People often ask me about my spiritual practices and morning routine. Over the years, I’ve crafted a routine that sets a positive, productive tone for my day, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Here’s a glimpse into my mornings:
Spiritual Readings
I wake up early, typically around 5:00 a.m. I’ve found that I’m at my best and most productive in the early morning. The first 15 minutes of my day are dedicated to spiritual practices, usually reading “A Course in Miracles,” which has profoundly impacted my life over the past 40 years.
Gratitudes
My favorite part of the morning follows: practicing gratitudes. For five to ten minutes, I reflect on various aspects of my life that I’m thankful for. Gratitudes are inherently expansive and open your heart, but it’s crucial to vary these gratitudes to avoid falling into doing them ritualistically. To truly allow you to expand into love, they have to be authentic and from the heart.
Prayer
Next, I engage in prayer, which for me is about setting intentions rather than prayer in the traditional sense. I think deeply about my loved ones, especially those facing challenges, and send out positive intentions into the universe for them.
Meditation and Mantra
Meditation is the next step. I’m trained in and practice Transcendental Meditation (TM), which involves silently repeating a mantra to achieve a state of restful alertness. Your body is deeply relaxed and your mind is quiet, but you’re wide awake. After a guided retreat post-retirement from Whole Foods, I adopted a new mantra: “I AM LOVE,” inhaling with “I am” and exhaling with “Love.” This practice is transformative and incredibly powerful, and I highly recommend exploring TM. Learn more here.
Nourish
After meditation, I prepare a big Vitamix smoothie. My smoothies are a blend of 50% fruit and 50% vegetables. Inspired by Dr. Michael Greger’s NutritionFacts article, I now alternate between “berry days” and “tropical fruit days” to maximize nutritional benefits. I learned that the browning technique in foods like bananas, for example, doesn’t mix well scientifically with berries. In fact, the enzymes in bananas can actually partially destroy a class of nutrients found in berries! In addition to fruit, my smoothies always include plenty of greens and any raw vegetables I have on hand such as radishes, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower. I also add ground flax and chia seeds, unsweetened raw cacao powder, and water or unsweetened almond milk. Smoothies are a great way to up your greens and raw vegetable intake and are a great way to start your day!
Quick Tip: Adding dates to your smoothie for sweetness is a great way to counterbalance any bitterness from the raw vegetables.
Movement
Physical activity follows. Whether it’s a walk, Pilates, yoga, or a game of pickleball, I make sure to get moving. If you’ve never tried pickleball, I can’t recommend it enough! It has so many health benefits and is so much fun. Read more about why you should play pickleball here.
Love.Life
Finally, I transition to work. Post-Whole Foods, I’ve been working on my new venture, Love.Life. It’s been such a blast being in start-up mode again!
I’ve been doing this morning routine for years now, and it keeps me grounded and conscious, enabling me to embrace every moment as an opportunity for learning and growth. Listening to others, being open-hearted, and avoiding defensiveness will truly allow you to extend into love in all interactions. My morning practices are fundamental to maintaining this mindset throughout the day.