Whether you take it from me, Mr. Crowley, who said that "every man and every woman is a star," or Dr. Sagan, who said that we're all "star-stuff," you and I are stars at heart. One must burn in order to shine, and burning is the circulation of energy between states. What ceases to circulate can only stagnate, and stagnation is the road to death. How then do we circulate?
We're all walking around in the shape of our habits. If you're feeling cramped, it's time to shed skin. I had the following image come to me in a daydream, so I made it physical, then digital, in order to transmit it to you. Consider it a suggestion based on the experience of a stubborn bit of coal who has resisted becoming a diamond until quite recently.
With the exception of "hydrate," the facets of this five-fold circulating path are really up to you to define. I do insist on drinking water, though. On a symbolic level, as the point of the above is to cultivate the discipline that will allow for a natural flow in your life, it would make no sense to omit water. On a literal level, you're made of the stuff, and all of those aggressively-marketed replacements are on a spectrum ranging from harmful-if-abused to straight-up-poison. The more you drink water, the less diminished you are by the effects of toxicity and the more equipped you are to do the other steps. If you leave out the water, you'll find that you spend most of your energy compensating for the lack of it. It's fun to think about the nature of water as you consume it, and Bruce Lee said it better than I, so let's consult him:
Get up early and drink a liter (32 oz, roughly) a day before you have your coffee, breakfast, or anything else. This will flush you out and nutrients can fill the spaces left by exiting toxins. Think of it as a daily cellular renovation project. The body truly is your temple. Keep it ready.
More expansion of the process soon. Start with the water.