Using Movement to Start My Days

One of the most profound pieces of my journey back to dance over the last year has involved building a morning routine that incorporates a daily movement ritual of some format.

I’ve understood for a long while that starting your day off with a healthy routine is a major lifestyle gamechanger. I’ve read the books that advocate for 5am wake-ups and creating habit stacks. I’ve watched in awe as people I know wake up and get themselves to the gym at that same time to kick their day into high-drive. Yet, those tasks always felt like a mountain for me to overcome.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually consider myself a morning person. But, my ideal morning starts off with a cozy blanket, a cup of coffee, and candlelight. The thought of getting up, leaving the house, going into a bright gym with other people feels physically icky to me. It’s just not for me. In an effort to create a routine that feels good to my body, I started by writing down all of the things I would like my mornings to include:

• Morning cup of coffee

• Reading a book

• Listening to a record

• Sitting in silence

• Moving my body

Aka. a really slow morning.

Now, it’s important to acknowledge a few facts about Me at this point:

1. I am an entrepreneur so have the privilege of a flexible schedule

2. I do not have children (just fur babies) so I have the privilege of open, spacious time in the morning

Previous Me would have presumed “moving my body” meant a structured virtual workout; but new and improving Me wanted to explore what it meant to ask my body what kind of movement it wanted and then (this is the important part) LISTEN to it.

And so my explorative “back to dance” morning practice was born.

I started by curating a playlist of music that I was currently loving listening to and let my body lead the way. It felt pretty strange at first - to be dancing by myself in my basement - but I quickly learned that that safe space was exactly what I needed to feel all the feelings of finding dance again.

From there I experimented with all sorts of music:

• What it felt like to dance to music that I loved growing up

• What it felt like to listen to a whole album start to finish

• What it felt like to let the universe choose my playlist (aka. shuffle)

This experiment has been a true gift to myself. A gift of coming back into my body. A gift of coming back to dance. A gift of allowing all of my emotions throughout this journey to have a place to flow through me. A gift of space and a practice to heal with.

If you’re interested in giving it a try, I encourage you to put together an old school playlist of your favourite songs, find a space of yours that you feel comfortable to move in, press play, and enjoy the movement that is inspired.

Happy dancing!

I’ve been LOVING sharing morning dance space with the Humans In Motion Embodied Mornings Dance Practice. This is a community of movers from around the world that come together to share dance each day as part of a beautiful daily ritual. If you’re interested in joining - find out more information here.