Good Mornings: Morning Rituals for Wellness, Peace and Purpose

by Linnea Dunne

Early-morning rituals for contentment, clarity and purpose.

In this inspirational guide, Linnea Dunne, bestselling author of Lagom : The Swedish Art of Balanced Living , shows how building a life-affirming ritual into your morning routine is an act of self-care that can benefit both your physical and mental health, enhance your productivity and positively influence your day.

Whether it's a dedicated yoga practice at sunrise, mindfulness meditation just after waking, journalling while you sip your morning coffee, or listening to birdsong in the back garden before you tackle your daily commute, a morning ritual can enhance your health and wellbeing, and bring increased contentment, clarity and purpose to your day.

With countless ideas for nourishing morning practices and invaluable advice on how to create a morning ritual that is unique to you and takes your individual needs, circumstances and time constraints into account, this book will help you to make the most of the peace and promise of the first moments of every day.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Lifestyle, Health

192 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2019

About the author

Linnea Dunne was born and raised in Sweden, where she started her writing career as a columnist at the local newspaper. She left for Ireland a few years later and eventually moved to London, where she studied Creative Writing and Political Communications. She now lives in Dublin with her husband and two half-Swedish kids, trying to achieve that lagom balance against all odds.

Reviews

[Brittany Viklund · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love learning about rituals & routines & this book lays out a wide variety of ways to create a morning routine that sets the day off right. While nothing presented was groundbreaking, I still enjoyed the concepts. As an aspiring early bird this book gave me a boost of energy to create a morning routine that would excite me out of bed.

[Michelle McLean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice coffee table book with some good suggestions for those who are new to establishing morning rituals. Not much depth for those who are already practising. Lots of photos, not so much text.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m really glad I only paid 99p for this. It was mostly woo woo. Generally as soon as an author starts blathering on about removing toxins I distrust them. We have a liver and kidneys to deal with toxins and if they aren’t working properly there’s an awful lot more to worry about than morning rituals. I was also shocked that it repeated the myth of sleep before midnight being more important. A specialist sleep doctor at a London teaching hospital told me this claim is rubbish. Sleep is sleep and an hour is worth the same before or after midnight. It was disappointing I was hoping for practical advice that might make me feel more of a morning person. This wasn’t it

[Samaire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out so beautifully - I had such high hopes. Then about halfway through the book, the author went off on a tangent to Woo-ville with unproven, anti-scientific drivel. Everything felt trite after that and I ended up spite finishing this one.

[Ann T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely book to inspire different aspects of your morning routine. It has beautiful photographs and quotes. The book is broken into different parts of routines for example nourish, breathe etc.

A great book if you have never had a morning routine and also a lovely book to inspire an ongoing routine. The information is enough to give an overview of small introduction into a subject to allow the reader to explore further on their own if interested.

A lovely gift for someone wanting to start their routine.

[Oksana · Rating 1 out of 5]

На скільки мені сподобалась книга цієї авторки про Lagom, на стільки ж мені не сподобалась дана книга. Тут про все на купу і доволі поверхнево. Можливо кілька років тому, я б оцінила її у 5 зірок, але станом на сьогодні, на жаль, я не прочитала для себе нічого нівого і нічого корисного.

[Jackson Peven · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute list of things to focus on in the morning. Nothing groundbreaking but it's a nice little coffee table book I saw in the library and wanted to check out.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking rituals and ideas to improve your mornings and the rest of your day. Laid out in an easy to skim format so you can focus on the areas and topics that most interest you.

[Kitten Kisser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even after reading the lackluster reviews on amazon for this book, I was convinced I'd enjoy it. Now that I've read it, I have to say that those lower reviews are pretty accurate. This is indeed a pretty book with a lovely ambiance. It reads like a magazine but with even less useful information & no advertisements. There are a few very basic workout, yoga, & food recipes. Note, you get way more of this type of info. from one magazine than you do this book.

This book is more of a pretty idea than anything else. It makes a nice (although a little worthless) addition to a gift basket for anyone who lives a "clean" organic lifestyle. It's one of those, "see how well I know you" kind of gifts even if it's not the best choice to give due to the lack of any real substance.

As a small organic farmer running my own micro farm full time, a yogi, nature lover, eater & preparer of foods made from scratch, one who cans, dries, freezes, & puts up her own food, one who doesn't bother with artificial junk, etc. yeah, I really thought I'd love this book. It's okay, sure. But kind of pointless. I feel bad saying it, but it really doesn't offer much.

Overall, I'm not impressed.

[Lucia Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quote:

“Find the joy in starting each day with an act of kindness toward yourself, but also allow yourself a break when you need it. There’s strength in picking yourself up after you fall - with compassion and love, without judgment. Your morning ritual can help you do that. Tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that.”

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice little book to pick up and read bits and pieces of. Good ideas for creating morning rituals. I would not have been able to read this any faster because it can be a bit dry. But I do think that’s sort of the point—to digest it slowly and intentionally. I’m an early-riser so I’ll be keeping this one around to refer back to when I need something new for my mornings.

[Karley Essington · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who loves mornings but hates getting up, I recommend this book to anyone trying to make the most of there mornings. I learned a lot from this book. Some things for a bit excessive for me but regardless it was interesting to learn about. I'm excited to practice my morning rituals.

[Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and the tips Dunne collected. Personally, I will be able to start implementing most of the morning ritual suggestions provided. Overall, very informative and great suggestions anyone can start. - 4 stars

2024 Lillie adding in that I did not stick with most of these morning rituals, but when I was, I was very satisfied and easy to rise. I will hopefully be able to start implementing some of these tips once again to help bring normalcy back to my everyday life. - 3 stars

[Nika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly good! I enjoyed reading it, especially before bed as it’s calming and reassuring. It is not a comprehensive guide by any means, but full of good little ideas for creating morning rituals for wellness, which one can pursue further. I have already started using some of these ideas to great benefit. I also appreciated the acknowledgments of cultural appropriation, the negative impacts of our market-driven culture, trauma, and mental health.

[Amanda Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content wasn't anything revolutionary or new but it was SUCH a beautiful book. Well designed.

[Michael Taliotis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really motivating and a pleasant read. Relaxing and full of beautiful and inspiring images and quotes. Provides a ton of ideas for a personal 'pick-and-match'

[Geraldine · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of several 'self help' books I got from Kindle in the early days of Lockdown.

I pretty decent book, although one that should be taken with a healthy dose of scepticism. Like all self-help books and advice.

From time to time throughout the book she acknowledges that some suggestions aren't practicable or workable for some people - she focuses mainly on the constraints of time, but I would add that you may, like me, have a condition that makes mornings a struggle.

Nevertheless, there are some very sensible suggestions, and it's worth trying most of the suggestions, even if only to realise that they aren't for you.

I would urge huge caution in the nutrition section - it's mainly unevidenced gobbledegook, although I didn't spot anything harmful - just a waste. Again, with the sections on Ayurvedic Healing, and cleansing, which are connected to belief systems rather than evidence based medicine. And are the reasons I couldn't score this more highly.

A mixture of robust common sense and encouragement and gobbledegook woo. Take from it what benefits you and leave the rest behind.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing read - Some useful tips and ideas in the book but i’d say they accumulate about 5-10% of the read.
Absolutely tired of reading that the author is Swedish & a personal tale of their memories over Christmas and when they were a child? I did not know that I’d purchased their diary… and I don’t see what this has to do with the title of the book.

I found the author unforgivably biased and tinkering into selfish - They wanted to talk more about themselves and their personal beliefs than facts and thinking about the readers goal.

[Bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3.5. I think with any book like this there are going to be some parts that resonate with you more than others so it's difficult to rate, especially as I've been reading little sections here and there for several months. It did make for a good companion to a slow morning routine with lots of helpful reminders to spend the early part of the day looking inwards, and I'm sure I will be dipping in and out of it again in the future.

[Anja | snap.piness ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Rezensionsexemplar der deutschen Edition

Ich hatte mir von dem Buch erhofft, neue Anstöße für einen besseren Start in den Tag zu bekommen. Das Buch erfindet das Rad nicht neu. Alle Ratschläge, die sich in dem Buch befinden, habe ich vorher schon mal gehört.

Nichtsdestotrotz hat mir das Buch gut gefallen. Die optische Aufmachung ist ästhetisch sehr ansprechend und das Buch ist sehr zu empfehlen, wenn man alles in einem Buch haben möchte.

[Gail Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compilation of ways to start out each day in a positive and fruitful manner. Nothing too difficult or belabored, but for those seeking a calmness and way to begin…whether it is exercise, journaling, or meditation, these are simple actions provide thoughts and starting points.. Doable & refreshing, not didactic or demanding.

[Jessica Clough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book is packed full of great tips and suggestions to create a morning routine. I will say I think there are too many to fit into a morning, but you can try the ones that sound good to you or try them all and pick which ones feel best to you for each morning. If you are wanting to create a morning routine this book is just what you need to start.

[A J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ate this book up! I love how it’s organized. The pictures are beautiful and information is so easily laid out. And it mentions Adriene Mishler, who is my yoga queen! Starting a more mindful morning ritual today. 🥰

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on help in the reader define, begin, andctice morninchoosingg rituals,of,their .

Great book on helping the reader to define, begin, and practice morning rituals of their choicing. Highly recommend for those of you seeking rituals in your life.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

One sentence review... a delightful book full of tips on well-being rituals to jump-start your day & week, a guide for when you feel lost re where to start, a lovely book to not just read but act on :-)

[Louanne Gunstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Positive inspiration

This is the first book of self care I have read and wasn’t sure what to expect, however I really enjoyed it and it resonated into many way.
I already have and will continue build on dedicating self care time as part of a morning ritual.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great advice and tips! Obviously I'm not going to follow everything in the book, but it was very helpful! Meditation is very helpful and actually makes you need less sleep. Exercise, especially yoga is great. Spending time in nature is restorative, especially because of what plants emit.

[Morgan Monette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a good book especially since I am a mom and struggle to set morning rituals for myself. It gives you plenty of different rituals you can do and has given me ideas of what I would like to incorporate into my morning ritual. A must if you do not know where to start.

[Jackie Berke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Same thing on creating a routine and his schedule peacefully self-care that has been published over and over and over again.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing revolutionary here, but a beautiful and inspiring little book with good self-care reminders and simple ways to put healthy morning rituals into pracrice.