my new morning routine (2021 edition) – [2/3]

Next, I perform my sacred trifecta routine comprising of three disciplines:

Discipline 1 – Exercise

Discipline 2 – Reflection

Discipline 3 – Learning

I spend around 20-30 minutes with each discipline. 

Exercise 

First, I start playing some inspirational music on Spotify (the Rocky playlist is my all-time favorite and always works) and begin my morning fitness session which comprises of three parts: cardio + workout session wherein I mainly do push-ups, squats, sit-ups, plank, and jumping jacks (in the same sequence), yoga asanas (body postures), and pranayama (breathing exercises). Each part takes 5-7 minutes to complete. Next, I drink the previously prepared warm water. 

Reflection

I proceed with around 10-12 minutes of meditation practice. I mostly use YouTube videos these days. Next, I begin with my morning journaling — I empty all my thoughts, worries, anxieties, and/or questions in my journal. This proves to be very useful as we live our daily lives and helps us avoid the bottling up of any negative emotions. After that, I follow the format of The Five Minute Journal® (my customized version), and answer a few key morning questions, write down an empowering affirmation, and set my intention for the day by listing meaningful actions that I need to do that day. Here’s the basic framework of my morning journaling for your reference: 

• My Thoughts
• 5 Things I’m Grateful For
• Daily Affirmation [I AM…]
• What Would Make Today Great?

Once I’m done with writing in my journal, I do a quick visualization session via my Pinterest boards.

Learning

I either read and/or listen to a book for 20 minutes (on Kindle, Audible, or Scribd) on the core skill (I commit to one skill per quarter) that I’m trying to develop with respect to one of my big goals for the year (I have a quick breakfast or a nutritional health drink/smoothie during this time as well).

After I’m done with my sacred trifecta routine, I start brewing my morning coffee. As it brews, I step outside on the balcony to soak in the morning sun, meditate on the green — the plants and trees around me. This quick exercise helps me reconnect with nature and my inner calm. I then get back inside and read the daily meditations from More Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie and Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman and participate in a quick morning prayer session. By the time I’m done, my cup of joe is ready for me, and I take the first heavenly sip that I had been looking forward to with gratitude.