Guys, it’s exactly 50 days until I’ll be back in Thailand, and to use this time wisely, I decided to challenge myself and do a #50days50lessons challenge. In the next 50 days, I will try to share with you one lesson, one tip, or one tool that I use and which help me in my life and capoeira. Enjoy and hope it will be beneficial for you, too.
The first lesson I would like to share is actually the first thing I do in the morning. Every morning. It’s called – Daily Ritual, or Morning Ritual. I always loved to get up in the morning and do some work before everyone wakes up in the house. But as a daily habit, this was introduced to me by my capoeira master, Mestre Cueca.
I love the idea of investing the first few hours of the day in myself: to read, to study, to work on my body, mind, and soul, and finally, to do something important. This is a great jumpstart to the day, and many times by 7 or 8am I already feel like this day was worth living.
Here is my Daily Ritual:
- Meditation
- Breathwork
- Journaling / Writing
- Workout
- Reading / Study
- YNAB daily*
* 1 to 5 I try to finish in the morning, and no. 6 by the end of the day.
There are plenty of books and resources about how to start a day, and how it’s beneficial to have a routine, and what exactly you can do. Below I share a little bit more about my routine, and it will be explained in-depth in the future posts. But the idea is just to start and find your own tools and stuff that work just for you. If you’d like to dig deeper, read “The Miracle Morning” or “The 5AM club”.
Meditation
Once I wake up, I just sit on the bed and play a guided “Isha Kriya” meditation by Sadhguru. It’s around 15 minutes. I love to do meditation first thing in the morning, before my mind gets crazy. It sets me up for the day and I feel more in control of my thoughts and actions.
I also used “Calm” app for 2 years, which is great but paid. There is also Headspace app and free guided meditations on youtube. I downloaded Isha Kriya video, so I don’t need to start a day with browsing and scrolling. In general, I avoid using any devices in the first hour of the day.
Breathwork
After I finish my 15-minute meditation, I play another file with a guided breathwork routine. I use one from Clark Kegley, but there are plenty of methods – Box breathing, Wim Hof, etc. You just try things and stick with the one that works for you. The breathwork wakes me up completely, and recharges me for the next task.
Journaling & Writing
This habit was also introduced to me by my capoeira master. “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameran is a great book to learn about “morning pages” routine. There are a million reasons to start a diary, but for me journaling is a clarity, active type of meditation, or as Mestre Cueca puts it โ “tuning your radio for the day”. Sometimes I just write my thoughts, sometimes about how I see myself in 5 years. Now, during the #50days50lessons challenge, I use this time to write this post.
Workout
Now I do the simplest bodywork / capoeira / calisthenics routine for 10-15 minutes, just to warm up, wake up my body completely, and then stretch a little bit. I used to add kettlebell swings to this, which is great. Also check “Knees Over Toes Guy Workout“.
Reading & Study
Well, this is self-explanatory. I try to read every day, at least one hour a day. This is another investment in yourself. And books so far are the best resource of condensed knowledge. It could be 30 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes during lunch, and 30 minutes before sleep. I will write another post about how I read and make notes to get the most form the book.
YNAB daily
This is a bit off, but I put it on my Daily Ritual list, so I don’t forget. I use YNAB app for budgeting and finances. Knowing the truth about your life, your health, and your money โ one of the first steps in self-improvement. So writing up my expenses, planning my budget, and knowing how much money I have to spend is a great way to see a clear picture and plan for the future.
That’s it. 50 days left. 49 lessons to share. Thanks for reading. I hope it was useful.
In the future posts I will dive deeper into each habit, but feel free to ask any questions.
Have a good day!
Axรฉ!