2021-01-23

For a better life : morning routine part 1

 

I won't lie, you'll probably think I'm weird, but bear with me, I took a lot of my morning tips from ayurveda and it works for me.
 
When I wake up in the morning, my first reflex is to stretch myself as much as I can in the bed. Then, whether it's a work day or not, I head to the bathroom to wake myself up completely and peacefully. 
 
  • The first, most effective and agreeable thing I do, is spray my face and my ears with rose water, because :
- rose water is antibacterial ;
- it hydrates my skin (even if the best way to do it is to drink water) ;
- it fights the morning puffy eyes ;
- but my real reason is that it's refreshing and relaxing because it smells so wonderfully good ! Of course, rose water is not mandatory, I love lavender too for example, or cornflower or orange blossom, there is a great choice of plants that you can prefer for their scent or their different impact on the skin.
  • Then I brush my hair thoroughly : it's good for the hair and it starts the blood circulation pumping under my thus massaged scalp. Another way to wake up.
  • Next comes the cleaning of the nose : I used to have chronicle throat and nose diseases years ago, before I turned vegan and healthier. I sometimes couldn't speak (so practical when you're working with the public), I had colds that lasted months, I had sinusitis with raging migraines. Now  I clean my nose with a spray of salt water : in winter to prevent colds, in summer to clean from the dust and pollution. I know I can do it otherwise, with this tool pictured below, but I just can't make it. Maybe I'll master the technique later, but I'm struggling for the time being, so good ole nose spray it is, one nostril after the other (have a handkerchief ready).
  • My fourth move is to clean my tongue with a tea spoon (ayurveda), to avoid having it whitened with toxins that were generated by the body during the night. There are special tools to do this, but honestly,  your kitchen spoon will do the trick perfectly. You don't need to scrub forcefully.
  • Fifth thing : cleaning my ears. I don't need to do it everyday, but I sleep with (washable) ear plugs at night and I don't want to use cotton swabs that not only you have to throw away once you've used them, but also push the earwax back in the ears instead of removing it. I'll show my tool on the picture below with my "usual suspects" : it's organic, washable, reusable and can end its life in compost.
  • Sixth and last step, for which I use oil. You can use different oils, of course, depending on your type of skin, but they are usually sold in small bottles and high prices, organic or not. Years ago, I bought a sunflower cooking oil (organic, very cheap, local and all that) that my companion didn't like the taste of. Rather than waste it, I now use it regularly in the bathroom as a moisturizer, combined with aloe vera gel (organic, as pure as possible - mine is 98%). The aloe vera is also very good for the skin and helps it assimilate the oil without leaving grease traces all over your clothes ! The skin is soft, hydrated, you feel the difference instantly, especially if you brush your skin after you shower. To use the oil more easily, I don't use the big bottle but put it in a small previously used oil bottle with a pump. I first pump a small amount of oil into my hand and use it to coat the inside of my nostrils with my small finger. Then I pump aloe with the remaining oil,  mix it all and use the result as a daily cream. It hydrates and protects my skin against heat and cold. Because it's relaxing and I really love the perfume of lavender, I also put one drop of lavender essential oil in the small bottle, but be careful when using essential oil, a very small amount is sufficient and all oils cannot be applied on the skin directly.

The usual suspects - from left to right, the bottles :
- the rose water
- the small oil pump (cleaned and recycled from its former use)
- the salt water nose spray
- the aloe vera gel
From left to right, lying on the dresser :
- the ear cleaner
- the tea spoon !

It's a long post, so I'll stop it here, that's all for the morning bathroom routine. If you have any question, don't hesitate ! Once again, this is what works for me, it might not be the same for you - suggestions, suggestions, nothing more. 
Do you have a morning routine too ? Would you care to share ? There's always something to be learned :)






12 comments:

  1. My sister loves her salt water-nose routine. She says it has improved her breathing greatly.

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    1. It did mine, in any case. The water cleans, but the salted water also disinfects... whatever needs to be disinfected ;)

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  2. I get foot pain and those stretches in bed not only get the body waking up and bloodflowing, but prevent the foot pain, too. I'm a huge water drinker so I don't need moisterizer much, but I love your application of rose water and also the cool idea of cleaning your tongue with the spoon. I like your sustainable ideas that reuse or prevent one-use items. Great ideas for morning routine, Iza!

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    1. Thanks Sophia, I've been studying the subject for years and sustainability is important to me. When I'm home, I drink a lot of water too but when I work, it's more difficult as I work with the public and have long hours of transports, I can't have access to a bathroom when I need to. I'm glad you found a way to prevent the foot pain, this must be difficult to live with that, to say the least. Thanks Sophia !

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  3. This might sound weird but I found this post very interesting and informative! Some of your techniques I'd definitely like to try. Looking forward to your part 2!

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    1. Oops, yes, it reminds me I have to write it and, most importantly, find the pictures to illustrate it !!

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  4. This makes a lot of sense. I imagine wth Covid too that nose spraying is helpful, since they say the virus particles congregate in the upper respiratory tract before getting into the lower tract (lungs, etc). Certainly can't hurt!

    I'm trying to go vegan too- my doctor recommended it as the single thing he'd recommend for me to get healthier. I'm working on it... :)

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    1. Thumbs up on getting healthier and vegan. When I turned vegan, 10 years ago, I didn't even know it existed the week before, lol ! There are lots of information and recipes available now. Another way to clean your nose naturally is to eat spicy, it does the trick when I eat Thai or Indian ;)

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  5. Your morning routine sounds so refreshing! I have also tried the netty pot (the clear out the nose thing), but I just couldn't do it right. I have friends that swear by them!

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    1. I really tried, but I kept swallowing the water, which is why I reversed to the basic nose spray. I'll have to try again :)

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  6. What a great self-care routine. I really need to start incorporating some simple stretches into my morning routine.

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    1. When I introduced yoga in my morning routine, it changed my life, the way I react to stress, how it prevents different back pains and maintains flexibility, how to breathe to calm down, how good it feels - simply. There are lots of choices on youtube, I'll link a few videos and channels in my next posts, if it can help :)

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