Living a life of intention with ease and flow is for everyone, every time and everywhere is the mantra I advocate. Slow living in this regard is living a life with everything you need, nothing you don’t need, and bundling it up with everything you love.
About the Author: Hayley
At Just Hygge, Hayley is passionate about the art of living intentionally with ease and flow and fostering a culture of slow living. Her cozy virtual corner is designed to inspire and guide you on your journey toward a mindful and meaningful life – where comfort, joy, and connection are at the heart of everything you do.
A morning or wake-up routine since not everyone wakes up in the morning (hello new parent or shift workers too), is at the heart of slow living. A routine that works consciously and with intention.
That slow living routine needs to have everything you need to ease into the first or next phase of your day as your mental health and well-being provide a foundation for future success.
I choose to work with what I have – my senses – and seek opportunities where all can be fulfilled to some degree.
A Slow Living Coffee Sense Routine
Let’s start with preparing, making, and drinking coffee, possibly your first drink of the day.
Sight
You might not realize it, but when you walk into your kitchen to make your morning coffee, there are likely a lot of questions that run through your mind.
Are the workspaces in my kitchen area clear of clutter? Are the kitchen tools I need accessible and ready? Is my favorite cup or mug ready, the coffee I want to grind or drink?
As an addendum, a decluttered home is one that really does support slow living. If this is not possible for you right now, then choose to organize and de-clutter one part of your home.
A kitchen work surface might just be all that you can do for now and all that is needed.
Sound
Can you listen to music as part of your slow living morning routine? Your choice of music is ultimately up to you, but probably something quite gentle to support the slow living vibe you want to create.
This active choice you are making acknowledges your sense of self and purpose.
Additionally, think of sound while you make your coffee. The sound of the water as you heat it or pour your coffee, the sound of the spoon on the side of your mug as you slowly stir are small moments to focus on.
Touch
Every tool or surface you touch is taking you one step closer to enjoying and savoring your drink.
Count to yourself or out loud how many touches you make in the process.
Try and remove the “light touch process” and spend a few seconds on each one (at least) before moving on to the next. By doing so you can notice the contrast between materials, their temperature, and texture….. and slow down.
Smell
Smell the coffee itself as you prepare it and then the result itself before you are ready to drink it.
Before you begin drinking remind yourself of how far you have come with your sense journey.
Breathe in and smell the coffee or simply inhale and exhale. Take a moment…take a few moments to enjoy the smell of your drink before you begin to taste.
Taste
The intended outcome, taste the coffee. Taste the drink prepared just how you like it, the right temperature, strength, and color.
Drink it how you want to, a sip and a rest, a mouthful held and then enjoyed. You choose. Enjoy… well done!
The process I share above can be part of the small-step slow living process, choose to do it once a day or once a week, the beauty of this is you can choose.
On a busy day, preparing and drinking coffee is easy to be overlooked as an ‘every day’ activity – one that is almost done subconsciously.
However, selecting something you do regularly without thought is the perfect opportunity to shift your mindset and turn it into a mindful action – one that will benefit you emotionally, spiritually, and with a greater sense of intentional wellness beyond the intended outcome: a cup of coffee.
The emotional connection you have to each stage of intentional wellness is all part of the process and can work together with ease and flow to develop a Just Hygge mindset of living intentionally.
Now I invite you to share your intentional slow living coffee-making or coffee-drinking experiences below.
