My Morning Routine
Do you have a morning routine?
Creating a consistent morning routine has been super powerful for me. I started doing a morning routine in 2019 when I began a daily meditation practice. I watched Tim Ferris YouTube video on the importance of morning routines and it reshaped my life. I pretty much do the same exact morning routine from Tim’s video.
Let me break down how I am
I am a fast starter so I go all in on something but rarely finish (that’s what she said). I want to do so much but realize it’s not possible about 3 days into my projects. I have to start small on the tasks I want to accomplish.
Tiny little baby steps is the key
Making my bed is the first thing I do. Making your bed gives your mind a successful task done. You start out with a win and it’s easy as fvck to do. My bed doesn’t have to be perfectly made I make it presentable so it looks nice. I feel good after this is done. IT’S A WIN BABY. Try it out.
Reticular Activating System
Have you heard about the reticular activating system in your brain? It’s the system in control of what your conscious mind allows in. Basically what you seek you find throughout your day. I learned this from a Tony Robbins priming exercise for your morning. I love it. If you close your eyes and set the intention to find everything red in your environment, when you open your eyes you will find all the red in the room. Why am I telling you about the reticular activating system? Because it is important to set your mind right for the day.
Gratitude List
Gratitude is one of the most powerful vibrations. Gratitude helps with anxiety and depression. We all have so much to be grateful for. I write a gratitude list every morning on paper. It is important to write it down so your body can feel it. Writing is therapeutic. You will feel so much better throughout your day starting with gratitude. It becomes a habit in your mind. Think it’s bullshit? Try it the fvck out.
Meditation
I started my meditation practice by meditating 2 to 5 minutes a day. Some days only 1 minute…..and I hated it at first. After 30 days I was meditating for 10 minutes a session……I still hated it. I gradually increased to 20 minutes daily. After 77 days of meditating every day I started to enjoy it. I realized how much I learn about myself in meditation. I haven’t stopped since.
How I Meditate
My morning meditation consists of sitting in my meditation chair with my legs crossed, my spine is upright, and I use a mudra (I’ll go over mudras in another blog but you can just keep your hands in your lap or on your knees). You can sit in a chair if that works better for you body. I close my eyes and pay attention to my breathing. I don’t control my breath. I just observe how my breath feels. I listen to the sounds in my environment or I use headphones with binaural beats. I notice how my body feels and allow my thoughts to be. I watch my thoughts like I’m watching a movie. If a thought spirals me out of the present moment I come back to my breathing. Once I’m settled, I begin to take control of my breathing with a breathing exercise, and finish with a manifestation technique, which I’ll go over in a separate blog. To sum it up just take a seat, observe your breath, observe your body, and observe your thoughts. Allow your breath, body, and mind to be. Watch your thoughts like your are the witness, like you are watching a movie on the screen. Observe your thoughts. That is all it is. Give it a try. Here is a good meditation to start the day from my Relax with Yogi Bryan Meditations HERE.
I felt like I needed physical activity
I added walking 30 minutes to my morning routine to get my body moving. I found I needed to meditate before going for a walk but see what works for you. Walking is one of the best exercises you can do for your body. Your body is your subconscious mind so get MOVING. Don’t believe me. Google that shit and see for yourself. Also, walking is a great way to enhance creativity. Check out this Ted Radio episode Jumpstarting Creativity. It talks about the power of walking for creative ideas and problem solving. Once I got into the habits of making my bed, writing a gratitude list, meditating, and walking, I added morning pages.
Morning pages is amazing
Julia Cameron created Morning Pages. What is it? It’s writing 3 pages free hand with whatever comes to your mind to get your cloud thoughts out of your brain. Getting the meaningless chatter out of your head creates space for new ideas and boosts creativity. You write for 3 pages and don’t stop. If you don’t know what to write just write “I don’t know what to write” for 3 pages. I’m sure you will have something to write. This practice is great if you are a writer, content creator, or just needing to solve a problem.
