I love learning about the morning routines of different people and over the last few years I’ve been reading and watching videos about different morning routines and trying some things on to see how they work for me. One thing I’ve learned is that although there is no such thing as a perfect morning, there are certain habits that do set me up for a great day and if I miss them I can really tell the difference.
Mars has been in Virgo for a couple of weeks and was joined by Mercury yesterday so this seems like a great time to talk about routines, especially morning routines. Virgo is the sign that helps us organize our lives into manageable details; Virgo loves routines and the idea that life is somewhat predictable. Life is not always easy to corral into a shape that we set for it, and it’s rare that I can fit my perfect morning into my actual morning. But in an ideal world, this is what my morning looks like. This whole process takes about an hour and if I don’t have time for the whole thing I do it in bite-size bits.
One important caveat: These routines should be aspirational and not something that sets us up to fail. It’s great if we can accomplish them, but if we can’t there is always another day.
If you have a perfect morning please share it in the comments!
Waking up. I usually wake up about an hour before Rich which gives me that hour to myself. If I’m lucky, I wake up before my cat Max comes and jumps on me which makes for a smoother transition from sleep to the day. 😻 I try to remember to do my stretches for my frozen shoulder before I get out of bed to make sure I get them done.
Morning plank and cold water. As soon as I get out of bed I do a plank exercise and child’s pose. My dog Zoey comes in and helps with this. She seems to think I need to have my face licked while I try to hold the plank as long as possible. I’m convinced that these morning planks will help to stave off some of the effects of aging for a while at least. I splash some cold water on my face and if I remember, I spray some of this stuff on my face which tingles and makes me feel more awake.
Speaking of water, I always have a large glass of water shortly after waking, even if I don’t feel thirsty. It rehydrates the body after 6-8 hours of sleep, and also improves digestion. I have learned that as we age we lose some of our sense of thirst and need to remember to keep hydrating.
Feed pets and meditation. Once the pets are petted and fed, I try to do at least 15 minutes of meditation. Sometimes I do this outside where I can hear the birds, and sometimes I listen to my favorite meditation music. I use the Ujayii breath technique which calms the nervous system.
Journal and morning pages. I try to write in my electronic journal every morning (I use this one). In my ideal morning, after writing down things that happened or that I’m thinking about and getting those out of my brain I will then write morning pages in the style of Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way.” I’ve found these to be incredibly useful not only with creativity but also in enhancing my intuition and even getting answers to questions that I can’t figure out on my own.
Yoga. At my now advanced age of 70, I don’t know how I would survive without yoga. When we have a lot of planets in fixed signs, as I do, the body tends to tighten up and needs regular stretching and adaptation in order to function properly. At the least I will do a couple of sun salutations. If I have time I like to practice with Tim Senesi online. He has a YouTube channel but I also subscribe to his membership group which is very affordable.
Coffee!! By now it’s time for coffee and a brief news review. Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman says it’s best to wait 60-90 minutes after waking to imbibe caffeine and here’s why. That works out perfectly with the rest of the morning routine and sets me up for a workout if I have time for that.
And that’s the whole morning! One of my favorite YouTubers has done some fascinating videos of the morning routines of famous people if you’d like to check that out.
Love your routine….mine hasn’t been so great as I’m in transition in living space
I do have a night time one tho….it helps at the end of a day……thanks for sharing
When we’re in some kind of transition routines are so hard to keep up so the more we have a regular framework of some kind it does make rough transitions easier. I’m happy to hear your night time routine works for you, I’d love to hear about it!
Good Morning dear Lynn, waking up at 7 am and since it is very hot in SWF the two dogs are outside my bed and now jump in. Cats also come. Now I remove ear plugs – it is simply too quiet after living over 50 yrs in Manhattan with 2 in each ear. Letting dogs out into big backyard. Cleaning up kitty litters after long talk with them. Replacing food. All windos w/o blinds now and temp reduced to 80’s. Water added to tea bags and oats for breakfast and my smartphone turned on. My 4 books for mu spirot are: Meditations for…. by Anne Wilson Schaef, Prayers for Healing, Science of Mind guude w/daily treatments, Spirit Wheel by Steven Charleston. This book is absolutely marvelous with meditations by indigenois elder. All of dogs, cats, classical music station “on” , sitting in/with Nature”s green and immersion in my uplifting stuff (!) feed my soul. And that’s what your writing contributes to my peace, loce and joyfulnes ❤
Hi Antje, Thanks for sharing your details and the books! I’ve been reading something inspirational every night before bed and I’m grateful for your recommendations. Steven Charleston has fascinated me and I’ll have to pick up that book. ❤
Part of my morning routine is reading your posts. This one really inspired me. I do wait about 60 minutes before my coffee. I love coffee mugs, and have quite a collection. I choose my mug by the color of the day. I check the planets on my Astrological calendar so I can have an idea of what the day is going to be. Your post really helped me with this. On a prefect morning I than center, ground and shield. Meditate pull a Tarot card and an Oracle card for the day. After that I write in my journal.
Thank you for being such an important part of my morning routine.
Hi Tara, I’m happy to hear the post inspired you – I feel like I just now perfected my morning but I’m sure it will change, that’s the sure sign of a perfect morning. 🥰 I love coffee mugs too! They all have different moods, just like me.
Great post! The YouTube link looks fascinating. I like my simple morning routine because it grounds my Pisces Sun/Venus/Mars to my Taurus Moon. I feel like I have already accomplished something by 7 am. My dog makes sure I am up by 5:30 here in the high desert of Central Calif, we walk almost right away because it becomes hot so quickly. Then I tend to the wild ones, filling water stations for them, then I shut up the house to keep the coolness in for as long as I can. I have found that instead of trying to force my routine each day, it is better to be flexible and “go with the flow” of the day. It is more satisfying. And at times, less frustrating! But there are certain things I do each day. I agree with Tara above, I love reading your posts and check them as soon as they come up. And my dog makes sure I do not forget to feed her! But at 74, I am grateful for each morning that I wake up and am living to experience another day.
Hi Kathy, and yes – for triple Pisces anything too routinized would feel like a prison! We always are happiest when we work WITH our planetary conditions rather than against them. And after 70 I agree that acknowledging each day as a gift is a valuable part of any day. ❤️
This is interesting! In the morning before I turn on my lamp I give my prayers for those with challenges, expressing gratitude, and requesting wisdom and insight. Then I admit, I go downstairs to get a cup of coffee and bring it upstairs where I talk to the dogs! Then I go outside with the dogs and feel the weather. I’m not sure the waiting an hour for caffeine will work for me, the Capricorn always preparing to dive in!