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The Aligned Life

Jenn Stevens | Spiritual Life + Business Coach

10 Magical Morning Rituals: A Spiritual Guide to Waking Up

by: Jenn

10 Magical Morning Rituals - A Spiritual Guide To Waking Up - The Aligned Life

Hey ho. We’re going a little off the beaten track here today! So please indulge me for a minute while I talk about the importance of self-care.

Mornings are where the magic happens.


Like them or lump them, they’re a critical part of your day. If your morning is slightly off, it sets the tone for the entire day. (Think of how hard it can be to shake a bad mood!) So taking the time to cultivate some self-care rituals can really set up your whole day to be happy, productive and healthy.

With that said, rituals are meant to be different for everyone. So this list is not one-size-fits all! But it is packed with self-love suggestions so that you can pick and choose what’s best for you.


10 Magical Morning Rituals to Jumpstart Your Day


Magical Morning Routine Suggestion #1:

Drink Lemon Water


There’s no better way to kick off your day than with a glass of lemon water. The average American diet is acidic while our bodies are naturally alkaline. Starting your morning off with some lemon water helps to “reset” your body to it’s naturally happy state. Lemon water has a host of other benefits as well: it’s a diuretic, immunity booster and it helps to hydrate the lymph system.

So before you eat or drink anything else, go to your kitchen and make yourself a glass. You can also tailor it to fit your personal tastes: warm or cold, sweetened with honey or plain.


Magical Morning Routine Suggestion #2:

Make Your Bed


I’m always talking about taking loving care of the space around you. Making your bed first thing might not seem fun but it’s actually a giant step towards taking responsibility for your space, your mental health and your life. You are creating positive change in your environment and putting the proof is right there in front of you. It’s a tiny action with big results. Not to mention when you come home at night you’ll be grateful to your morning self for having taken the time out for it. It only takes a few minutes so just suck it up and do it already.


Magical Morning Routine Suggestion #3:

Tea Ritual


Here’s some good news: mindfulness doesn’t necessarily require you to sit in meditation for 45 minutes every morning. One way you can bring mindfulness to your normal routine is simply to do the things you usually do with added care and intention.

A tea ritual just involves you making your tea in the morning like usual, but taking the time to truly be present at each and every step. Go slow. Notice what you’re doing. Then when the tea is ready, sit down and take a moment to be thankful for it before you begin to drink. Look at it. Smell it. Feel the cup in your hands. Drink it slowly. The idea is to really take the time to be there with your tea, no email or iPhones allowed.


Magical Morning Routine Suggestion #4:

Morning Pages


Morning pages is a concept put forth by author Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way. The practice simply involves sitting down and writing three full pages every morning as a way to keep your brain both creative and focused. The trick is that you don’t over think about what you are writing; you just write! This allows you to get out any personal problems or work stress etc – the things otherwise known as that mental chatter that can sometimes get in the way of our productivity. Allowing space for you to vent will make you more clear and focused throughout the rest of your day (and if you’re a writer like me, it also actually helps you to come up with new content). Cameron encourages handwriting your three pages but I prefer the modern day equivalent over at 750 Words.


Magical Morning Routine Suggestion #5:

Gratitude


Starting off the day with the right mentality really will help your whole day go more smoothly. If you wake up in the morning and your first thoughts are dread or worry, those thoughts tend to stick with you all day and in turn, color your responses to the world around you. (A self-fulfilling prophecy!) So even if you wake feeling down or stressed, it’s extra-important take a few moments to find something to be grateful for: your comfy bed, your partner, your clean running water, your favorite pair of shoes. We are always the happiest when we have a grateful mindset; a mindset of lack only creates drama and depression. You can write down each one or just think of them in your head. Gratitude works in every format.


Magical Morning Routine Suggestion #6:

Meditation


You probably don’t need me to wax on about the importance of meditation. (But I’m going to anyway!) Meditation is an awesome tool for self-discovery and mental clarity. There’s that famous quote: Meditate for an hour every day unless you are too busy. In that case meditate for two hours.

Buddhist jokes aside, there’s a lot of truth to that statement. But I also recommend starting out where you can comfortably do. Back when I had a 9-5 job, I did quick 5 minute meditations in the morning (with a longer one at night). So you can truly work it into any schedule.

