My Morning Routine as a Corporate Yogi
Here’s a morning-time tale: It’s 6am. I leisurely make my way to the bathroom, while my cat, Pasha, turns on the Nespresso machine so it can be ready by the time I finish taking a shower. As I sit in my kitchen table drinking coffee with my beautiful silk robe on, I listen to the birds singing outside, and one of them, I know, is singing directly to me. How lovely. Then it’s time for my daily 20- minute meditation, and eventually, off to work I go. What a wonderful story.
In reality, I wish I could tell you I wake up every day at 6am and never snooze. The truth is, most mornings I jump out of bed like a mad cat, brush my teeth as I put on “business casual” work clothes, and run to beat the traffic. But I truly do hope and aspire to have somewhat of a morning routine, that’s a little less hectic.
The truth is, I love mornings. They are pivotal to starting the day off right. And there are things that I do almost every morning to get going before work. So for my corporate buddies, here are my five essentials to start the day off right:
1. I make my bed. Maybe it has been embedded in me by my Russian parents, but I do not leave my place without making my bed. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment; if I get this done, I am more likely to get others things done as well. It also creates a more positive state of mind when I am ready to go to bed. Imagine a hotel room where the bed is tidy and so welcoming that you just want to jump in?! It’s as if your life has been made with just a few minutes of bedsheet love and care. Hey now, you know what I mean. Other than that, my morning routine starts when I get into my car to drive to work.
2. I drink water. I drink a little bit as I am getting ready for work, but I always bring water in the car so I can drink it on the way to work. Lately, I have been putting lemon in my water (and tea), but most of the time, I just drink plain, warm water. I am usually dehydrated when I wake up and know that drinking water on an empty stomach helps to release toxins, cleanse the colon, fuels the brain, and wakes me right up!
3. I drive mindfully. My drive to work is about 40 minutes in traffic and I divide it into two parts. For the first half, I turn off my radio, no phone, and do away with all other distractions ….just silence. Before I begin driving, I ground myself concentrating on the breath and begin to drive. I pay attention to my surroundings 100% of the time. To the colors, lines, buildings, street noise. Whatever catches my attention, I fully acknowledge and give my undivided attention. Truth be told, I take the same road all the time and notice something new that has really been there the entire time. It surprises me how I continue to miss things that have been there all along. We really aren’t in the present moment too often so those 15-20 minutes I make a true effort to be “here” and “now.”
4. I connect. Once those 15-20 minutes are up, for the rest of the way, I am usually talking on the phone with my family or friends. It just nourishes my soul! It’s true, plus, connecting to another physical being produces serotonin which helps to be less stressed and have more productive energy. So I combine pleasure with pleasure and get all the benefits!
5. I meditate. Once I am parked, this part is probably as important as making the bed, I sit in silence for just 2-5 minutes. I only started doing this a few months ago, but it made a significant improvement to my days. I sit with my eyes closed, focusing on my breath and setting my intentions for the day.
...and then I grab my bag, lock the car and skip along to gangsta rap that’s blasting in my headphones all the way to the office door. (okay, I really walk and listen to some Russian pop, but you get the deal).
My morning routines fit my lifestyle. I try to find new ways to make it better, but for now, I think I’ve managed to get to work in the best, most badass way for a corporate yogi like me. In the end, I do what I gotta do to get by, to get to work on time, and to have a fun, stress-free (when possible) ride to work.
Edits by the lovely Anastasia Bogomolov
