and be grateful for all that we have been given. Remind yourself of this when you wake up. Marcus Aurelius said,

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

If we view each day as a bonus day — to live, to love, to do the things we love to do — we can’t help but experience gratitude. Viewing each day in this way will ensure that you live your day mindfully.

I try to remind myself each morning that today is a bonus day. A new day is not a given, but a gift, and I want to use it well. I realize how fortunate I am to have it. I’m also fortunate to still have friends and family, a roof to sleep under, and clean water to drink. None of this should be taken for granted.

3. Set an intention

The act of setting an intention is so simple yet incredibly powerful. This practice can be used in everything you do — from waking up in the morning, to the tasks you have to do at work. Setting an intention will push you to move through your day consciously and intentionally, bringing more meaning and purpose to your actions.

Intention will:

• Bring meaning to everything you do, so that you can lead a more meaningful life
• Align you with your purpose
• Provide clarity
• Facilitate growth

Setting an intention is a powerful way to direct your focus for the day, to get more done, and to have clarity in your goals.

How do you want to feel today?

How will you need to have gone through today, to be able to look back this evening and say that today was a day lived well?

What matters most? What needs to get done today?

How do you want to feel at the end of the day?

Ask yourself these questions and establish an intention to help carry you through your day mindfully.

Each day I decide how I want to live that day. Today, it was to live slowly. I hate the feeling of rushing and like to live as though I’m on vacation time. Sometimes, my intention is to be present or to appreciate the little things. Having this small and simple intention to carry me through the day helps me to stay mindful and aware as I go about my daily tasks.

Before I started setting an intention at the start of the day, I knew that I should be more present, or appreciate the little things, but knowing doesn’t translate into action. We must make a plan to implement our knowledge. In the words of Napoleon Hill,

“As knowledge is acquired it must be organized and put into use, for a definite purpose, through practical plans. Knowledge has no value except that which can be gained from its application towards some worthy end.”

4. Journal

Journaling can serve many purposes but, for me, a lot of my practice comes from Stoicism. In the morning this primarily involves planning my day, considering what challenges I may face, and how I might deal with these challenges.

“A healthy mind should be prepared for anything.”

— Marcus Aurelius

I also write one thing I’m grateful for, what my intention for the day is (outlined in the previous section), and my number one task for the day. I then read the relevant passage from The Daily Stoic and journal on this.

Journaling is a powerful way to be present in the moment. It’s hard to sit down with a pen and paper and not be here, right now. I have found that starting my day with my journal helps me to deal with the challenges of the day more effectively, and brings to light everything that is going on in my head — the essence of being mindful.

5. Coffee

Drinking coffee is a sacred time for me. When I drink coffee, it’s me time — a special 10–15 minutes during the day where I slow down and just be. Usually, I read — if I can do it outside in the sun, that’s even better. Sometimes I’ll listen to a coffee meditation. Sometimes I’ll journal.

But no matter what, this time is non-negotiable. I’m going to sit down and drink in stillness. If something needs to be done right now, or breakfast needs to be made, I will have my coffee later. This is something I don’t budge on.

Having these sacred spaces of time helps me to stay mindful throughout the day. They bring me back to the present moment and help keep me on track for the rest of the day. Taking the time to regularly slow down and just be is incredibly powerful.

I highly recommend listening to some coffee and tea meditations. You won’t have to listen to these every time you have a cup of coffee, but the foundations they will teach you can be implemented every time you have a cup.

They will teach you to start with some intentional breaths, to feel your feet on the floor, to notice the sounds around you. Then you will start paying attention to the coffee — the warmth of the cup, the shape of the bubbles on top, the steam rising, the smell, and finally, the taste. This process can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 15 minutes. It doesn’t have to be a long time, but it’s so powerful.

6. Movement

Moving in the morning is incredibly beneficial, and movement can actually be more meditative than meditation itself. I always find that I feel incredibly present during and after exercise. For me, exercise is meditation.

