The super-relaxing 20-minute meditation method that powers this businesswoman’s day

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

Jayma Cardoso
New York City-based businesswoman, owner of The Surf Lodge in Montauk, NY

Sadly I’m still in the habit of waking up and looking at my phone, but I’m working on that. The second thing I do in the morning, which I’ve been practicing for a little over four years, is Transcendental Meditation. It’s helped me create some stability in my chaotic life, especially in the summer—and I love it. You’re supposed to do it twice a day and I don’t, but even with the 20 minutes I do in the morning I see a difference. I do it no matter what, every day, after I brush my teeth. I put an alarm on my phone for 20 minutes—you’re not supposed to do that, but there are times I’ve fallen asleep if I don’t, because it really relaxes me.

I’m really into [the plant-based meal delivery service] Sakara Life, because I can’t eat a full breakfast in the morning and then work out. So after TM I play with the baby and have a little snack—the Empower bars with coconut and nuts give me a lot of protein but don’t make me full. I’ll drink a raw coconut water from Kaffe, a café right by my place, on my way to work out. I’m not really a juice person; coconut water is my thing.

It’s helped me create some stability in my chaotic life.

If I don’t work out in the morning it’s really hard to get it done. At least three times a week I go to Sal Anthony’s Movement Salon. It’s a Pilates place, no frills, and I don’t bump into anybody I know there. My instructor is Nwando Emejulu—she’s tough. The other two days I do Bari Studio. They focus on the lower body and have great classes for that. I also sometimes see my trainer Stephen Cheuk, who founded S10 Training—he’s just a drill sergeant.

The beauty of living in Tribeca is it’s kids-town, so if I do my 8:15 a.m. Bari workout, we can go to a 9:20 a.m. class at Imagine Swimming, which is right outside my door. We’ll come back and shower together—it’s probably not the most normal setup for a mom and baby, but it’s working for our little family.

Products are the one thing I change a lot. I’m kind of a junkie. I’m using Pratima’s Very Sensitive Herbal Cleanser for my face that I think is amazing, I love Tata Harper’s Regenerating Cleanser and Sakara has this Beauty Water I’m obsessed wth. I have half-oily and half-dry skin, but in the summer it’s so dry. I always have the Caudalie Grape Water in my bag so I can spray it over my makeup. The routine is very clean, very organic, and lots of natural products.

Business leaders aren’t the only ones who swear by TM—mega-celebs like Katy Perry and Gisele Bündchen are fans of the technique, too.