My Morning Routine: Jessamyn Stanley breaks yoga stereotypes before breakfast
Jessamyn Stanley has a simple message that she wants to share with the world: Yoga is for every body.
Stanley is a North Carolina-based yoga teacher, body positive advocate and the author of "Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get On the Mat, Love Your Body."
Her body positive take on yoga means the practice is all about how you feel, not about how you look.
"I think a lot of people think yoga is a fitness craze for thin, rich, white women," Stanley told "Good Morning America." "Literally, if you can breathe, you can do this practice."
Not surprisingly, yoga is something Stanley does every morning as part of her daily routine.
But it's not the only thing she does each morning. Stanley also drinks charcoal water, meditates, exercises and follows a strict skin care plan to make sure her day starts off strong.
"It’s trial and error and a lot of determining what’s absolutely necessary in my life in order for me to function at a high level," Stanley said of establishing her routine. "It’s taken me a while to recognize how imperative all five of those components are and that they have to be literally scheduled into my day."
Stanley invited "GMA" to take a firsthand look at the five things she does every morning to give her the energy to try to change the world.
Read more on the steps she takes, and the reasons behind them, below, in her own words.
1. I meditate while journaling
I meditate by not putting any pressure on myself at all. I just let my eyes close as they’re ready. I allow my breath to mellow and I just start to focus on breathing.
I like to meditate for at least 15 minutes but ideally 30 minutes.
After I meditate, I have a journal right next to me. It’s important for me to just have a space where I can just word vomit everything that is held up inside of me. I can just let it go.
2. I stretch and do yoga
I like it to be one of the first things that I do because it’s just a good way to set off the day. I like to practice yoga for at least 30 minutes.
Ideally, I won’t check my phone until after I finish practicing. I don’t like [to check my phone] within the first hour that I wake up, if possible.
3. I have a specific water ritual
The ingredients that I like in my water in the morning are activated charcoal and lemon juice. Lemon is a cleanser. Charcoal allows everything else to clean out as well.
I try to be pretty intentional about it because it’s pretty easy to get halfway through your day and be like, "I haven’t had any water today." But if you start the day that way, then you’re good to go.
4. I follow my skin care plan
I do not skip my skin care.
I like to start with a cleansing oil just to wipe everything off. I like to follow that up with either a soap or a skin milk just do to an additional rinse.
Then I spritz rosewater toner on top of my skin. I like to put a skin serum on to seal in the toner.
Then I take an eye cream. Eye cream has been like the game-changer of my life.
Then I just like to dab a little bit of face cream all over my whole face.
5. I workout
Working out is an essential part of my morning routine. I like to feel my heart rate getting up. I like to sweat.
People don’t tend to think that someone with a fat belly does core work. We do core work.
If I set myself up strong at the start of the day and I prioritize taking care of my body then I will feel strong and supported throughout the rest of my day.
