Change the world, one morning at a time

Even in these times, the sun rises every morning. What if we all used these special morning moments to bring to life the world we long for?

A morning ritual isn’t just essential self care. It is that, and so much more. Having a really well-structured morning ritual helps you feel whole, peaceful and inspired, and brings these powerful qualities into the rest of your day and all your relationships.

Photo by Robert Lukeman on Unsplash

Why are mornings special?

I believe we all know on some level, intuitively, that mornings have a special power. Mornings function differently from other parts of the day. For instance:

• It’s easier to be solitary in the morning and reflect inwards

• Mornings are quiet, making it easier to connect with your intuition

• Mornings are more likely to be in your control than other parts of the day

• While you sleep, you take a break from technology, and you can extend this into your morning

• What you do in the morning can set the tone for the rest of your day

• Morning light has a special beauty that can help you feel very present

I’ve had a very structured morning ritual for a few years now, including coffee, walking, reading, writing. Last year, speaking with my friend Natascha, who told me about the Miracle Morning approach, I adapted it to include a quick workout. It’s been amazing to experience how doing even a 7-minute workout (this one is my favorite) has such a powerful effect on my morning.

The components of a complete morning ritual

I tinkered with my morning ritual for a long time and discovered that for me, a complete ritual actually has a pretty clear structure. I’m not here to prescribe my exact morning ritual to you, but I believe that a well-formed morning ritual will have three parts:

• Part 1 — Movement: Start with a challenging movement activity. For me, the first movement is always exactly the same (squats!), and I always do it immediately after waking up (in pajamas!) It works best if you set out every little thing you need for it in advance.

• Part 2 — Inspiration: The middle part of the ritual includes your choices of activities that inspire you. For me, this includes activities that enliven my senses, nourish my spirit, and connect me with inspiring ideas.

• Part 3 — Connect with someone: The final stroke of the program involves connecting with a person. This could be writing a letter or a text message, sending an email or video or voice memo. It’s so beautiful to connect with someone from the inspired place you’ve reached through your ritual.

Your morning ritual template (40 minutes)
Part 1: Movement (7 minutes)	Part 2: Senses, spirit, ideas (25 minutes)			Part 3: Connect (8 minutes)
Movement	Prime your senses: Connect with your sensuality and the Earth	Prime your spirit: Connect with the sacred	Prime your ideas: Connect with creativity and imagination	Human connection
7-minute workout 3 sun salutations jump rope 200x run around the block	coffee listen to a song you love shower dry brush free-dance to a song you love enjoy a piece of fruit or berries go for a walk spend 5 minutes in your garden/yard	listen to 1 piece of sacred music read 1 sacred poem or text connect with spirit verbally: through prayer, affirmation, gratitude lovingkindness divination (I Ching, Tarot, astrology, etc.)  seated meditation - breath, mantra finger labyrinth	read 1-2 pages of a challenging book duolingo language lesson or similar 3-minute challenge free-draw coloring book/coloring plates free-write	quick note to someone you intuitively think of reply to an email send a thank you/gratitude note to someone who's enriched your life write 2 letters to low-propensity voters

A few tips for success:

• It will probably take a few months of experimenting and refining until you settle on your perfect ritual, and even then it may change over time.

• The goal is to design a whole program that can easily be done before anyone else needs your attention. Easily.

• Don’t look at news or any websites, scanning social media in any way, or read correspondence from others including direct messages.

• Think of your ritual as beginning before you go to bed. Put out all your supplies (e.g., yoga mat, meditation cushion, clothes).

Deepen your morning attunement with a piece of music

Listening mindfully to music that carries the energy of love has become a powerful 3-minute segment of my morning ritual. I’ve found that the inspirational quality of music really comes alive when I focus fully on it.

Traditional, classic tango music created in the 1940s and 1950s has an extraordinary potency for me. As my friend Carmen discovered when she added it to her morning ritual, “it feels like my heart chakra is responding.” I was so struck that someone who was totally new to tango could directly sense the power of this music to connect us with the force of love.

But, it makes sense. Argentine Tango music comes from a very deep place of heartfelt connection, weaving together masculine and feminine, dancer and musician, black and white, old and new, youth and elder, in a powerful, expansive, deeply interconnected community experience. Listening — just listening — to one beautiful tango each morning brings me into direct contact with the wellspring of love I want to bring to the world.

You may find attuning to the quality of love and sensuality through tango music to enliven your mornings too. Or, you may prefer a gorgeous piece of jazz, classical music, or anything you find deeply inspiring.

I hope this gives you the motivation and the practical tools to design a magnetic and luxurious morning ritual that you’ll love to do every day. We all depend on it.

If you have found specific elements that form an essential part of your morning ritual, please share them below!

If you’d like to experiment with a ritual that weaves elements of Argentine tango into your morning — and the rest of your week — in a structured way, please consider joining my new course It Takes One To Tango.