Meditation is just like any personal practice: there’s no one-size fits all. There are many different types of meditation you can experiment with: kundalini, Tibetan buddhist, mantra meditation etc. I personally love to flit between the different types so I encourage you to explore and find what best works for you.


Magical Morning Routine Suggestion #7:

Record Your Dreams


Dream work is one of my favorite forms of self-therapy. I really relish whatever happens to me during the night and I’ve kept dream journals and off since I was a teenager. Dream journals can help you to remember your dreams more clearly as well as to help analyze them. On a psychological level, they offer us a level of insight that can otherwise go missed. Having lots of dreams of being confined lately? You might need to adjust something in your outer world to change that. Writing them down as soon as you wake up is the best way to capture this important insight and to notice any patterns over time.


Magical Morning Routine Suggestion #8:

Move


Shake off your morning stiffness by moving your body – at least a little bit! Of course working out in the morning is one of the best things you can do for yourself. But movement isn’t an all or nothing game! Science has shown that seven minutes of exercise is all it takes to reset and recharge. (There’s even a seven minute exercise app you can use specifically for this!) Of course any type of movement will do: gentle stretches, yoga or Pilates are some choices that might be a better match for your morning energy levels.


Magical Morning Routine Suggestion #9:

Set An Intention


Visualization is a completely different tool than meditation. But it also packs a powerful punch. When was the last time you sat down and set some intentions for your day? (Not regularly I bet!) Taking just a few moments to imagine your ideal day helps to actually make it come to fruition. So think on what it is you want for your day and visualize it! (Alternately, you can spend a few minutes visualizing one of your long term goals instead.)


Magical Morning Routine Suggestion #10:

Make Your 3 To-Do’s


I know your actual To-Do list is super long. But it’s pointless (and discouraging) to write down absolutely everything you need to do on any list. So to keep yourself happy, it’s a better idea to focus on your top three items for the day only. What absolutely needs to get done today? (Not next week or next month or just sometime soon.) Focusing on making those three wins early in the day sets you up to be insanely productive, instead of totally stressed out.




I hope these rituals serve you well and perhaps even inspire you to come up with your own. If you enjoyed this, please share it and if you have any questions feel free to let them fly in the comments.




PS Looking for more? You might also want to check out this post about how to make your home a sanctuary or this one about 10 ways to raise your vibe.




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10 Magical Morning Rituals - A Spiritual Guide To Waking Up - The Aligned Life

Filed Under: Magick, Self Work, Wellness Tagged With: health, morning rituals, morning routines

The Ayurvedic Home: Design For Your Dosha

by: Jenn

The Ayurvedic Home: Design For Your Dosha

Ayurveda is something I hold pretty near and dear to my heart. As an intuitive designer, I am always looking for new ways to create the healthiest environment for you. Most Ayurvedic work is done through food and physical practice but the same principles can easily be applied to your home.


What is Ayurveda?



Ayurveda (the “science or knowledge of life”) began about 5000 ago when Indian monks began to look for new ways to be healthy. Ayurveda involves a high sense of reverence for the body, as a healthy body was thought to help with meditation and overall spiritual development – the true beginning of the mind body connection.

Ayurveda revolves around the idea that everyone can be categorized into one of three doshas. Each dosha has its own strengths and weaknesses. Understanding your dosha leads to a more healthy and balanced existence. An out of balance dosha results in health problems as well as psychological issues. Prevention is always key; in Ayurveda food and lifestyle are the medicine.

Dosha Types


Determining Your Dosha



There are loads of great Ayurvedic tests you can take online (for free) that will help you determine your dosha. Since there are a lot of determining factors at play in determining a dosha, try taking a few different tests in order to get a more accurate picture. It’s also good to note that doshas can change over time so even if you think you know your dosha it won’t hurt to check in again.


Design For Your Dosha


Design For Your Dosha Type #1:

Kapha


Kapha is a combination of water and earth elements. In the physical body, Kaphas will experience issues related to their muscles, skin, nails and skeleton (earth) as well as with saliva, plasma and mucus (water).

Physical Characteristics: Strong with a sturdy build. Soft hair and skin and a low voice. Very energetic and great endurance. Averse to cold damp weather.

Psychological Characteristics: Reliable. Slow to learn but excellent memory. Prone to depression. Stable.

Kaphas are extremely loving, loyal and forgiving but when this dosha tends towards jealousy, greed and stubbornness when out of balance.

