I always wanted to be one of those people who could wake up before the sun rises and have a green smoothie, meditate, and hour-long yoga practice. What a great way to set the tone for a the day! Unfortunately, my body (or is it my mind?) doesn’t think it’s such a good idea. Every time I’ve tried it, I have a dialogue with myself that goes like this:
“What is that wretched noise? Why is my alarm going off at 5:30 in the morning? Am I supposed to go to the airport or something? Oh. I’m just supposed to get up and do healthy things. OK. I’ll start with Savasana. A quick 30 minute Savasana.. then I’ll get up and practice.”
I hit the snooze button for the next hour.
“Ah… Screw it. I can do healthy things at 8 instead.” (End scene.)
What can I say? I love to sleep.
But all of this is about to change. Tomorrow, I have to get my butt up and teach a yoga class at 6:30 am. That means I have to actually wake up at 5… in the morning! If everything works out as planned, I’ll be teaching that early once a week regularly. (Gosh, I hope writing that doesn’t jinx it.)
That said, I’ve got a few things to figure out. How do I become not only a cheerful, happy morning person, but a cheerful, happy morning person who can stand in front of people and guide them through Sun Salutations with a smile on my face?
I’m hoping maybe my faithful readers can help me out. Please share your morning yoga rituals with me. What do you love to practice first thing in the morning? What motivates you to get out of bed and get it on the yoga mat? What time do you go to bed at night? And what benefits have you noticed from getting up early and practicing first thing in the morning?
A little support would be nice, too. I can do this… Right?
You CAN! And, as an early morning person who wasn't always, I'd bet money that you even come to like your new early hours.
You totally can!! Being a champion sleeper it seems unlikely that you will get the hang of it, but as with most things, its all about rituals and habits. Some people like to take it slow (like me) so I wake up an hour and a half or so earlier then I have to that way I have enough time to do all the things that I would do say if I was teaching my class at 11am instead of 6:30am. No rush no fuss. The silence of an early morning can be the most refreshing moment of the day. My class starts at 5am, there is no better time to be on the road then 4:45am, no traffic, no cars, no worries, and all green lights. Good luck. Use a sweet alarm one that has a nice ring to it so you wake up with a smile. Good luck. And the positive thoughts. You're gonna love it:-)
While I don't usually practice quite that early, I do love that time of day. So peaceful & quiet. Great thinking time. Maybe you will come to love it!
Remember the first time you tried to do the wheel pose and you could not? Just imagine you are on the same place- except that instead of heaving up into the wheel, you need to heave yourself up from the bed. After some days-you will wake up even without the alarm! 🙂
Hahaha, I SO know what you mean. I am also not the most, er, happy in the morning. But I taught 6am and 6:30am classes and LOVE it. I am energized by the people and my day always starts wonderfully when I teach that early. HOWever, if I want to get up to practice at home that early? The snooze button is too easy to find. 😉
I LOVE what Anila said about likening getting up early to the first time you tried to do wheel!
Good luck and you WILL shine.
I like getting up early, no kidding! i love to see how the day, the world is waking up. at first, everything is silent, dark – then some noises, cars, birds, light… it feels like I start the day and the day starts with me. a restart, every day again.
i love to have some morning rituals: switching on a small lamp in my kitchen, heat the water for a tea, take out something for breakfast.
i take time to really wake up, have my tea and everything… a good, silent time to begin the day. it's like a break, slowing down time, in our busy life. it is MY time, just for me, before the day really starts…
wishing you silence and energy for the morning,
regards from germany!
Ah don't ask me! I practice + teach in the afternoons + evenings. I'm not a morning person + at 36 don't think I'll change!
I teach a 5:30 am yoga class for runners once a week which means I'm crawling out of bed Mondays at 4:30 am. It's tough every time but after the first few minutes on the mat I feel better. You will too. I though I would crash in the afternoon but that is when I juice and that really seems to help too. You can do it and I bet you will even learn to love it! Mondays are usually my most productive day. Best….
waking up early for your practice can be so hard! i find that drinking a tall glass of water with fresh squeezed lemon is a great way to feel awake and invigorated in the morning. Does wonders for your digestive system as well <3
STRETCHING-CINDY
No help here. I can barely get up before 8 am! The only time I really wanted to rise early was when I lived in Hawaii, where we were all in touch with the circadian rhythms. It's tough, but you can do it and may just be thankful for that early morning class. I'm trying to get on an earlier schedule myself. Good luck!
No advice but sending lots of perky vibes your way! 🙂
Oh, I am not a morning person either. Getting up at 5:30 in the morning is quite possibly the hardest thing…ever. BUT, I jump right in the shower and that wakes me up pretty good, followed by a nice cup of coffee. Sometimes, if I am really not waking up, a little music always gets me somewhat peppy.
Good luck with your morning classes! Just think of how productive you'll be!
Omiganesh you are sooo funny. We will send you some good vibes tomorrow morning!
I was never an early bird till I had a kid. Now I wake up at 6:30am m-f. I got used to it and it actually is better for me because I have lots of Vata and it's good for vata types to get up early and have a routine. For me tea helps or coffee if you drink it. Routine is good so do something in the morning that grounds you and helps you set the energy or intention for the day. Then try to get up a little earlier on your off teaching days.
