Mornings Matter

Manu Sareen

“There’s something sacred about watching the sun rise. It reminds me to live slowly, with meaning.”

Why I Stopped Letting My Ego Lead and Started Listening to My Heart

Once led by ego and the constant need to perform, Manu Sareen now moves through his mornings with intention and heart. In the stillness, with sea, sauna, and a quiet ritual of aioss - he’s found a way to return to himself, and to what truly matters.

We’re meeting Manu on a summer morning at one of his favorite spots: La Banchina, nestled right by the water in Copenhagen’s Reffen. Were this a weekend, the pier would be packed with sunbathers, swimmers, and the scent of coffee and breakfast in the air. But this quiet Thursday morning carries a different energy; soft, calm, and unhurried -  much like the man we’re here to meet.

At 5 a.m., when most of the city is still asleep, Manu Sareen is already awake. It’s his favorite time of day, when the world is quiet, and his mind is clearest. As a writer and creative, these early hours give him something precious: space. Especially with ADHD, mornings offer him a sense of mental clarity that’s hard to find later in the day. He doesn’t eat breakfast, he fasts in the morning. But before anything else, he takes aioss. “It’s a way to do something good for myself; something that feels clean and meaningful for me,” he explains. “I want to be around for as long as I can - for my kids, my family. What I put in my body matters.”

In winter, Manu often drives to Reffen before sunrise. He parks his California Camper, or his moving office, as he calls it, waits patiently for the sauna to open, and watches the sun slowly rise over the water.

“There’s something magical about seeing the world wake up,” he says. “It gives me a sense of presence and awe.”

Manu Sareen

“With ADHD, I need structure that feels calm, not overwhelming. My mornings give me that.”

Manu is 58. He’s spent much of his life working, hard. As a former minister, he had to read endlessly, stay sharp constantly, and be “on” all the time. It left him drained. “Back then, my ego led the way,” he says. “But it didn’t make me happy. It just made me stressed.”

Today, he seeks something different. Predictability. Stillness. Depth. He’s swapped packed calendars for slow mornings in his campervan, where he can sit in peace and recharge. “It’s a form of isolation that gives me energy,” he says. “It works for my ADHD, but more than that, it works for my soul.”

The cold dips. The sauna. The quiet. They’re all part of a new rhythm, one that feels aligned, not performative. “In a world that rewards being busy, I’ve found the deepest reward in being still.” 

He’s learned to say no. To only say yes to things that truly matter. “I used to sit in meetings thinking they were a chore,” he admits. “Now I only show up where my heart is fully in it.”

He grew up with Hinduism; the belief that your body is your temple. That philosophy runs through his mornings now. “Each of us is trying to find our own way of living a good life,” he says. “For me, it starts with the heart. If that’s not involved, it’s not for me.”

What We Can Learn from Manu’s Mornings

1. Protect your quiet time. 

2. Do something that’s just for you.

3. Let the heart decide.