Morning pages isn’t a diary
You don’t have to read it later. No one else needs to read it ever. If they want to read it tell them Yogi Bryan says F*ck OFF. Morning pages is for YOU. It doesn’t need to be legible (my handwriting is so terrible you can’t read anything). Shred the paper or burn it if you are scared someone will read it. Again they can suck a dick, this practice is for you. Write your thoughts even if they are crazy. This has been super therapeutic for me. I’ve written some pretty crazy shit during my morning pages. It’s the best. Two words for you “GAME CHANGER”
My current morning routine:
Make my bed.
Write a gratitude list.
Meditate for 20 minutes.
Walk for 30 minutes.
Morning pages.
I do all this before I look at my phone
I don’t go on social media. I don’t check my text messages. I don’t look at emails. NO PHONE AT ALL. Fvck the phone. This step is very important. Don’t look at your fvckin phone unless it’s a meditation app like Relax with Yogi Bryan or music like binaural beats. Checking your phone first thing in the morning makes your brain reactive to the rest of your day. Remember that reticular activating thing I was telling you about. Yeah this is why you shouldn’t check your phone and get caught up with celebrity drama, your friend complaining about dumb shit, or the horrible things on the news. By having a morning routine you control your intentions and thoughts better. What you seek you will find. REMEMBER THAT. Put good things in your brain in the morning. You will find more peace and direction throughout your day. Don’t believe me? Try it the fvck out for yourself and see.
Are you going to start a morning routine? It is truly transformational
What has a morning routine done for me? During my morning routine I have found inspiration for podcast episodes, memes, and content strategies for my business. I have found solutions to my personal issues. I can see what is going on in my mind. I became AWARE. What you aren’t aware of controls you. What is controlling you that you aren’t aware of? Are you ready to find out? Awareness is the key.
It is like unlocking a superpower
More and more each day I find out WHAT I WANT? WHO AM I? WHERE I WANT TO GO? HOW CAN I GET THERE? WHAT STEPS DO I NEED TO TAKE TODAY? I had the idea during my morning routine to create Relax with Yogi Bryan Meditations Podcast, to help the World relax, which now has over 1.7M downloads in several countries. Soon it will reach 2M. It is one of the top meditation podcasts on Spotify. Because of the successful meditation podcast I was offered the opportunity to create my own meditation app Relax with Yogi Bryan. In addition, I came up with some of my best comedy skits and memes during my morning walks. BECAUSE I WASN’T DISTRACTED FROM MY DAMN PHONE. Some of my best shirt ideas at my Yogi Bryan Shop were inspired during meditations or a morning walks. What are you waiting for? Morning routines are the shit. What will you create? The World needs YOU.
People have asked me what happened?
People have told me “Bryan you really have progressed so much in the past few years. What happened?” What was it? It was a consistent meditation practice, having a daily morning routine, and not looking at my phone. I am able to tap into the creative flow of the Universe. The Universe is always talking to us but can we hear it? I couldn’t hear it until I minimized distractions and sat with my thoughts. What is the Universe telling you?
What are you waiting for?
Start a morning routine now. Take control of your mind when you wake up each day. Become aware of what is inside your mind. Become aware of what is controlling you. Become aware of where you want to go in your life. ALLOW THE UNIVERSE TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU. Find a morning routine that works for you. Maybe my morning routine doesn’t work for you and that is OK. Find something that fits your lifestyle and buckle up for an amazing ride. YOU ARE A POWERFUL CREATOR. Now is your time to find awareness. Now is your time to start a morning routine. NOW IS YOUR TIME TO LISTEN TO THE UNIVERSE. Are you ready to start? I’ll answer this for you. YES YOU ARE!!!
Thank You for Reading,
Yogi Bryan
Below are helpful videos and links that got me started on this path. I highly recommend them. Enjoy!
Morning Pages - HERE
Tony Robbins Priming - HERE
Tim Ferris “How to Create a Better Morning Routine - HERE
Ted Radio Hour Episode “Jumpstarting Creativity” - HERE