Leslie Koren - Morning Rituals

Ideas and Inspiration to Get Energized

Leslie Koren

Artisan | New York

To my parents, for the gift of early mornings on the porch and so much more

During a particularly challenging time, my family started taking the same walk on the same city beach every Sunday morning. We didnt set out to create a new routinewe just knew we needed to exchange our house for a new setting, to get out into nature. And yet, after about a month of these regular walks, we started calling them our beach ritual.

Some mornings we struggled to make it happen: a kid who didnt want to get in the car, jackets that werent warm enough, a mom who moved too slowly (at least according to everyone else in my family!). But because it was now an official family ritual, we always set off and, one way or another, we were always rewarded. Sometimes there were tangible goodies, like the treasure trove of sea glass we collected one morning after a storm. But more often the gifts were soulfulthe feeling of connection that follows a good walk-and-talk, or the sense of expansiveness that comes from watching waves roll in and out. Ours wasnt the most beautiful beach in the world, but it was good enough when we started and beyond special after our umpteenth return. A not-insignificant bonus: The rest of our Sunday, and really our week, got immeasurably better, too.

Thats the power of ritual, and thats what this book is all about. Its designed to help you build rituals into your mornings, each and every day, because the very act of deciding to do something on repeat in an intentional and meaningful way will enrich your day and your life. Its a claiming and reclaiming of what matters to you. It sounds simple, but it has profound reverberations.

Many people think rituals need to involve grand gestures or they wont count, but that raises the question of who, exactly, decides what counts? To me, a ritual has value if it makes my existence better. Period. Even small acts, Ive found, can make a big difference.

And thats what youll find on the following pages: powerfulbut doable!rituals that will elevate the first hours of your day and help you feel centered, energized, and ready to take on the world. Of course, I dont anticipate youll do every ritual in this book every morningthat would be a lot. I recognize that time is a luxury, especially on workdays. Fortunately, you dont need to wake at dawn or have hours on hand to incorporate worthwhile rituals into your morning. Several of the suggestions that follow are meant to enhance the things you already do every day. Ive purposefully included rituals that you can perform while tending to responsibilities, like starting workonly now youll do them with an added boost! Others will bring new elements to your routine. Certainly, embrace those ideas that immediately grab your attention. But I encourage you to also try some that dont initially appeal, because you might be surprised by what they provide.

Heres another secret to incorporating rituals into your morning: You dont have to commit to any of these ideas forever. Some may work for you during a specific time and place in your life, while others will be longer lasting. So consider this permission (if you need it) to weave in the rituals that are beneficial to you in a given moment, and let them go when they stop serving you. Ive often included different suggestions for how you might go about each one, as a way to encourage you to customize these rituals to your own wants and needs. Much like creative cooks can go into the kitchen and whip up a satisfying meal without relying on a recipe, I want you to feel empowered to improvise and create rituals that benefit you.

From the moment I wake up, and in almost every part of my life, I rely on rituals to help me be a happier and more grounded human, not to mention a more fulfilled partner, parent, daughter, colleague, and friend. And thats what I wish for you tomorrow morning, as the sun rises, the birds chatter, and so much possibility lies ahead. Whether your house is filled with calm or chaos, I hope youll find rituals that nourish a more meaningful and energizing connection with your body and spirit, one that will carry you through the remaining hours of the day.

There are many ideas on the following pages, but there is no one right way to incorporate rituals into your morning. The goal is to find a path thats sustainable and enjoyable for you. If youre unsure where to begin, here are a few places to dive in.

Identify the sticky parts of your morning. Do you wish you ate a more nutritious breakfast? Or could get in some exercise? Or that you actually enjoyed your commute? Theres a ritual for that (see respectively).

Pick a theme. Perhaps you want to focus on creativity, in which case I suggest writing morning pages (see ). Other possible themes: mindfulness, movement, nourishment. Its yours to choose.

Find a ritual buddy. As written, most of the rituals in this book are designed for you to do on your own. But you can and should incorporate other people in your life as desired. Performing these rituals with your kids, a partner, and/or friends is enriching in a different, also wonderful way. And it could keep you (and your companion) accountable: talk through your experiences, share wins, and note your challenges.

Let fate decide. Close your eyes and quickly flip through the pagesthen stop at random. Commit to doing whichever ritual you landed on for the next week. If you like that experience, surprise yourself again and again, through both which ritual youll do and the gifts it will bring to your life.

Identify existing rituals. You may find that you already have a meaningful ritual (or two) embedded in your morning routine, but you just havent acknowledged it as such. If that is indeed the case, lean into the ritual, really owning that youve done this for yourself, and then consider what other complementary rituals you might like to incorporate into your day.

Theres a choose-your-own-adventure spirit to many of the rituals in this book, but the one thing I urge you to do is consider how much sleep you need to feel good in the morning and do everything in your power to give yourself that rest. If you wake up exhausted, your morning wont be what you had hoped, no matter how many rituals you incorporate. Plus, the more often you press snooze, the more likely youll be to skip rituals in the rush to get out the door on time. The ideas on the following pages are designed to set you up for a good nights sleep and an energetic morning.

One reason I love to incorporate small(ish) rituals into my daysand encourage you to do the sameis that they make life easier and lead to smart choices that also feel good. Case in point: preparing breakfast the night before. Its a small(ish) act of self-care that has a big impact. Waking up every morning to something nutritious (and delicious!) means youll be less likely to grab a coffee shop pastry or skip breakfast altogether. You start the day on better footing, with more energy and at least one nourishing decision already under your belt.