The daily Rituals of a Yogi who quit her corporate job

6:30 My Lumie alarm starts to rise the sunlight in my room. As you would waking up from a Savasana, I slowly wiggle my fingers and toes and check in on myself mentally. Ya'know reflect on my sleep/dreams,  see how I feel, but most importantly just accept whatever that is... neither good nor bad, just is! I'll stretch in bed, maybe take some reclined twists and then get out from under the duvet for some deep belly breaths in Childs pose.

6:45 Sticking on Spotify's 'Wake up gently’ playlist or my own; TAPAH RELAX , I take a few standing stretches and practice a Shatkarma cleansing technique known as Nauli . This is all before I have put even sip of water into my body. The exercise is known to cleanse the digestive system and gently wake up all the organs in your body.

6:55 I drink a pint of water. An absolute must!  The body can become very dehydrated during sleep.

7:00 For two minutes, I brush my teeth as mindfully as possible, lightly scrape my tongue with my copper tongue scraper and begin my morning facial routine :- Body shop’s Rose water cleanser , Kheil’s Eye serum and finally,  a spritz of Body Shop’s vitamin c energizing face mist.

7:15 Resisting the urge to look at my phone (YES.. it's hard) I practice a 10 minute meditation. I’ll usually try to do this without guidance (as it is my job ha!) but for those days where I need a little help, Calm apps ‘daily calm’, good old Head space or one of the guided meditations on Alo Moves, are my go-to's!

7:30 Time for a 45 minute, strong yoga practice from one of the playlists in my personal favourite: Alo Moves - An online library of yoga classes given by some of the best teachers from all over the world!

8:15 I do it! I finally give in and look at my phone, starting with Whatsapp and emails  before any other social media. Whilst making breakfast (usually porridge with almond milk, my favourite chocolate peanut form protein powder, half a banana and a sprinkle of some seeds and goji berries), I'll listen to BBC News Live or a podcast; right now it's  'How to own a room' by Viv Groskop.

9:00 I start my day! (of work). Now that I'm fully self employed, I try hard to ensure I have a structured day ahead of me and use Gmail calendar to do this.(This changed my life FYI - See Ya Outlook!).

Structure is so important for me to feel productive, so at the end of the day I can reflect and celebrate the steps I have taken in my business journey. Whether it's networking with someone new, creating new content (Such as this!) or delivering a service to a client, be it a workshop, yoga /meditation class or coaching.

12/13:00 I'll run 4 of the 7 days, following my half marathon training plan on the Nike "Running Club" app. It comes with great guided coaching which I enjoy listening to as inspiration for my own journey in becoming a Personal Life Coach. It works!

13:00  I shower, sing and do a victory dance to something upbeat, then back to work. Usually, spending the afternoon in either a peaceful, local organic coffee shop or a nearby Nero ( I LOVE their loyalty scheme; two free coffees a week!). On a Monday It's Spotify's "Discover Weekly" in my ears, making every Monday the BEST day of the week! The rest of the week I'll explore Spotify radio for any new tunes I'm feeling right now. This can quite often come as a distraction and I will find myself inspired to create new playlists, but I honestly can't tell you how much i enjoy discovering new music - It's like my therapy!

17/18:00 To end each day positively, I put pen to pocket diary and write down my celebrations for that day, reflecting on what has gone right, NEVER wrong. If something has felt like a mistake, I will focus on what I have learnt from it instead to move forward.

18:00 Now my working day has come to an end, I can begin my downtime. Days I do not have plans to go out and socialise, I will try to speak with at least one person I care about ; No agenda other than wanting to know how they are. I know I probably annoy some friends with my weekly calls, but it's important to me as it's easy to isolate yourself in work when you don't have a partner or a team to work with in the day.

The above is not a strict ritual... I'd love it to be, but life is not a straight road and quite often every day is different for everyone! For me, It all depends on meetings, classes and workshops I have to deliver that day and their locations. With the above as an intention, it helps me to look after myself with less brain power and feel like I have taken care of 'me', before anything else. So what if you have a mid-week booze up... or celebration, rest from exercise the next day, or take it easier ( whatever you feel), just don't feel guilty in your choices.  Be kinder to yourself with your thoughts, not just physical practice. BALANCE BALANCE BALANCE... and if you loose it and fall over sometimes that's ok..or come and do some coaching with me ;)

Try this.... write down how you would realistically like your day to look and feel and list what you would do to achieve a greater sense of self care. Then each week try and get yourself one step closer by gradually introducing just one thing (that's it) until you successfully experience just one full week how you imagined when you read this article.

P.s If you care about what else i eat throughout the day to keep me fueled OR want to be nosy and find out about anything else just ask , I am always happy to share.