The Power of Routine & How to Establish a Personalized Daily Practice

Maintaining a routine is a powerful tool to keep your mind and body healthy. Routine grounds us in our principles and creates a foundation that we can return to whenever we fall off track. Whenever you have one of those days, where you simply feel off or unmotivated, of you’ve had an indulgent evening or stressful day, you can use your routine the following morning to get back on track.

The beauty of health and routine is that it’s cumulative — it’s the result of what we do day after day after day, not what we do just a few days or few months out of the year. Repetition encourages consistency which is a big part of the healing process. Your routine is there to support you, and you may even find that it strengthens your intuition and helps you listen to what your body is telling you it needs. 

Everyone’s routine will look different, as it should. Determine your routine by choosing activities that align with your lifestyle and that you will actually do. You don’t want your routine to feel forced or inauthentic to you in any way, and it certainly shouldn’t be stressful. Some people can meditate every day, others can wake up before sunrise to work out, and for some stretching before bedtime feels natural.

Morning is a pure time to make conscious, healthy decisions. How we start the day very often influences the choices we make throughout the day. A morning practice also sets the tone for the whole day and keeps it going in a positive motion. When you wake up in the morning, your body and mind start off with a clean state, making it an optimal time to connect to your intuition. This is the time of day when you are most clear, open, receptive, and creative. Establishing your practice first thing in the morning allows you to create momentum that will carry you through the day. In addition, you are setting a tone that is authentic to you and proactive rather than starting your day being reactive to others.

The idea of setting a regular practice for yourself may sound confining, but it’s quite the opposite! Designating time that is entirely for you every day is essential to living a healthy and happy life. By incorporating a regular practice into your life, you actually create more time for yourself because you make smarter, more aligned decisions from a centered place. Establishing a regular practice not only increases productivity and creativity but also allows you to make the most out of your life. This practice provides structure for you to do more of the things you actually enjoy doing and will help you create a richer, more fulfilling life. A regular practice allows you to direct your energy toward your true passions and interests.

Routine is really just a series of small habits, but it’s important to structure your regular practice. If you’ve already established a routine, write down what works well and what doesn’t work for you. Then identify the time of day you can commit to a practice and the amount of time you can realistically set aside. Be realistic and honest about your schedule.Here are some ideas to for adopting a daily grounding practice. Pick what feels exciting and doable for you or come up with your own ideas.

• Move your body (stretch, yoga, pilates, dance)

• Meditate

• Read a book

• Listen to uplifting music

• Go inward. Sit in silence

• Go for a walk

• Adopt a gratitude practice. Write down three things you’re grateful for

• Set an intention for the day

• Make a cup of coffee, tea, lemon water or fresh green juice

• Journal

• Write out a priority list for the day

While structure is inherent in establishing a regular practice, it’s best to approach this process with openness and flexibility especially in the beginning. This is not a time to be rigid or hard on yourself. Committing to this time daily is what makes your practice powerful. While you will most likely encounter conditions throughout your day that you can’t control, a solid routine allows you to anchor into something you can depend on. Whether you have ten minutes or two hours to set aside, having one consistent segment of your day mentally helps you feel more grounded and in control. That being said, life may present obstacles that challenge your commitment. If and when that happens, be kind with yourself and resume your practice when the time is right.

It’s important to note that establishing a routine does not mean waking up at five o’clock in the morning to meditate for hours. It simply means setting aside a chunk of time each day that is devoted to you. Your practice will evolve with schedule changes, life transitions, seasons, and new ideas you pick up along the way. Experiment with a variety of practices until you find what feels right for you at this point in your life, and be sure to modify and improve it over time to fit your evolving lifestyle and needs.