Kapha Design Diagnosis:

Kaphas need to fight their tendency towards sluggishness and depression. A warm stimulating environment to help fight off their lethargic tendencies. Fiery vibrant colors like red and orange are particularly good choices. Accessorize with warm accessories like bright flowers, wool blankets and gold or copper metal accents. Kaphas should avoid subdued colors or all-neutral palettes. They are far too draining for their energy.


Design For Your Dosha Type #2:

Pitta



Pitta is a combination of fire and water. Water is responsible for plasma, blood, sweat and saliva while Fire relates to appetite, digestion and metabolism.

Physical Characteristics: Medium build. Strong appetite. Tends to have fair or reddish complexions, freckles and sunburns easily. Averse to heat.

Psychological Characteristics: Smart. Great concentration. Assertive and confident. Competitive. Passionate. Natural leaders.

Pittas are generally content, courageous and ambitious. However, an unbalanced dosha will show up with pride and anger (and physically as ulcers).

Pitta Design Diagnosis:

Fiery Pittas need to balance out the heat that arises from being overworked or overtired. Cool soothing colors like blue and green help to calm and relax. Pick lightweight sheets for the bed, lots of green plants and silver accents. Open-plan environments and luxurious touches are also wonderful for Pittas.

Avoid warm colors.


Design For Your Dosha Type #3:

Vata



Vata is a combination of Ether and Air. Air corresponds to all types of physical movement including the breath while Ether relates to our mental state and emotions.

Physical Characteristics: Slender and tall. Fast-walking. Cold extremities. Dry skin and hair.

Psychological Characteristics: Excitable. Fun-loving. Moody. Tires easily. Energetic in short bursts.

Vatas are very flexible and creative people with vitality when they are in balance, but when they are not they tend towards fear, racing thoughts and anxiety.

Vata Design Diagnosis:

It’s important for Vatas to regular their schedule with regular eating and sleeping times so pay particular attention to the bedroom. As for color think sea, sky and sand; basically any color that can be found in nature is a good choice for Vatas. Vatas need lots of warmth so pile up the bed with cozy blankets, pillows and even an hot water bottle. Vatas can also be sensitive to light so consider installing dimmer switches.

Avoid bright tones like red.




I hope you enjoyed this little guide to design for you dosha! Please share the post if you enjoyed it.




PS Looking for more? You might also want to check out this post about how to liberate your desire or this one about 7 spiritual things we can do for the world right now.




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The Ayurvedic Home: Design For Your Dosha

The Ayurvedic Home: Design For Your Dosha

Filed Under: Conscious Design, Wellness Tagged With: ayurveda, ayurvedic design, colors, dosha, health

How Your Home Can Improve Your Health

by: Jenn

How Your Home Can Improve Your Health

The Mind-Body connection is talked about frequently online but there is another connection that has a strong effect on you: the Mind-Space connection.

We are affected by the environment around us. Having access to a view of the outdoors is proven to make people happier and more productive while they work. Colors can trigger certain emotional states. Even if we think it doesn’t effect us, clutter literally causes our brains to become distracted. It’s constantly turning the clutter out, even if you’re not aware of it.

But of course, most of us don’t have any control over our work environments (other than at our own desks). Our home is the only place that we have control over – and luckily that’s also where we spend most of our time.

A calm and zen environment provides a resting ground for our overworked brains. A relaxed brain state lowers cortisol levels in our brain (this happens when we meditate, daydream and sleep).

If your home causes stress (even on a subconscious level) you are depriving your brain a chance to reach this level of relaxation. And the more stress you have, the more cortisol your body produces.

Your home is the place for you to sleep, eat and relax. But if your brain cannot truly relax there, then it is at risk of experiencing stress 24/7.

Prolonged aggravation of the stress-response system has the end result of disrupting almost all of your body’s processes. This can manifest in subtle ways, like weight gain or sleep problems, or in chronic conditions such as heart disease.




So as always, I really encourage you to take an active stance towards your home environment. It’s ultimately an investment in you.




PS Looking for more? You might also want to check out this post about how to makeover your money mindset or this one about self-help madness.




