Inquiry- what's your morning routine's like ?

I get up, before dawn, put on some water to heat, and then go straight to my computer. I try not to get distracted by whatever issue is currently fascinating me, then look to my aims - both general and for the day.

I regard it as quite vital to 'intend ahead', so to speak.  For example, currently I am trying to work on being aware throughout the day. It really helps if I remind myself why this is a good idea, what being mindful actually consists of, and what I need do to achieve this mindfulness.

I then wake up my girlfriend. We like to give each other a quick massage as a warm-up to exercise. Or, more accurately I give her a quick stand up massage in order to wake her up and then demand reciprocity. Ha. The exercise, itself, usually lasts about 30-40 minutes and consists of a bit of running on the spot, resistance work, and always stretching. Sometimes we'll do it in silence, sometimes we'll talk, and often we'll listen to Chinesepod. We both like to drink hot water rather than tea, coffee, or juice early in the morning. They come later.

Following that we often - although not this past few days - will meditate for 10 -15 minutes minutes followed by another 10 minutes of metta. She then eats her breakfast - toast, juice, cheese, apple, nuts, while I will join her in green tea and maybe some nuts and juice. I then will spend another 30-40 minutes on my current shadow practice. Most recently it has been taking a dream and working through it over the course of 2/3 days.

I usually finish this just as my g/f is leaving for work. At this point I am now quite hungry and will stop and eat some breakfast and  have a coffee.  That done, my day continues on its way...

If you are looking for a morning routine why not check out Integral Life Practice. We don't quite follow their routine - but its not to dissimilar. One comment I would make is that a set of morning practice routines can really stretch out the time: stack on vision/puja/exercise/sitting meditation/shadow and you can easily have 2-4 hours of dedication. As it is, I already spend a couple of hours in the morning. I'd love to extend the meditation by another 40 minutes, but what I've got works well enough, nonetheless.