5 Morning Rituals for Health & Longevity

By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP

As an acupuncturist, it is important to live the healthy life that I try to encourage my patients to live. I also am well aware that I have to be healthy so that I can go to work every day and help my patients be healthy too. So, after many years and trying various things, this is my list of the five things I try to do every morning to keep myself healthy, balanced and sane. I hope they will be helpful to you too.

Meditation

Meditation is probably one of the most important things that I do for myself every day. I notice a huge difference in how I feel physically, emotionally and psychologically from my morning meditations. I feel more grounded, calmer and am more able to take on difficult situations without reacting. Meditation essentially, makes me a healthier, happier being. It helps me to see that the chaos of the world and my life is happening AROUND me instead of TO me. If you want to see what I mean and start reaping the enormous benefits of meditation you can start by doing just a few minutes a day. It might be difficult at first because your thoughts will probably be running wild, but the more you do it, the quieter your thoughts become and you will really start to feel the benefits in every aspect of your life.

For those of you who haven't read my previous posts on Vipassana meditation, you can do so here so get a little more information on Vipassana meditation and my experiences with doing 10 day Vipassana retreats in Georgia by reading My Ten Day Vipassana Meditation and Vipassana 2.0. There are many, many different meditation techniques, and you should find the one that feels right for you. Do some research and see which ones resonate with you, then try them out.

Some Benefits of Daily Meditation

• speeds up brain processing potential
• loosens neural pathways
• reduces the risk of heart disease
• improves memory
• boosts immunity
• improves sleep

• reduces blood pressure
• reduces stress, anxiety and depression
• increases wellbeing
• enhances self esteem and self acceptance
• increases optimism, relaxation and awareness
• regulates blood sugar levels
• creates a deepening capacity for love and compassion

These are just to name a few. Here is a fancy infographic that lists some of meditations amazing benefits.

Coconut Oil Pulling

For those of you who haven't heard of oil pulling, it is simply the act of taking a spoonful of coconut oil and putting it in your mouth to swish around for anywhere from a few minutes to 20 minutes. I try to keep it in there for as long as possible because I know all the good it is doing. :) Here are some of the amazing benefits of coconut oil pulling...

• cleans and whitens teeth
• reduces cavities
• prevents bad breath
• detoxifies the body
• clears the skin
• increases energy
• reduces headaches
• prevents heart disease
• reduces inflammation
• boosts the immune system
• strengthens gums
• soothes dry throat
• improves sleep

Water with Lemon

Benefits of drinking water with lemon every morning...

• boosts the immune system
• flushes toxins out of the body
• balances the body's PH (lemons are alkalizing and viruses and bacteria cannot survive in an alkaline environment)
• clears the skin
• boosts the brain and nervous system
• helps the digestion
• freshens breath
• reduces inflammation
• increases energy
• stabilizes blood sugar
• purifies and cleanses the blood
• reduces fevers

Smoothies

If you are a busy human like I am, eating properly is sometimes difficult. One easy way I have discovered to get some much needed nutrition and energy in the morning is my morning smoothie. The ingredients vary, but they are always smashed with fresh, organic fruit. I try to keep the ingredients seasonal too, as Chinese medicine teaches to try to eat as many seasonal foods as possible to keep our bodies in balance. I add supplements as needed and sometimes go green, but the fruit ones are my favourite because they are so delicious and a feast for the eyes too. So, be adventurous with your ingredients! A smoothie is a great way to start your day.

Gratitude

This is a big one for me and it has probably been one of the most consistent things that I try to be aware of every morning before I start my day. One of the things that treating patients has taught me is that no matter how hard we try to live a simple life, free of stresses and problems, life will present them to you on a pretty regular basis. Instead of trying to avoid them, I have found that it is better to learn how to manage the stresses in life, and I have found no better way than to wake up every morning and spend a few minutes going through all of the things I am grateful for. Once you start doing this, you will find that it will attract more and more positive things, people and experiences into your life and problems, which will still happen, will be a lot easier to deal with because you will have an acute awareness of how amazing your life is and how lucky you are to be an inhabitant of this wonderful planet.

I hope that every morning leads into fulfilling days full of love and light for all of you.