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How Your Home Can Improve Your Health

Filed Under: Conscious Design, Wellness Tagged With: cortisol, health, healthy home, home, improve your health, stress

Plant Power! Why Your Home Needs Greenery

by: Jenn

Plant Power! Why Your Home Needs Greenery - Plus Free Cheatsheet! - The Aligned Life

In my mind, no home is complete without a plant. For starters, they are a little piece of nature that we can bring indoors. Adding them to our home always has something of a grounding effect and ties us closer to Mother Nature.

Since they are living things, they also have a unique energetic vibration that has an effect on the space around them. Plus they are also provide a boost for your health: they actually help clean the air as well as reduce electro-smog (an unfortunate side effect from our modern electronics). After much research, NASA even released a list of indoor plants which are the most effective at treating indoor air pollution (including benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde).

From a Feng Shui standpoint, plants represent your finances as well as your ability to thrive. So it’s great to keep a few healthy plants around – the more the merrier of course but only if you can care for them all properly. Dying plants are thought to deplete your energy and your bank account, so if you have any it’s time to throw them away.

Now it also bears mentioning that I do not have a green thumb. I actually have a pretty horrible tendency to kill any plant entrusted to my care, except for two plants I had for a couple of years back in Vancouver. I vacillate wildly between neglect and over-watering, a pattern that always leads to a swift plant death. But I’m working on it slowly, as was evidenced by those two plant survivors. So basically, if I can do it so can you.

Snake Plant

[ BHG]

My go-to picks for a modern look are the snake plant (preferably tall and spiky with super variegated leaves) and the succulent (sculptural, easy to care for and they look awesome in a terrarium situation).

I also love orchids on occasion too (yes still!). They are a bit on the pricy side usually but when you compare the cost to a few weeks of fresh flowers the orchids suddenly seem like a bargain. (I know you can revive them too after about a year but I admit that I lack the patience. Plus I’m not a big fan of the barren stick look.)

Air plants are super-cool and trendy right now. But yes, I’ve even managed to kill a few of those (plus at a certain point one of my cats decides they are ripe for eating). But the look of a few of these displayed in pretty glass hanging containers is pure goodness.

Fiddle Leaf Plant - The Aligned Life

[ source]

I also really adore the look of a fiddle leaf or fig tree but since they are tricky to care for I haven’t tried them myself yet. (I know my limitations.) But if you have a green thumb and an empty sunny corner you might want to give them a try.

Fresh cut flowers are also a wonderful treat, just as long as you are sure to turf them once they dry out. There’s nothing pleasant about stinky water and dried-out brown leaves. My favorite cut flowers are big fluffy pink or white peonies but I’ve also been known to do some interesting modern displays with giant tropical leaves in glass containers.

As for providence, plants are pretty darn easy to get a hold of these days. A large garden center will always have a better range of stuff to choose from but over the years I’ve bought house plants everywhere from Ikea (orchids) to Home Depot (snake plant) to Trader Joe’s (also orchids). So if you need to save money it’s definitely worth a trip to the big box store.




As always, let me know if you have any plant-related (or otherwise) questions and I’ll do my best to respond.

Jenn Stevens The Aligned Life




PS Looking for more? You might also want to check out this post about self-love: a manifesto or this one about manifest using your home.




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Plant Power! Why Your Home Needs Greenery - Plus Free Cheatsheet! - The Aligned Life

Filed Under: Conscious Design Tagged With: air filtering, air filtering plants, air purifying, air purifying plants, decor, free download, health, healthy air, home health, NASA approved plants, plants

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Hey there Goalgetter! I’m Jenn – Bestselling Author | Spiritual Life & Business Coach | Creator of The Aligned Life and I teach you how to mind hack your way to your manifestation dreams!

 

