How Important Is A Holistic Night Time Routine?

The benefits of a night time routine are endless; most importantly though is that it prepares for a beautiful and restful nights sleep.  I'm sharing my night time ritual in the hope that it inspires you to create your own.  I'm a big believer in starting exactly where you are and so be sure to start small and take baby steps until you've achieved something that works for you.

LIGHTING - I've never really liked bright lights; I'd rather sit in a dark room reading until the last shred of light is gone rather than sit under an artificial light - thankfully my kindle saves me from that these days!  In my last couple of hours before bed I try to keep the lighting around me to a minimum - I light candles or use a small lamp.  If you can avoid the main room lights then that's great and try and switch off your screens, including the TV a least an hour before you go to bed.  

YOGA - This is my way of saying thank you to my body after it's supported me through another day.  It brings me a sense of re-connection that nothing else does and I love the sense of achievement that comes with every small improvement. I practice at home which allows me to flow straight into the rest of my nightime ritual. Take a look online for simple yoga sequences that inspire rest.      

MEDITATION - I'm passionate about maintaining my meditation practise and it's been transformational for me.  Despite first learning about it in my late teens, it took me almost two decades to make it a regular practise.  I'm so glad that I did because the benefits have been endless - it's helped me to turn down the volume on the mental chatter, become less reactive in stressful situations and generally much more calm.

JOURNAL - I have a few different journals for wellness, business and daily gratitude but I also like to record every day in a 5 year memory book which gives me a few lines to write about the most memorable parts of my day.  I'm already on my second book and i can't tell you how good it is to read back over those pages remembering small details that would have otherwise been forgotten.   

EARLY NIGHT - There's stacks of reasons why we should all get an early night - mine quite honestly is very simple, I love my bed!  I also love a really early start to my day which means that I'm very often in bed before 9.30pm!     

So there's my night time routine, it's simple and it works for me.  How do you celebrate the end of your day and prepare for a good nights sleep? 

AUTHOR: LEANNA DOOLIN

Co – Founder of holistic skincare brand, Pure Thoughts and advocate for women finding pause in their day to breathe deeply, give thanks and reconnect to what matters. Loves early mornings, dogs and books that you can’t put down.