Waking up early & enjoying it.

When you rise, do you shine or whine? What is the first thought that crosses your mind when you wake up? What is the first thing you do when you get out of your bed?

I received several questions from many wanting to know how I became a morning person. So, I decided to write this article. Let me begin by telling you the truth, I am not a morning person by nature. I had to change 30 years of bad habits and conditioning to get to where I am today.

Through my childhood, teenage & my twenties I had a nocturnal routine; my days were fueled by caffeine, snacking and minimum hydration. I stayed up until late and I loved my 8-10 hours of sleep. I’m a dreamer and I enjoyed being in my dreamy world of sleep. I dreaded the sound of the alarm because I had to wake up and get into reality – the daily grind.

In April 2019, I discovered and connected with the magic of the morning during my Yoga Teacher Training Program. There were 3 days during the course when we had to be at the Shala for a 6am class. While I dreaded the thought of it when I found out, the experience sowed a seed in me. Since then I toyed with the idea & aspired to become a morning person. After more than a year of procrastination, my Ashtanga practice flipped the switch in me.

I now sleep well for 6-7 hours & wake up anywhere between 4 & 5am on most days. I’m not going to pretend that it was an easy switch to make.

Why wake up early & enjoy it?

Ever noticed what time the birds wake up? Usually it is about 1 hour or 45 minutes before sunrise. As the saying goes, “The early bird catches the worm”; your morning holds the key to a more productive life and that is the essence to your success.

There’s a science behind this, read on….

According to modern science & Ayurveda, every earthly organism has a Circadian Rhythm (also known as your sleep/wake cycle or body clock) which is a natural, internal system designed to regulate various bodily functions over a 24-hour period.

This clock operates on darkness & light & harmonizing it with nature helps optimize your health & productivity through the day. So, it is recommended to sync your circadian rhythm with sunrise and sunset. Waking up early is a start.

Discovering the Magic of the Morning

When I woke up at 5am for 3 days to get to my class during my teacher training course, the magic of the morning hit me. Everything is quieter and calmer. The air is crisp and fresh and, the sunrise is beautiful.

When I wake up, I need like a whole hour of silence before I can begin any interactions. I noticed that most of the world is asleep as the birds begin chirping as they wake up and begin flying out. I started my day in peace and I felt more energetic and productive. When I finished my class at 10am & got back home, it felt like I had a few extra hours in the day and I got more stuff done than I normally would.

I am still not entirely a morning person, it takes effort but I enjoy it because I've begun reaping the benefits of waking up early. It has taken effort to make the switch, it remains to be challenging on some days but there’s no going back now. There’s not a day I regret waking up early.

Easing into it –

“Wake up an hour earlier to live a little longer.”

I didn’t make drastic changes. I started by going to bed earlier by about 30 minutes and setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes prior to my original wake-up time. I did this for 1 week. I then gradually advanced the time progressively to 1 hour prior. On some days I wake up as early as 4am and on some days I wake up at 5am.

Have a night-time routine –

"What we do before we fall asleep makes a huge difference to being able to wake up early and feel fresh."

Have a light dinner before 9pm followed by a warm beverage (a glass of warm water/milk/hot chocolate) and try to be in bed by 10:30pm.

I have a skin & hair care routine as part of my bedtime self-care & hygiene routine. I usually disconnect from social media, minimize consumption of news & negative information.

I drink a glass of water before getting into to bed & set my alarms. I stick to reading a book or listening to some calming music. Lavender oil in my diffuser or on my pillow helps me relax. My husband and I stick to positive conversations before we fall asleep. All these factors including our activities and the information we consume throughout the day contribute to the quality of dreams and sleep that we have. When we sleep well, we feel well rested, and it becomes easier to wake up feeling fresh.

I also leave my curtains open a crack so the morning light wakes me if the alarm fails.

BONUS TIP: Set aside your yoga/workout/work clothes at night so you have one less decision to make in the morning.

What I do as soon as I wake up –

“I get moving & I don’t procrastinate.”

The minute I shut off my alarm, I sit up on my bed with my feet grounded. I usually head straight to the bathroom, do my business, wash my face and brush my teeth.

I don’t make getting back into bed an option. The sensation of the cold floor on the soles of my feet, the cold toilet seat & fresh cold water on my face wakes me right up . I quietly change into my already-laid-out yoga clothes and slip out of the bedroom without waking up the husband (remember you want this time to yourself...so be sneaky.)

Enjoy the morning!

If you want to improve the quality of your life, start with the first 30 minutes of your day. I have a morning routine and I find it ritualistic and therapeutic. I try as much as I can to be mindful and fully present with every sight, sound, smell, touch and taste of the morning.

Let the light wake you.

The hormone 'Melatonin' is responsible for sleep in your body and is released in response to darkness. Want to wake yourself up? Turn on the lights in the house. I also draw the curtains open, open the balcony door & I stand for a few moments to watch the dawn sky & listen to the silence outside. I breathe in the fresh air and allow the morning chill to perk me up.

Hello Hydration! I have a water routine -

I drink a glass of copper water that's been sitting overnight. I turn the kettle on for a glass of warm water to follow. Copper water has free radicals to help you detox, improves digestion & immunity.

Let the sounds uplift you -

While I love the sounds of the morning in my kitchen and the birds outside, I also enjoy listening to some chanting in the morning. On some days I switch on music to switch up my mood if I need to.

No Coffee, No Prana! I have a coffee routine -

I love making my morning coffee! As I sip on my warm water, I love watching the thick layer of cream rising as the milk heats on the stove. Then I enjoy the aroma of freshly brewed filter coffee and the sound of pouring the coffee as I mix it up to get it frothy….I take a sip, it’s delicious.

I step outside into my balcony to watch the sky change colors as I listen to the birds chirp and watch them fly out one by one.

Freshly brewed coffee, a few stretches while breathing in the fresh morning air, that’s my Coffee and Prana for what is to follow.

Morning Movement & Meditation

After my cup of coffee, I roll out my Yoga mat and sit on it. On most days I practice or I have a class to teach.

I say that ‘I roll out my Yoga mat and sit on it’, I want to stress on this because I don’t want to pretend that there’s not a single day that goes by when I don’t practice. It does happen but, I sit on my mat every morning. Eventually and on most days, I practice. If not, I stretch out a little & take a few deep breaths or I just sit in stillness with my thoughts and feelings. I try to be as consistent as possible with a 6 days-a-week practice but I don’t beat myself up over it.

Showing up for yourself matters. It gives you a sense of achieving something before 8am in the morning.

Being easy on yourself & enjoying the process

Not all of us are instinctive enough to be able to swim if thrown in the deep end. I am surely not that person.

There’s no point in beating yourself up over waking up late or stressing about waking up early. Imagine falling asleep with the emotional burden or self-induced pressure to wake up early.

I eased myself into waking up early and I allowed myself to learn from my mistakes while enjoying the process. I observed the changes it brought about in me and how I functioned through the day.

I still continue to make peace with the times when I am unable to stick to my routine or wake up early because, ‘Life happens’.

As if there would be dire consequences if you didn’t wake up early. The world doesn’t end, life goes on. So on some days when I feel overwhelmed or I’m unable to do an early morning, I let myself sleep in a little longer. I might trade that day for another ‘sleep day’ which is usually Sunday.

I'm not yet where I want to be. I’m still on my way to my goal and I have my “off days” sometimes.

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