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Identity shifting is KEY to manifesting.Because Identity shifting is KEY to manifesting.Because you ALWAYS manifest from your subconscious mind.Meaning you WILL play out old programs and ideas over and over again.Until YOU decide enough's enough! And do the work to REPROGRAM your mind to reflect what it you want and who you need to be.But sometimes, this work doesn't FEEL like it's doing anything.Those little tiny shifts on the inside are close to invisible--which might even make you doubt that it's happening at all.But trust me gorgeous, it IS.Keep taking tiny steps forward.Keep doubling down on who you WANT to be.TRUST the process and understandThat little by little, bit by bitIt all adds upUntil one day you look around and realize: I'm already there.
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with love + miracles ✨
~ Jenn
What would it be like to TRULY be enough for yours What would it be like to TRULY be enough for yourself?💜To not CRAVE that outside approval or validation?To forget about other people's opinions or what they say behind your back?To not motivate yourself to move TOWARDS something only because you cannot stand where you are?This just goes to show that as much as we all LOATHE to admit it, so much of what we do is based off of artificially leveraging ourselves UP.If so-and-so would only say "good job"If that person would LOVE meIf I finally did [ insert arbitrary goal here ]THEN I could finally feel good and actually TRULY love myself.Sometimes we all get our wires crossed on this at times. (Myself included!)We focus on the future fantasy that our issues will MAGICALLY disappear once X/Y/Z happens.And we chase the things outside of us, forgetting that the ONLY place our true happiness lies is within ourselves.I'm here to warn you:You could run the whole race of life and NOT get what you think you need from other people.You could meet milestone after milestone and still NEVER feel like you measure up. 😩ORYou could start being enough, right here, right now.Enough = you as you are, flaws, mistakes and all.Enough = you without anyone else.Enough = you.💗Happy Thursday Conscious Creator friends!
————————————————————————
with love + miracles ✨
~ Jenn
It's a FACT of life: you're simply NOT going to fe It's a FACT of life: you're simply NOT going to feel good all the time.And that's okay!Not gonna lie: the last month or so has been rough for me.The darkness of winter + strict lockdowns/limited holiday celebrations were TOUGH.I've definitely had my moments of letting it all get to me.But that doesn't mean anything has gone wrong.It doesn't mean that I'm somehow failing.And it definitely does NOT mean I'm putting more space between me and my manifestation goals.Even with the BEST of intentions, life is 50/50. Expecting perfection at any time will ONLY set you up for disappointment.Feeling frustrated, down, exhausted: those are all normal feelings for anyone experiencing a pandemic (plus general winter blues/ political chaos etc.)So while I don't want to create MORE of those feelings, I'm also not going to judge myself for having them.Making your feelings WRONG does not speed you up back into feeling better. It only creates self-loathing and resistance.Are you feeling the same? Here are a few things that are helping me right now:- Just letting myself cry if I feel like it (Sometimes 10 minutes of a good cry is a sufficient release!)
- Concentrating on pandemic-lockdown friendly goals that I CAN achieve (Doing pilates every day, meditation + Manifestation Journaling)
- Taking a break from drinking (I only drank about once a week anyway! But why not try going without it for a month?)
- Doing more behind-the-scenes entrepreneur stuff (The kinds of things that are so easy to put off for "someday")
- Using my SAD lamp every morning! (I only just got it but I swear it's helping)
- NOT judging myself too harshly if I suddenly don't feel up to doing the work I had planned or posting as much I "should" (Being an entrepreneur brings an EXTRA level of potential self-judgment that's hard to get out of at times.)This is all just a great example of one of the most important lessons of LIFE.You don't get to choose all your circumstances. But you DO get to choose what you do WITH them.What are you choosing to create right now? Whether you're in lockdown or not, I'd love to hear it!
The one constant in life is CHANGE.So you might The one constant in life is CHANGE.So you might as well get excited about it all and take the reigns of choosing WHAT you’re changing into.
Your choice: unconscious change vs becoming a Conscious CreatorWhat’s it going to be?
————————————————————————
with love + miracles ✨
~ Jenn
So do you KNOW if you're applying the same level o So do you KNOW if you're applying the same level of thinking or not? 🧐Here are some tell-tale signs that you are STUCK in the same level as your problems:- Complaining ("It's sooo UNFAIR.")
- Catastrophizing ("This ALWAYS happens to me")
- Believing you're stuck ("There's nothing I can do.")
- Trusting luck/the Universe etc more than you do yourself
- Thinking other people need to do/say certain things so you can feel better99% of our so-called problems are created just by our THOUGHTS.If we keep believing in the thoughts that created the problem, we keep on perpetuating the PROBLEM.The answers NEVER lie in waiting for the world around us to magically align with our expectations.But in adjusting OUR own stories about what the world around us really means.Or in other words: if you can switch up your thinking--even just a TINY bit--you might be surprised to see that your problems aren't really TRUE at all.And PS my dear: your magic isn't as far away as you think! If you NEED a little help unwrapping YOUR negative thoughts and breaking through your patterns, then my coaching program is here to support you. Drop me a DM to learn more!

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