Movement allows deep access to who we are and what it’s like to be in this body, right now. It’s a powerful form of meditation. You can’t help but feel the breath going in and out of your lungs. The sun on your skin. The grass beneath your feet.

Movement forces you to be present in the moment, within yourself.

It clears the mind. Thoughts come and go in passing, without even a conscious effort to let them go. When a thought comes in, you can’t help but let it go as you focus on putting the next foot in front of the other, moving to your next yoga pose, or lifting your next set of deadlifts.

You are present. You are breathing. You are in tune with your body. You can feel where there is tension, where your body is asking for more attention and love. This is the essence of mindfulness.

Movement also releases cortisol and endorphins and increases your core temperature as well as circulation, all of which are going to make you feel more alert, full of energy, and ready to focus.

Be present with the movement. Pay attention to your body and the motions. Breathe.

7. Shower

Showers are a great opportunity to be present. There is so much to pay attention to — the feel of the water, the smells, the sounds, the sight of the steam, the feel of the lather on your hands.

Don’t mindlessly go through the motions of the shower. Pay attention to every little thing. So often we are on autopilot and we’re out of the shower before we know it. Slow down and enjoy this time.

This is one that I really struggle with. So often when I get into the shower, my mind is off and running. Sometimes I can’t even remember if I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair. Sometimes I’m so distracted I forget to put conditioner in altogether.

But if we can come back to the breath when we catch ourselves thinking about other things, we can bring our minds back to the present and refocus on what is happening now. Take a breath, smell the soap, feel the water. Keep coming back to this. With practice, this process will get easier.

8. Connect

“When you love someone, the best thing you can offer that person is your presence. How can you love someone if you are not there?”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

The morning is a great time to mindfully connect with others. Whether a pet, a significant other, a roommate, or a parent, be present with them. Pay attention to them. Notice them. Maybe even sit down and have coffee or a meal with them.

Presence is the most powerful gift we can give someone and it’s so easy. You’ll both reap the benefits of a mindful connection and it’s a great practice to include in your mornings.

I’m always up before my partner, usually by two or more hours. But as soon as I hear her move (or I know her alarm is about to go off) I make a pot of coffee and I bring it to her. I get back into bed and we sit and have coffee. Usually, we don’t talk (she doesn’t talk before coffee) but just being together like this is a great way to be present with each other. We share the pot of coffee, we sit in silence, and we are here.

Tips

• Start small. One breath. One minute. One line of your journal. You don’t have to spend hours on your meditation cushion. Find opportunities for short moments of stillness in your current routine.
• Curate your environment to support mindfulness — ideally a clutter-free home and bedroom, a space to do your meditation practice if you choose to do so, nice mugs for your tea and coffee to help cultivate awareness. Use your environment to your advantage.
• Play around with these practices. Not all of these will resonate with you, so try them out and see what works. Alter them if needed, to fit your lifestyle and schedule. Mindfulness is highly personal, and no two people will practice mindfulness in the same way.

Conclusion

The morning is a great time to incorporate mindfulness practice into your day. Starting your day mindfully will lead to a calmer and happier day, with an increased capacity for dealing with stresses and challenges. Try including the following practices into your morning routine:

• Breathing for 5 minutes
• Positive input
• Setting an intention
• Coffee and tea meditations
• Movement
• Mindful shower
• Connecting with loved ones

Mindfulness doesn’t need to be difficult or complicated. We don’t need to spend hours on a formal mindfulness practice. Mindfulness can be found in the simplest of tasks within our current routines. We just need to be aware of the opportunities presented to us. Every moment is an opportunity to cultivate mindfulness, and in doing so, to live a slower, richer, and more meaningful life.

“Progress is not achieved by luck or accident, but by working on yourself daily.”

— Epictetus

Want to try implementing some new habits into your life? Sign up for my free newsletter. Each week you’ll receive one new habit to try, with an explanation of why it’s important and how to implement it. The habits focus on improving all aspects of health and wellbeing, from physical fitness and nutrition to happiness and finding meaning.