Why this supermodel-turned-yogi clears her “monkey glands” every a.m.

Welcome to My Morning Routine, where Angela Lindvall and other good-life gurus share their personal (frequently surprising, often healthy) morning rituals—to help you make your a.m.’s more awesome.

Angela Lindvall
Model-turned-Kundalini teacher, mom, health coach, and environmental activist

I try to set my alarm pretty early because I have to get my kids to school, but I really enjoy having some time to myself first thing—so I’m usually up around 5:30 a.m.

In that very first moment, I keep my eyes closed and just let my mind wander. It always surprises me what my first thoughts are. Then, I try to focus in on what I’m grateful for—all the blessings in my life, projects I’m loving—and start the day off with positive thinking.

I don’t always do this, but occasionally—especially if I’m feeling down—I’ll make a list of all of the negative thoughts I have and turn them all into positives. I’ll record them and play that to myself first thing in the morning. It’s such an inspirational tool and it really sets the tone for the day.

I’ll head into the bathroom and do my business, splash water on my face, and clear out my monkey glands. That’s basically when you just spit and hack everything into the sink—sort of gross, but very effective. I’ll usually follow that up by drinking hot water and lemon.

I try to meditate or do yoga [every morning]. I’ll always incorporate some light breathing, stretching, and some sort of prayer just try to wake my body up gently. If I don’t have time to work out in the mornings, I’ll try to do tae kwon do in the evenings or a yoga or Pilates class in the afternoon.

I’ll usually make breakfast for myself—eggs, a little bit of sauteed greens, and piece of Ezekiel or sourdough bread. I also take all of my supplements and vitamins then: curcumin, vitamin D, fish oil, spirulina, and a digestive enzyme with my breakfast.

Throughout the entire morning, I’m always scrolling through my phone catching up on emails. I recently learned a really cool trick to get rid of all of my spam: I’ll type unsubscribe into the search bar, and delete all of the junk I don’t want.

Once my younger son’s off to school, I’ll go on a light 45-minute walk. I love to breathe in the morning air and just let my mind wander. When I’m back I’ll get in my sauna and sweat, submerge myself in cold water, and then finally start my day.

Working out in the mornings is hard—find out why Kayla Itsines never schedules an a.m. sweat session. Or add supplements to your schedule with these picks that could help give you your best skin yet.

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