Morning Practice

Do you guys have a routine you do in the mornings? After quite a while of intending to do stuff in the morning, I actually started a month or two ago. I started with just Ba Duan Jin (eight pieces of brocade qigong) and then added the taiji gongfa and warm body (3 each). I've since added Five Circles (2 on each side, it's a Jiulong thing), black dragon serves tea (2 on each side) and just the other day I added the 24 step taiji form and the first of three parts in the taiji sword (YJM's 54 movement). I need to add in more of the Jiulong practices since I don't get that anywhere else.

I do all less strenuous stuff as I do it after my shower and time is always a factor in the morning.

I typically start my day with a short Tibetan exercise regimen called the 5 Tibetan Rites (http://www.mkprojects.com/pf_TibetanRites.htm). It's a fairly relaxing calisthenics routine that takes about 7-10 minutes to do, and hits all the major muscle groups. Following I drink a protein shake, take a shower, then stretch for about 15-10 minutes. All of this takes about an hour to do, and gets me juiced up enough for the day. It's designed to get the body warmed up for more rigorous movement, hence I do a 45 minute midsection routine comprised of the sit-ups, leg and back raises you guys do in class, plus a few other midsection exercises -- all done after the stretching. Then I eat breakfast, and am done with the entire routine. It all adds up to about 2 hours, give or take 10 minutes. In the day is when I try to get some Wushu stuff in, either meditating in the middle of the day or at night -- preferably both.

As much as I'd like to be (and try to be) I'm not really a morning person.

If I do anything, I do gong fa and/or the six basic qigong movements.
Occasionally I'll do the stretching routine we do before class also. It
really does help get the day started.