Here's what I want you to consider: your body doesn't know how to wind down because you've never given it a signal that it's time to.

This practice is that signal.

There is something most of us drink every single day that Ayurveda has been warning us about for thousands of years.

It's not coffee. It's not alcohol. It's not soda.

It's ice water.

One hundred steps. About five minutes. Right after lunch.

That's the whole experiment! And I'm going to tell you something that might make your afternoon make a lot more sense.

Okay this one is my absolute favorite to introduce people to because the reaction is always the same: immediate skepticism followed by "wait, why does nobody talk about this?"

Before you shower every morning. On dry skin. A natural bristle brush. Three to five minutes. And here's what it's actually doing:

I'll be honest with you — this is the one I needed someone to assign me.

Eating while scrolling is basically a hobby of mine. Phone at breakfast, podcast at lunch, Netflix at dinner. If you're nodding right now…hi, same!

Here's what one of my teachers said that I've never forgotten: "It is better to eat a Big Mac mindfully than a kale salad while distracted."

Five minutes. Outside. Face toward the light. That's the whole experiment.

And before you scroll past thinking you already know this one…the why behind it might genuinely surprise you.

When natural light enters your eyes first thing in the morning it sends a signal to your brain to lower melatonin (aka your sleep hormone) and start raising cortisol (your get-up-and-go hormone). It sets your body's internal clock for the entire day

This is the one that requires absolutely nothing (no equipment, no prep, no extra time) and somehow ends up being the one people tell me changed the most.

Here's the practice: before you begin any task (a meeting, an email, cooking dinner, a phone call, anything) you pause for just a moment and acknowledge: I am beginning this. When you finish, you pause again and acknowledge: that is complete.

This one sounds a little strange until you understand what's actually happening. And then you'll never skip it again!

While you sleep your body is busy processing and detoxifying everything from the day before. By morning a lot of that waste shows up as a coating on your tongue. In Ayurveda this is called Ama (aka accumulated toxins). When you skip scraping it off you reabsorb it.

Before coffee. Before breakfast. Before your phone. Just one cup of warm water.

I know what you're thinking. That's it? That's it.