Rituals + Routines For Waking Well & Sleeping Soundly

Welcome to the third instalment of the interview series giving you a very special insight into the habits, rituals and routines of some of the most interesting and in-the-know people I can get my hands on. It’s all about gathering inspiration, and using it to experiment with in order to reveal the best version of yourself.

The first few things you do each morning can set the tone for your entire day, so learning a few hints, hacks and practices to set you up well can have a big positive impact on you and everyone around you. Evening routines are just as important, enabling healthy digestion of dinner, sound sleep and therefore a better morning when you wake again!

Settle in a dig out your note pad if you like, because you could learn something that’ll change everything….

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My name is Lily Waugh I’m 26 and I am a hand weaver and multi disciplinary artist. I live with my partner and my border terrier puppy called Marceline in a little village called Penryn in Cornwall. 

A:M

1. It’s a weekday morning – what time do you usually wake up? I usually wake up at 7 am
2. And on weekends? 7 am, but then I go back to sleep for a couple of hours after bringing the puppy up to snooze on our bed.

 

3. What wakes you up? In the summer I like to wake up whenthe sun rises, but in the winter we wake up when it is still dark – when our puppy starts to bark that she needs to pee. I take her out to the garden and we sit there together with tea until the sun comes up. I really hate alarm clocks, I find them very jarring so I enjoy waking up with the sun or the natural sounds of animals and birds waking up. I find that waking up naturally like this helps me recount my dreams.

 

4. Are you a ‘morning person’? I am a morning person, I love the quality of light in the very early morning. I feel this is a liminal time, ripe for ritual and prayer.

5. What’s the first thing you generally think about? I am working to make a space for prayer as the sun rises every morning. Whether this is a pause for thought, some breathing or even an offering. I feel if I can make this early time a sacred time, this will align me ready for the day ahead. I feel this practice will develop throughout my life and I will become better at it as the years go by.
6. Do you kickstart your day with coffee? I like to have a pint of water, my supplements and then maybe around 10am brew a filter coffee pot.

 

8. Any supplements? I recently took a trip to the Peruvian Amazon where I stayed at a plant medicine centre called ‘Dos Mundos’ in Yurimaguas. I was prescribed a course of Amazonian plant teas and oils to heal some different physical and spiritual ailments I had. Since coming back to UK I have been taking these supplements 3 times a day. Amongst others I take Ajo Sacha tea, Chuchuhuasi & Cumacemba tea, Sangre de Grado & Copaiba oils, Chluroro (magnesium chloride). These have been absolutely transformational in my physical, spiritual and energetic bodies.

 

9. What’s for breakfast? I am a massive porridge fan! I usually make it with oat milk & water, cinnamon and have fresh banana, flax seed and honey on top.

10. What time do you head out of the door? I work from home in a studio space in my house. I do go for a walk in a nearby woods with my puppy after lunch to get inspiration for my woven pieces which are based on the natural world. I usually come back with a bag of treasures for my studio, lichen, sticks, leaves, gorze flowers and photos of the stream or rocks.
    

    P:M

11. What time do you usually arrive home? I usually break from my work around 5pm or when Toby my partner arrives home.

 

13. What’s for dinner? I am a vegetarian and aspiring vegan ( or what I like to call a conscious eater) so we usually have a meal made from seasonal veg and rice or noodles. I love thai food and make loads of curries with homemade curry paste. We recently learnt to make kimchi with Hoon from ‘Sohn Kitchen’ in Falmouth which sparked a love for fermentation. Since then I have started to make water kefir which is so delicious and a great form of food preparation-meditation.

 

14. What does your evening routine look like? I like to watch a movies with my partner in the evenings or go to our local village pub for a pint of really delicious cornish cider or ale. We go to a weekly poetry night at the Seven Stars pub in Penryn where we share our poetry and get inspiration too.
15. What are the last few things you do before going to sleep?  I like to do a 30 minute yoga session before going to sleep. I follow Yoga With Adriene on Youtube. I really like her style and most importantly for me it is a free way to have a regular yoga practice. I then make sure the puppy is happy and settled in her bed and I go upstairs to get ready to sleep.

 

17. Do you purposefully do anything to help you sleep well? I do a meditation whilst in bed to relax my body and become focused again. This is a sort of prayer to end the day as I began. I find that this helps me sleep deeply and dream vividly. Recounting my dreams is very important to me and helps me endlessly to navigate my way through my life.

 

18. What time is lights out? It varies but on average I would say 10:30pm

 

19. Do you sleep well? If I have done my meditation and yoga rituals throughout the day I sleep incredibly well and feel refreshed in the morning.

Diving Deeper

1. Have you always been this way about your morning and evening routines? I didn’t used to have a morning or evening routine – or if I did, they were unconscious and unhealthy. I have – in the last two years – been working really hard to bring conscious prayer and ritual into my daily routine and I have found that the benefits have been completely transformational and filled with joy. I am a strong believer in developing your own ritual practice each day. I believe as a human, ritual and observing sacred time and conscious cycles are key to leading a fulfilling, healthy and joyful life.
2. What one piece of advice would you give regarding morning routines? Be slow, watch the new light as it reveals the world around you once again. Notice how your body feels, breathe deeply, move in a way that makes you feel good, drink water and be thankful.

 

5. What one piece of advice would you give regarding evening routines? Be slow, watch how the night blankets the world again. Notice the moon and then notice your body. Move in a way that makes you feel good, breathe deeply, breathe deeply some more and be thankful.

Find Out More

Find out more about Lily and her partner’s arstist studio at www.dimpseystudio.co.uk

Visit Lily’s Etsy shop, view her intricate and incredibly beautiful hanmade pieces at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DimpseyTime

Up and coming events

Lily has an exhibition of her work opening at the ‘Fish Factory’ in Penryn on Saturday 17th February -10th March 2018 – she will also be the resident artist during that time.

Her work will be on display at ONCA in Brighton as part of The Selkie, Weaving and the Wild Feminine exhibition with textile artist Imogen Di Sapia from16th March (private viewing) until 24th March. Lily will also be a resident artist during that time.