Cozy Porch Mornings: How to Start Your Day with a Dose of Nature & Mindfulness

By Sylvia Karcz, Contributing Blogger

In a world where we are pulled towards dozens of different things from the moment we wake up, it’s more important than ever to start our mornings off with a routine that gets our minds and bodies recentered, reconnected, and ready to take on the day on a positive note.

It’s what we like to call a “cozy porch morning” mindset, and fret not: you don’t need an actual porch to get into this headspace! It’s more about achieving that feeling: you know, the one of cozying up with a blanket or chunky sweater and your favorite morning beverage while you view a spectacular sunrise. One of tranquility and presence.

Sound like something you could use more of? This “Cozy Porch Morning” routine is meant to foster calm, gratitude, and balance without distraction, and trust us: there’s no better way to start a day.

1.  STEP OUTSIDE TO GREET THE SUN

Studies have shown that connecting with sunlight first thing in the morning has positive effects that last well throughout the entire day. On a scientific level, exposure to natural light regulates our body’s circadian rhythm and literally cues our “wake-up hormones,” cortisol and serotonin, to get cranking. Serotonin is also our feel-good hormone, helping improve mood, increase mental clarity, and boost energy levels.

 So, first things first: step outside to get your morning routine started!

2.  STRETCH YOUR BODY AWAKE!

Sleeping is crucial for our body’s health, but there’s no denying that a night spent lying down deactivates our muscles. When we sleep, our body goes into rest-and-recovery mode, and muscles lose tone and fluid.

Doing a short stretching routine is a great way to relieve tension while reactivating and realigning those muscles, though. It gets blood circulating and facilitates the removal of lactic acid from our muscles, all while pushing fresh oxygenated blood into them. During this process, our nervous system also gets stimulated, increasing our mind’s alertness for the day. Long-term, a consistent stretching routine —focusing on legs, hips, back, neck, and shoulders— keeps us flexible, improves posture, and can help prevent injury, too! 

That’s why we encourage grabbing a mat and getting your morning started with at least a few minutes of dedicated stretching outside! You can soak up that natural sunlight simultaneously, too, getting two benefits at once.

3.  BREATHE INTO YOUR DAY

Life gets busy, we get it. And it’s easy to feel like we need to start checking off our to-do lists from the moment we open our eyes in the morning. But the act of slowing down and focusing on a few moments of meditation and intentional breathing can have drastic effects and help us actually get through those to-do lists more efficiently!

Simply put, a morning meditation —especially outside—lays a foundation for the day ahead, setting a tone of calmness, balance, and connection. Slow, deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system and vagus nerve, helping us out of “fight or flight” mode. In turn, that helps lower heart rate and blood pressure, regulate feelings of stress and anxiety, and even aids in digestive, brain, and immune function. The benefits keep coming, too. A routine breathing and meditation practice can improve focus, increase energy, and foster a lifelong relationship with mindfulness. 

By taking our mediation practice outside, we’re also tuning ourselves to our natural environment. No matter if we’re on a balcony, in a yard, or in a public park, by being outside, we’re connecting our senses —and ourselves— to the outside world. And even on the toughest of days, there’s a certain magic in feeling the vastness of the big, beautiful world we live in, don’t you think?