Easiest Path to Daily Mindfulness Practice? Add It to Your Morning Routine

We all lead busy lives, even in a pandemic (or for some, especially in a pandemic!). So when it comes to wellness practices we want to add to our lives, it can sometimes feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to add one more thing. Well, I’ve got some good news: Adding mindfulness to your day is much easier than you might imagine. It’s as simple as adding it to your morning routine.

5 Ways to Bring Mindfulness to Your Morning Routine

Mindfulness is a simple, accessible practice that can help you stay calm and grounded throughout the day. The more you practice, the easier it gets to tap into mindfulness instead of reactivity when things get stressful. Here are five ways to build mindfulness into your morning routine without skipping a beat.

1. Ground yourself through the soles of your feet: One of the simplest mindfulness meditations you can practice is that of putting your awareness down into your feet. It’s so calming and grounding to connect with awareness in this way. Place your feet flat on the floor and focus your attention on the soles of your feet. Notice whether your feet are warm or cold, moist or dry, in a sock and shoe or bare. Then you can move your ankles around to shift your weight to the sides and front and back of your feet and notice how your feet feel.

You can seamlessly incorporate this into the first moments after you sit up in bed, or you can tuck it into any other place where you can easily build in a few minutes of getting grounded.

2. Practice mindful teeth brushing: For me, brushing my teeth is a great mindfulness exercise. I close my eyes to limit visual distractions which makes it easier for me to think only about the feel of the brush on my teeth and gums — the taste of the toothpaste, the sound of the electric brush in my mouth, the feeling of my teeth when I’m finished. And I carry the mindfulness through flossing my teeth so there are three minutes of total, in-the-moment awareness. What a nice break for my brain!

3. Mindfully enjoy your morning beverage: Drinking your morning coffee or tea can be another great mindfulness activity. If you are feeling the warmth of the mug in your hands, inhaling the aroma, and paying attention to how it tastes when you take your first sip, that is mindfulness in practice. You might want to drink the entire cup like that, savoring each swallow!

4. Eat your breakfast mindfully: Mindful eating is another helpful meditation. I love it when I remember to eat mindfully. The food tastes unbelievable and I find I eat much more slowly. When my friend Monica served the most incredible fresh berries, she agreed when I said, “It’s like a crazy party in your mouth.”

5. Go to/from transportation mindfully: As you leave home to start your workday, bring the kids to school, or run some morning errands, let your walk to or from the car, train, or bus be a mindful one. (Reality check: I’m usually too distracted for this, but I know it works for other people. Give it a try!)

BONUS: If you have time for a morning walk, or you already have a walk built into your commute, throw a mindfulness meditation on with your earbuds! I have several free meditations on Insight Timer for you to enjoy.

Adding mindfulness to your morning this way lets you skip right over the “not one more thing” argument your brain has with itself. It takes away nothing, yet adds so much. Try it out for a week and see for yourself how much more grounded, focused, and aware you feel throughout your day.