Getting Activated (5 Minutes)

Drink, Dance & Chant

First of all I get up, grab a bottle of water, mix a pinch of salt and lemon juice in, and down the whole thing. Your body loses a boat load of minerals overnight, so replenishing immediately with this simple cocktail will make your organs sing.

Speaking of singing, I then walk outside to look at the sunrise and start a five minute routine of chanting and shaking. Yes, this is the time that you, like my neighbours, might be thinking “what the fuck is he doing?”

It’s simple, we are all energy beings and your body is a dynamic entity. Having just spent eight hours in deep rest, you need to get your energy moving again around your system. Shaking is a beautiful, gentle and extremely cathartic way to wake the body up and move energy to the furthest reaches of your body.

If you’re anything like me, the idea of running 5K or going to the gym first thing in the morning sounds absolutely appalling. I’m an afternoon/evening exercise person myself, so shaking does the trick without placing duress on my system early on. It also feels rather majestic once you get into it.

But singing? Well kind of. Actually I chant. You see, having been blessed to learn from many wise shamans, medicine men, tantricas, and mystics over the years, I’ve learnt a thing or two about language, and the consensus is that words are energy (like everything else). What we say deeply codifies and creates our reality. So I make sure the first thing out of my mouth every day is some seriously empowering shit.

Personally I chant “Kali Jaya” which really sends the cat amongst the pigeons when people hear it. In reality, it’s just Sanskrit for “renewal” and “victory”. Put together, it means “victory to the power of renewal”. You could just as easily repeat that instead, but saying the Sanskrit keeps your mind out of the equation and lets you drop into the vibration of the words. Like the shaking, it feels glorious to belt out to the sunrise.

Why outside? Getting up and staring at the sun first thing does wonders for your circadian pattern. It tells your body it’s time to wake up significantly more healthily than your iPhone alarm clock does. It also deeply replenishes your light-starved body, and it feels fucking cool to look at something so beautiful to begin your day with. Over the years I’ve seen all sorts of beautiful things from bird migrations to squirrels humping, way better than starting the day staring at the toiletries in your shower?

Activate your body + connect to Source. Completed.

Get Focused (5 Minutes)

Breath & Freeze

Speaking of the shower, that’s where I head next, but with a twist.

For 90 seconds I jump in, wash, clean, and start breathing deeply.

At the 90 second mark, I start short and sharp inhales followed by long, extended exhales for a 30 second period. Typically 2 seconds inhale and 5-6 seconds exhale. This breathing technique, popularised by the legendary arctic adventurer Wim Hof (dubbed the Ice Man), is in preparation for what’s next, ice cold water.

At the two minute mark, I turn that shower knob right down to ice cold and pour it over down my front, back, and over the top for 60 seconds each, for a total of 3 minutes. Why bring this masochism upon myself?

It turns out, taking a 2-3 min cold shower each morning is INSANELY good for you.

Three minutes in a cold shower is equal to the magnetic, glandular, and nervous system effects of 31 minutes of meditation.

The practice makes your skin beam like the sun, boosts your immune system, and increases your neuron velocity (makes you think quicker).

It also does two other things that are total game changers:

1) Builds your willpower / ability to overcome resistance to fear each day; and

2) Cultivates surrender to the present moment.

I’ve been practicing for months now and become such an advocate I’m signing up my friends like wildfire!

Some pro tips:

1) Start 1-2 mins warm and do your cleaning first (straight in cold is brutal); and

2) Do Wim Hof breathing before to oxygenate yourself (YouTube it) and then massively extend your exhales whilst in the water whilst focusing your attention ONLY on your breathing. It keeps your mind off the cold.

Give it a shot for a week. You’ll be bouncing 😉

So with that done, I’ve strengthened the mind + synced it with the body.

Get Awake (5 Minutes)

Staring Contest

As soon as that shower turns off, you feel fucking LIT for at least three reasons. Firstly, you overcame your resistance and showed your ego who’s boss when it comes to making a choice that’s good for you. Secondly, your nervous system is flooding you with great sensations whilst your energy field goes through an electro-magnetic reset. And thirdly, quite simply, you’re getting warm again. 

After drying off, I move to the piece de resistance of this quarter hour power start to the day. Clearing the mirror of any steam, I get right up to it and simply proceed to stare directly into my eyes for the next 5 minutes. Why? It’s not because I’ve got particularly beautiful eyes, it’s because the eyes are the gateway to the soul.

I was recommended this by habit by the incredible shaman and visionary Manex Ibar. He challenges people to do it for 21 days straight and let me tell you, before I put it in my morning routine it took me 4 attempts (including an agonising restart at 16 days in). Why is it so hard? The same reason showing up and being vulnerable is, your ego fucking hates it and comes up with all sorts of excuses to avoid it and/or completely forget to do it. It’s literally comical how well your ego prevents you from doing this small little task and that is precisely why you should consider doing it.

Staring into your eyes for 5 minutes reveals all the nonsense that comes up in your head first thing in the morning whilst simultaneously staring at the truest, calmest, eternally wise part of yourself. It’s kind of like meeting Jesus and complaining about your commute, you could do it but you’ll feel really fucking stupid afterwards.

I’ve cried, burst into laughter, smiled uncontrollably, and just about expressed every other emotion under the sun doing this. Now, I just find deep, abiding calm which is a majestic way to start the day given my head is usually spinning with a to-do list and some outsized ambitions for the day.

Finishing

And that’s that! A blend of modern and ancient practices, these things refresh the mind, body and soul first thing in the morning and have become an absolute staple of my day. 

Branding it the LIT process encourages me to complete the whole thing and gives me a sense of satisfaction on days where things start gloomy (its Winter or the weather sucks outside).

I’ve been doing this for months.

Now I challenge you to do the same.