The importance of an Ayurvedic morning ritual for teen girls 

Ayurveda is an ancient science that originated in India over 5000 years ago. The wisdom of this beautiful tradition is the perfect antidote to the stresses of modern-day living. It guides us on how to find inner harmony and balance in all aspects of our being. Ayurveda is steeped in rituals and many of them are perfect for teens, offering girls gentle self-care practices to take care of both their bodies and minds.

I have put this one together for mornings. It introduces girls to meditation and conscious breathing and my suggestion is to use affirmations to complete the ritual. Ideally, encourage your daughter to practise it on waking – you could even do it together and all you need is five minutes, so it’s a perfect one to start with.  (Of course, if you like it, feel free to practise for a longer time!)

Practising in the morning has so many benefits. It really sets the tone for the whole day ahead. Our thoughts are extremely powerful.  If your daughter can cultivate a positive frame of mind each morning, she will be far less reactive and will respond to events in a much calmer, clearer, more efficient way. If she can establish this habit of practising for even 5 mins during her teenage years, she will set herself up for much more positive experiences in the world as she moves through the different stages of her life.

A 5-minute Ayurvedic morning ritual to set teen girls up for a great day:

  • Set a timer for 5-minutes
  • Sit up with a straight back if you can
  • Close your eyes
  • Picture a movie screen in your mind and fill it with everything that you are grateful for. (See the screen filling up – if it is hard to think of anything, start with the fact that the sun rose this morning. Maybe that is all that is on your screen today – that’s ok. Don’t worry, if you do this practice daily, your screen will begin to fill up more and more.)
  • Think about how you would like your day to go and now visualise it unfolding perfectly on the screen.
  • See yourself smiling, full of positive energy for the day ahead. Allow that feeling to move through your whole body and mind. Imagine that feeling moving right down into your belly.
  • Place your hands on your belly. Feel the breath under your hands as you breathe in and out.
  • Continue to breathe in that feeling of positivity and as you breathe out, notice if your mind is settling down.
  • Try to continue to take slow, deep breaths for a couple of minutes
  • When the timer goes off, open your eyes
  • Finish your morning ritual with affirmations

Complete your Ayurvedic morning ritual with affirmations for teen girls

“Think of your mind as a garden. What grows in your garden? Flowers and organic vegetables, or weeds that crowd out the flowers and vegetables? Affirmations are a powerful tool for planting seeds in your garden. Simply by repeating affirmations to yourself on a regular basis, you are changing the very landscape of your being. You are sowing seeds of health which will crowd out the weeds.” (Dr. Marisa Jackson-Kinman, a faculty member at the California College of Ayurveda).

Affirmations are a great way to increase self-confidence. If you don’t like the ones I suggest here, replace them with your own – remember to keep them short, positive and in the present tense. Work with the same ones for a good length of time. You can work with affirmations in a number of different ways. You will know what feels right for you.

  • write them in a journal each morning
  • repeat them silently in your mind
  • you could look in the mirror and say them out loud
  • write them on sticky notes and put them on a mirror in your bedroom or bathroom as a reminder throughout the day of how amazing you are

Affirmations for teen girls

Know that you don’t even have to believe the affirmation at first. If you persevere and commit to working with them daily, your mind will eventually accept them as true.

“I am perfect as I am”

“I belong”

“I love myself”

“I am loveable and loved”

“I love my body”

“I am healthy and strong”

“I am beautiful”

“I have great friends who I love and who love me”

“I am connected to everyone and everything.”

 

Bring all of this positivity out into the world and have a wonderful day.

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