The longer days of summer can often mean fuller, longer, schedules. It’s easy to get swept into the heat and momentum of summer without a grounding moment. Morning is one of the few times in the day that truly belongs to us, before our attention scatters into the many things that call us. A mindful morning ritual allows for a pause before the day accelerates, to choose our direction with care and clarity.
This is why, earlier this year, I found myself asking ChatGPT’s A.I. wizard to help me formulate a morning routine that would be conducive to grounding and serve as a basis for a meaningful day. The advices were surprisingly well rounded and crisp. Over time, as I experimented with the various elements of the routine, I dumped a few, kept a few, and added some of my own.
The best advice was one I had never really thought of: contact with NATURE. That’s the one that has stuck with me the most. Walking outside for 1 minute or 10 minutes. Taking in the sights, the smells, the sounds of morning in a Dallas suburban backyard. It is grounding and it has a way of expanding the mind, of reminding me that all of the world is not just what’s in my head, but also stands in stillness and expansive greens and browns and yellows everywhere i look.
The second best advice is about WATER and hydration. Yep — we are all drying out fast, oozing water from each one of our billions pores. And that happens at night too. So, yes, definitely a couple of glasses of clear water is what’s needed as soon as we walk into to the kitchen. I can almost feel my cells being revved up by the flow of water splashing through the body.
And then, there is FOOD. Light, wholesome, nourishing. I found that beyond cereals and bagels, lies a whole universe of hummus and pita bread, ripe avocados on toasts, Mexican cheese, left-over dinner bites, and more. But I will let this one to my friend and college meditation teacher, Jennifer Ventrelle, who has even co-authored a book about it.
Did I mention MEDITATION? This is a big one. Even the big computer of A.I. knows that sitting in stillness is the key to a host of good vibes that will send ripple through the day. It can be 10 minutes, or extend to 30 minutes, as time permits. Grounding, centering, on the breath. Then noticing what is going on in the mind, and as best one can, just letting go for a while longer.
And what about SETTING AN INTENTION for the day? This one was kind of new to me. It goes like this: “After your meditation, ask: What quality do I want to bring into this day? It might be patience, joy, openness, or steadiness. You can place your hand on your heart and silently say: “Today, I move through the day with ___.” I liked it though. It’s fun. It sets a kind of aspirational tone for the day. Peace, kindness, efficiency, friendliness, ease, focus – whatever. It’s about setting the direction for the day. It does have an impact on what happens next.
But before any of the above can happen, let’s not forget – of course – waking up into a minute of simple PRESENCE. Instead of grabbing the phone or jumping out of bed driven by goals or needs, we take a few mindful breaths, noticing the feeling of the sheets, the light in the room, the quality of the air. A brief body scan while still lying down helps us tune in into PRESENCE before the day starts. Mindfulness is sometimes use as synonym with Presence. That’s how we inhabit each moment of our day, by being present to what is. And starting immediately upon awakening in the morning is the way to go.
One other thing surprised me in the routine offered by ChatGPT’s A.I. – there was no mention of any devotion or religious prayer. Large numbers of us, humans, start the day with a prayer or devotion, connecting to the words of a faith tradition or acknowledging a higher power. Yet, it was not part of A.I.’s knowledge base, apparently, although it can be so powerfully grounding and meaningful to so many.
So, there you have it. You can call it a morning routine. Or you can call it a morning ritual if you are more spiritually inclined. Rather than letting the day’s events and happenstances take over our mind, it makes sense to establish a pattern that shows that we are the one in charge, the one who decides what’s next, at least in the small context of one hour or less in the intimacy of our own kitchen and backyard or balcony.
So, what is your own morning ritual? If you don’t have one yet, you may want to think about it, write it down in a few words on a piece of paper, tape the paper to the fridge door, and try to make this behaviors into a habit. By returning to the breath, to the body, and to our intention each morning – we cultivate the inner ground from which we can move into the fullness of the day.
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