How To Start Your Day?

Folk wisdom says: "The day is known by the morning." But what's the morning for most of us? The alarm rings, we jump out of bed, drink a cup of coffee,eat sandwich - mostly on foot, thinking feverishly about the tasks that lie ahead during the day ...

At the time of awakening the brain sends certain signals to the body and the nervous system which program the mood and the mode of the body. If the beginning of the day is filled with tension and stress, the body and mind will also be tense. And if such start of the day becomes routine, it will inevitably have a negative impact on our physical and mental health. The consequences can include: nervousness, palpitations, overexcitement, headache, fatigue, problems with digestive and urinary tract, lower levels of efficiency and productivity.

To a large extent, how we start our day depends on us. Health Center Vita Rama offers several recommendations for the start of the day, which will certainly have long-term beneficial impact on you and your life.
 

Waking up

To be able to start your day well, getting up early is of key importance.

It is advisable to wake up around sunrise or an hour before, when nature motions to all living beings that it is time to face the new day. The best way to wake up is this to happen naturally, without external stimuli (alarm) because natural awakening is a sure sign that the body is rested. However, if this is not possible and you have to use an alarm, it is better to choose a suitable tune that is not too loud and will not cause stress.

It is advisable to always wake 5-10 min. earlier to be able to allow the body and the mind to come out smoothly from the state of latency and switch to active mode. Abrubtly jumping out of bed puts the nervous system to extraordinary tension and the body switches to stress mode. Usually this is accompanied by heart palpitations, agitation, nervousness, poor concentration and orientation.

Once you wake up, stretch well, then relax for a few moments - this will help you to switch more easily to active mode. Morning hours are best suited for meditation, movement and creativity since then the mind is most rested and fresh, and the body is charged with energy.

Attitude of mind and body

The attitude of mind and body is most important. Therefore in the morning, when the mind is still unencumbered, it is important to program it in an appropriate manner by "sankalpa" - affirmation or positive thought that gives attitude, clarity and strength of mind and brings motivation and enthusiasm. Note that the thoughts and desires create impressions in the subconscious mind (archetypes) which guide the mind like codes.

Movement

Start your day with these simple stretching exercises:

·         Move the fingers and toes

• Move your head from side to side
• Then sit back, rub your palms into each other as they warm up well, and start massaging the face from the forehead down to thechin.
• Apply the warm palms on the eyelids and remain so for a few moments.
• Repeat the previous steps several times.

Once you have completed the massage, work up the joints and the neck. Moving the joints should be done with slow circular movements, because they stimulate the production of synovial fluid. Moving the neck is extremely important, especially in the morning, because through it goes the entire blood supply to the head.

Continue with short stretching exercises for the whole body. An excellent option is the yogic practice- Greeting to the Sun (Surya Namaskar), which improves blood circulation throughout the body, tones and stretches muscles and tendons, stimulates the nervous system favorably.

Breathing

In the morning it is very important to cleanse the lungs of stale air, increase their capacity and surcharge the body with oxygen to improve its performance.

For this purpose there are many breathing techniques. One of them is the so-called full yogic breathing:

1. Exhale all the air from the body.

2. Inhale successively with the abdomen, lower chest (extending the ribs) and finally the upper chest (slightly lifting the shoulders).

3. Then hold the inhaled air until you feel ok.

4. Exhale in reverse order (top - bottom lungs - stomach), bend your abdomen to the back and hold again until you feel ok.

Besides the practice of full yogic breathing, you can use practices such as kapalbhati and bhastrika.

Morning hygiene

Morning shower is recommended as it helps the body and mind become awake and refreshed. If you wish additional refreshment, you can use the technique contrast showers, which acts favorably on the whole blood circulation. Good morning toilette includes brushing of teeth, cleaning the tongue and cleansing the sinuses. Cleaning the tongue is done with a scraper,which is specially adapted for this purpose and cleansing the sinuses - "jala neti" is part of yogic practice to cleanse the body of toxins, slags and secretions.

Food and drink

The food and beverages we take in the morning are of paramount importance. They are the forcer, which boosts the body to start working.

It is good in the morning to drink 1-2 cups of warm water because it dissolves the sediments that were formed during eatingand stimulates the "digestive fire", thus preparing the body for the real breakfast. It is desirable that the water is spring or with reverse osmosis, but not mineral water as it loadsthe kidneys.

About 20 minutes after the intake of water, you can continue with juice of freshly squeezed fruits and vegetables. During the winter season, juices from roots and apples are more beneficial to the body, and in the warmer months you can consume only fruit juices combined with fresh juice of green leafy or the equivalent of powder.

If you are unable to prepare freshly squeezed juice, you can replace it with whole fruits or smoothie. Smoothie is an excellent option for breakfast, as in it you can mix several fruits and add your favorite super foods. Smoothies are easy to digest and allows the body to quickly absorb all the nutrients. 

If you need extra energy to wake up, add 1-2 tsp macapowder. Although maca contains no caffeine, it will give you freshness and tone.

If you follow the above recommendations, you will surely have a favorable start to the day, you will be much more balanced, full of vitality, energy and positivism.