Your Morning Cacao Ritual
Start the day off right with ceremonial cacao & these tips and practices
The Power Of Daily Habits
“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.”
~ Jack Kornfield
Daily practices & habits are a powerful way to kickstart your day and create patterns for success, however you define that. Most of us know by now that many of the most successful people, in highly diverse fields, have daily routines. The literature and research are pretty conclusive in understanding the value of these practices to help us achieve our goals and grow into the person we want to be.
Through daily practices, we feel:
• Empowered
• Accomplished
• Grounded
• Clear
First thing in the morning is a great time to do our daily practices, as it helps us to arrive in the new day and sets the tone for everything to come. The way we begin our day is a reflection of how we will respond to whatever life throws our way. Developing healthy morning routines helps us feel grounded, balanced & in a positive state of mind.
“You are where you are because of who you were, but where you go depends entirely on who you choose to be.”
~ Hal Elrod, The Miracle Morning
Why Ceremonial Cacao for Your Morning Routine?
Adding ceremonial cacao to your morning ritual is the perfect way to take it to the next level! Cacao is healthy, energizing, and heart-centered. This combination makes it the perfect way to start your day. It will give you an energy boost while allowing you to be gentle and clear within yourself. That way, you’ll get more out of your morning routine and the benefits will be stronger over time.
Replacing a morning coffee with cacao not only benefits your physical health but your mental & emotional well-being as well. While coffee can make us feel jittery and agitated, there is something special about a familiar warm cup that creates a routine way to start the day and connect with the earth and what we take into our bodies. So we suggest replacing coffee with ceremonial cacao, as that familiar morning routine. It has the same ritual elements of preparation, aroma, and consumption of a rich drink.
Our ceremonial cacao is bean-to-bar crafted with organic, high-quality cacao beans. It’s cultivated with intention, so you can consume with love. Our cacao is a whole food, with none of the pure bean removed or modified with additives or sweeteners. This makes it a great fit for your daily cacao ritual.
Cacao can be a game-changer for our morning rituals, so be sure to try out our cacao and experience it for yourself.
Key Aspects To Your Daily Practice
1. Consistency: this is a marathon, not a sprint. Find something you can do consistently, at least 3-5 times/week
2. Achievable: start out with realistic goals that are a stretch, but reachable
3. Listen To Your Body: A morning routine isn’t just for the mind! Pay attention to your body and what feels good in giving it an optimal start
4. Before the hustle: your morning routine is best done first thing before the demands of your day reach you (i.e. before you check your phone or email)
The Basic Structure of Any Morning Routine:
• Wake Up, either early or naturally without an alarm (decide in advance)
• Leave your phone & computer off
• Brew up the Cacao Morning Energizer
• Take time while preparing your cacao to set your intentions and imbue it with them
• In a quiet place, complete your morning practice
• Before beginning your day, take a moment to acknowledge yourself and the transition into whatever you are doing
There are many ways to incorporate a daily routine into your life, so here we’ve suggested 3 easy ways to get started.
Morning Ritual #1: ‘Morning Pages’
Time: 15-20 Minutes
Supplies: Journal & Pen
While sipping on your cacao, do a journaling exercise called 'Morning Pages', developed by author Julia Cameron.
Spend 5-10 minutes writing precisely 3 pages, long-hand. Write EVERYTHING on your mind. Don't worry about how it looks or what others would think; just get it all down on paper until you've filled 3 pages.
“Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page...and then do three more pages tomorrow.” ~ Julia Cameron
After this brain dump, finish your cacao while allowing 1-2 minutes for transition
Morning Ritual # 2: Affirmations
“Affirmations are a powerful way to improve your mindset on a daily basis, and research has shown that they can increase our feelings of self-worth.” ~ Catherine Beard, The Blissful Mind
Time: 10-15 Minutes
Affirmations are a positive mindset tool that we use to help balance our negative conditioning that produces self-defeating patterns of thought. They help us tap into a place of deeper truth around who we are, what we need and the gifts we have to offer.
It is important to choose affirmations that not only resonate with you but that you actually believe! If you’re trying to convince yourself, it can often lead to a sense of failure to live up to the ideal/belief. Instead, think of them more like self-affirmations, or a way to acknowledge yourself and what is. Doubts are fine but focus on affirmations that connect with your core values and things that are demonstrably true in your life (like the feedback you’ve gotten from others).
For this morning routine, choose 3-5 affirmations that you connect deeply with. These may change day-to-day, which is healthy and natural as we change and grow.
You may say them out loud or write them down. Repeat for 3-5 minutes or until you feel the truth of them sinking into your body. It may be helpful to place your hand on your heart as you do so, sending gentle, loving energy to yourself.
Some examples of affirmations are:
• “I am loved”
• “I am worthy of love”
• “I am healing”
• “Life is supporting me right now”
• “I trust myself”
A quick search will bring up many more, so do a bit of research before you begin your daily practice, so you have some on hand.
Morning Ritual #3: Mini Cacao Ceremony
Time: 10-20 minutes
Supplies: Just you & your cacao
This morning routine is a mini version of a cacao ceremony, where the focus is on our intentions, relationship to plant medicines, and the earth. It helps us cultivate connectedness, gratitude, and intuitive knowing.
For this morning ritual, we suggest slowing down while you prepare your cacao, making sure to be mindful of how you prepare it and the intention you are holding.
Once prepared, bring your cacao to a practice space; altar, meditation cushion, or yoga mat. Before sipping on your cacao, breathe deeply of the aroma and give thanks for this plant and all the people who have brought it to you, especially the farmers who grow it.
As you drink, keep your attention focused on the smells, flavors, and feelings in your body as the cacao is consumed. Notice the slow and subtle energy, or consciousness, of the cacao as it comes into your being.
Take a moment to ask the cacao what message, wisdom, or advice it has for you today. Practice deep listening to hear what is spoken, primarily through the heart. You will tune to intuitive muscles over time as you learn how cacao communicates with you.
Close by expressing your gratitude once again, for the cacao, and for whatever else comes to mind. Gratitude creates a positive mindset of abundance and clarity.
Get Started Today (or tomorrow morning!)
The impact and meaning of a daily practice is in repetition. They aren’t meant to change your life in one go, but rather the benefit from morning rituals is in repetition. You'll notice bigger changes over time, so try out one of these practices regularly and you'll experience the difference.
Set a goal for yourself of doing one of these at least 3-5 times in a week, for 2 weeks. Notice the effects and reevaluate so you can set longer-term goals.
Ceremonial cacao is such a gentle and powerful tool to stay centered in our hearts and to expand consciously. This is what makes it such a great fit for your daily habit and an easy substitute for mindless consumption of coffee or other stimulants that don’t support your well-being on all levels, physical, emotional, and mental.
Moses Draper, Co-Founder embue cacao
I've been working with cacao for over a decade and am passionate about sharing the love & beauty that is possible with this medicine.
