Mindful Morning Rituals: Hot Lemon Water Meditation

Drinking hot water with lemon first thing in the morning alkalinizes your body and so much more… 

The way you start each day is incredibly important for your overall health, waistline, longevity and stress levels.  

I love my morning ritual. It consists of mindfulness meditation, running, writing my Morning Pages and …lemon water.

If you can only make time for one ritual that will improve your health, let it be this.....

Start the day with the juice of half a lemon in hot water to wake up your liver and digestion in a clean healthy way.

Clean water and fresh squeezed lemon is also one of the most well tested energy boosters around. Most women all around the globe rely on coffee to get aroused in the morning. This adrenal stimulant produce dirty energy in the form of blood sugar swings and oxidative stress. 

Water with lemon produces clean energy by hydrating and oxygenating the body to extraordinary energy and mental clarity.

It's so simple and here are more benefits which are just too good to ignore. 

Hot water with lemon benefits:

1. Boosts your immune system 

Lemons are high in Vitamin C and potassium. Vitamin C is great for fighting colds and potassium stimulates brain and nerve function and helps control blood pressure.

2. Balances pH

Lemons are an incredibly alkaline food, believe it or not. Yes, they are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies they're alkaline (the citric acid does not create acidity in the body once metabolized). An alkaline body is really the key to good health and ageless living.

3. Helps with weight loss

Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight stress-induced cravings. It also has been shown that people who maintain a more alkaline diet lose weight faster. And, my experience is that when I start the day off right, it's easier to make healthy food choices for myself the rest of the day.

4. Aids digestion

The warm water serves to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract and peristalsis—the waves of muscle contractions within the intestinal walls that keep things moving. Lemons and limes are also high in minerals and vitamins and help loosen toxins, in the digestive tract.

5. Acts as a gentle, natural diuretic

Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials because lemons increase the rate of urination in the body. Toxins are, therefore, released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy.

6. Clears skin

The vitamin C helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood which helps keep skin clear as well.

7. Hydrates the lymph system

Lemon water helps start the day on a hydrated note, which helps prevent dehydration (obviously) and adrenal fatigue caused by chronic stress. 

When your body is dehydrated, or deeply dehydrated (adrenal fatigue) it can't perform all of it's proper functions, which leads to toxic buildup, constipation, and the list goes on.

Your adrenals are two small glands that sit on top of your kidneys, and along with your thyroid, create energy. They also secrete important hormones, including aldosterone. 

Aldosterone is a hormone secreted by your adrenals that regulates water levels and the concentration of minerals, like sodium, in your body, helping you stay hydrated. 

Your adrenals are also responsible for regulating your stress response.  

So, the bottom line is that you really don't want to mess with a deep state of dehydration!

Mindful morning ritual starts here:

‘Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.’ ~Thich Nhat Hanh

When you drink your hot lemon water do it mindfully, be in the moment...not thinking of what else must get done...it is only 3 or 4 minutes of your day...but by being in the moment and just thinking of the benevolence you are affording your body, you will also create a better state of mind for your day to build on.

You can if you wish do it as a simple lemon water meditation of a minute or 2 while sipping and feeling this great drink easing down your esophagous and feeling the warmth circulate in the stomach....smile close your eyes...know that in this moment you are starting your day with love for yourself. 

Believe me...you will have less stressful and more balanced rest of your day ...just from those 3 or 4 minutes!

Adopting just this one practice of drinking a cup of hot water with lemon in the morning for a month can radically alter your experience of the day. Don't be surprised if you begin to view mornings in a new light.

Want to make an even more dramatic change? 

Overcome stress cravings, lose weight and be fit after 40, with non-diet mindful eating approach.