Start Fresh with Mindful Breathing and Break Your Morning Triggers

Welcome to MindfulMornings! In today’s email, you’ll learn about:

• Starting Your Day with Kapalbhati (breathwork)

• Breaking Bad Habits by Spotting Your Triggers

Here are 2 quotes, 2 tips, and 1 question to help you build healthy habits this week…

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2 Quotes

1. “Some people are in such utter darkness that they will burn you just to see a light. Try not to take it personally.” - Kamand Kojouri

2. "When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it—but all that had gone before." - James Clear

2 Tips

1) Start Your Day with Kapalbhati

Here’s why:

Kapalbhati, also known as shining forehead breath, is a cleansing breathwork technique. This practice is perfect for the mornings as it helps;

• Clear your sinuses and airways

• Boost your energy levels

• Create a sense of mental clarity

• Set a mindful tone for your day

How to Practice:

The video below provides a great explanation of how to perform Kapalbhati and takes you through three rounds. First, find a comfortable spot to sit - this could be on a cushion, mat, or chair. Keep your back straight but relaxed.

We have also included steps below the video along with some helpful tips.

1. Find a comfortable spot to sit - this could be on a cushion, mat, or chair. Keep your back straight but relaxed.

    

2. Take a few normal breaths to settle in. Close your eyes if that feels right.

    

3. To start the practice:

   • Push your breath out through your nose while pulling your belly button in

   • Let your inhale happen naturally - it will flow in by itself

   • Think "active exhale, passive inhale"

    

4. Begin with a gentle pace:

   • Try 10-20 breaths per round

   • Aim for about one breath per second

   • Do 3 rounds, with a couple of normal breaths between each

      

5. After finishing:

   • Sit quietly for a moment

   • Notice how your body feels

   • Take a few regular breaths

Helpful Tips:

• Practice before eating breakfast

• Start slowly - this practice gets easier with time

• Listen to your body and stop if you feel dizzy

2) Break Bad Habits by Spotting Your Triggers

Why:

The small habits we follow - both good and bad - often happen on autopilot, triggered by specific cues around us. When we notice these triggers, we can change our response to them.

Here's a simple approach to spot and change your morning triggers:

1. Watch Your Habits.

   • Keep a small notebook with you throughout your morning

   • Write down when you catch yourself in a habit you hope to break; maybe it’s checking your phone first thing

   • Look for patterns in times, feelings, or situations

   • Be curious, not judgmental, as you observe

      

2. Find Your Triggers. What starts the habit loop? It might be:

   • The sound of your alarm

   • A certain thought or feeling

   • An interaction with a specific person

   • It may just follow another step in your morning routine (e.g. checking emails after pouring your coffee)

      

3. Make Small Changes. Once you know your triggers, make subtle changes to remove the trigger or limit its impact. For example:

   • If you hit snooze too often, move your alarm across the room

   • If scrolling is your weakness, put your phone in a draw until you're ready to intentionally look at it

   • Create a new morning path – literally walk a different route or change the first thing you do to re-create your routine

      

4. Extend this practice to identify triggers throughout different parts of your day.

For further reading on habit change, we recommend Atomic Habits* by James Clear. This is a great book for understanding how to build new habits and make them stick.

Remember, each day is a fresh chance to build better habits. Small changes, done mindfully, add up to big transformations over time.

1 Question

How does your living space reflect your current mental and emotional state, and what changes can you make to align them more positively?

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoy your week.

With gratitude,

MindfulMornings

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