Daily Routine
A framework, not a prescription. Adapt to your life. Something done consistently at half effort beats everything done perfectly for three days and never again.
The Arc
MORNING MIDDAY EVENING
────── ────── ──────
Wake the body → Clear sitting buildup → Prepare for sleep
Activate lymph Pump lymph Release face and hips
Mobilize spine Re-engage stabilizers Activate vagal tone
Each phase matches the body's needs at that time. Morning needs activation without stress. Midday needs movement to counteract sitting. Evening needs downregulation.
If you have a health condition — especially heart problems, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, disc issues, or if you're pregnant — check with a doctor before starting. If a movement hurts in a sharp or electrical way, stop. Dull, warm stretching sensation is normal. Sharp pain is not.
Morning (15 min)
Primary: Morning Sequence
If you have 5 minutes: constructive rest breathing (2 min) → cat-cow (1 min) → slow roll to standing (30 sec) → calf raises (1 min) → stand and breathe (30 sec).
Ideally, do this near natural light. Your brain's master clock entrains to morning light through the retina. Movement + light is the strongest circadian signal you can give your body.
Throughout the Day
These are 1–2 minute interventions for when you notice you've been sitting for over an hour:
- Every hour of sitting: Stand up. 10 slow deep squats or sit-to-stands from your chair.
- After 2+ hours of screen: Shoulder spirals — roll forward 5 times, backward 5 times. Look left and right slowly 5 times.
- Jaw clenching: Open your mouth wide, yawn, massage your jaw muscles for 15 seconds.
- Stressed: 6 cycles of coherent breathing (5 sec in, 5 sec out).
- Heavy legs: 20 calf raises while waiting for coffee.
- Mentally foggy: Cross-body march — 20 steps, right knee to left hand, left knee to right hand.
- Stressed and need more: Humming on exhale or left-nostril breathing — see Breathing Practice.
Also: sit on the floor for at least one thing per day (eat a meal, read). Change positions frequently. Walk for at least 20 minutes.
Midday (Optional, 10–20 min)
If you've been sitting for hours, do the Midday Reset. Other options:
- Breathing Practice — 10 min, if stressed
- Morning Sequence — if sluggish (do the floor section only for 5 min)
- Legs up the wall for 3–5 minutes — the simplest intervention
Evening (15–20 min)
Primary: Evening Wind-Down
Do this in dimming light — turn off overheads, use a low warm lamp or candle. Dim light is the trigger for melatonin production.
No phone for at least 30 minutes before bed. Even "night mode" suppresses melatonin. The light spectrum of screens — heavy in blue wavelengths — directly signals "daytime" to your brain through retinal cells that don't care about your display settings.
Minimum Viable Practice
If you do nothing else:
- Morning: Constructive rest with 10 belly breaths (3 min) before getting out of bed.
- Daytime: Stand up and do 10 deep squats every hour of sitting.
- Evening: Legs up the wall for 3 minutes before sleep.
This covers the physiological minimum: morning psoas and diaphragm activation, daytime leg pump for lymph, and evening parasympathetic shift.
Rest
Take at least one rest day per week. No practice. Your nervous system consolidates during rest, not during practice. If you dread practice, skip it. Forcing it when your body is signaling "no" trains avoidance. Groundwork is a resource — use it when it helps.
Two 15-minute sessions per day is the ceiling. This is designed for integration into life, not replacement of it.