WOW! I am totally feeling what you are right now, and it is funny that this was posted today. I too am starting some early bird classes and was wondering how it was going to work. I love sleeping in too. Together we can do it! The times I have woken up to practice in the wee mornings it was so peaceful to watch the world wake up. Some others commented they juiced, I have found that gets me going in the mornings and I feel good after drinking fresh juice too. Not weighted down!
I just started an early morning home practice this past month. My husband's Air Force schedule has him waking up to go to the gym at 5am each day, so I thought I would start to use that for my personal practice time too to keep us on a similar schedule. It helps me to have all my yoga things mostly set up and ready to do for when I get out of bed, but I really love to sleep…. So, those early morning alarm clocks have meant trying to get to bed by 9pm-ish. I also decided to motivate myself by doing YogaGlo.com's "30 Classes in 30 Days" for my morning practices to keep myself on track — I'm a little Type A like that I guess! Two weeks in and it's feeling good though! Good luck!
Wow. Ask and ye shall receive. Am I the luckiest girl in the world to have so many amazing folks wishing me well? Thanks to each and every one of you.
Update: I did it! Class was great! Thanks for all of your kind words!
I found years ago pre-yoga that getting up at the crack of dawn was the best way for me to get my exercise in; at the time I was working several jobs so it helped me to relieve stress.
Then I found yoga and it just made sense to keep getting up that early for my meditation and asana, and also to walk Nicki. It became natural over time.
What I like about getting up at 5:00 is how quiet the day is and the air is fresh. Some days it's not easy to get up but I am always glad that I do it.
Holy cow @tinydevotions: love omganesha!
I'm a morning practice gal.. if my guy didn't go to work by 5 I'd sneak in a practice at 6 for sure! I have more energy then and I love getting it done early. It's such a sense of accomplishment and I don't have to work my whole day around getting a practice.
You can do it!!!
I'm not usually awake in the morning until after I have finished a few suns, so I make sure to pack everything I need for practice the night before. That way I don't forget essentials like underwear, my lunch, my yoga mat/clothes, or a hair tie.
It's much easier to get up when you know you are accountable to someone or an entire class of yogis so I'm sure you'll be fine. Best of luck! BTW Love your blog…I'm a new reader!
With ya, gal. I recently taught a 5:30a class and basically had the same dialogue with myself. In fact, I wish that there were more late late evening yoga classes. (Is it any more weird to want to practice at 9p or 10p than it is at 5:30a?) Morning people are so exalted for being productive early in the day. When I practice in the morning, I can't stop sweating all day and that makes me irritable and self-conscious. An evening practice makes me let go of the day and reshapes me for a quiet evening of work and accomplishment. Or just relaxation.
"You can do it!"
It's hard to change the habit of snoozing away through alarm's in the morning to getting up and practicing yoga or working out in some other way. It's easy for me because I *know* I have to get up and workout because otherwise it's not gonna happen! So when that alarm dings are 430am (see it could be worse, I've got you beat by 30min) and I crack an eye at it I know I have to get started.
It helps that I actually *start* my morning with a big cup of coffee and a 30minute soak in my whirlpool tub. This allows me to fully wake up and get with it. Then I move into a 30min practice or one of my other workout dvd's, depends on my mood. Then I get ready for work, get my lunch together and out the door I go. On the weekends I have time for an hour or longer yoga practice and/or cardio/strength.
Happy practicing!
I recognize that scene – it's happened around here quite a few mornings. The only way I can happily get up at that hour is if I went to bed by 9pm at the latest and actually managed to fall asleep quickly. Eventually if I get up that early enough days in a row and I don't use the computer or many lights around the house I am struggling to stay awake till nine…
But seeing the sun rise and the world come alive is a pretty awesome prize.
I have a sleep disorder, so here's what I learned from the sleep centre docs who helped turn my life around:
* Have a schedule and stick to it: A sleep schedule works by choosing the time you need to wake up daily, and work back to setting a bedtime that allows you your optimal amount of sleep (for me, about 7 hours' sleep, which means about 7 1/2 hours in bed). You can allow yourself a deviation of an hour for weekends.
No matter how awful you feel, get up when the alarm goes off. You WILL reset your body clock.
Trust me on this. It was playing into my chronic fatigue in really bad ways. There were days when the other half had to pull me into a sitting position and get the light box to the bed, but no matter how ill I was, I made the effort – and it paid off.
* A light box is a life saver: You can buy or rent light boxes and light visors these days. Most people who use them turn them on for 10-20 minutes or so first thing in the morning to force production of cortisol (the wake-up and be alert hormone; melatonin is the get ready to go to sleep hormone, and as long as you've not got a sleep disorder, it's unlikely you'll need it in the evenings).
I've been using a light box or visor for about 2 hours in the mornings for the past few years. Friends of mine have SAD, and use theirs for much shorter periods first thing in the morning and around mid-afternoon, or whenever their slump time is. There's loads of information out there online.
* Sleep hygeine: The National Sleep Foundation website has great information on this.
* Take a nap in the afternoon if you need to: Do it no later than about 4pm, and for no more than about 45 minutes. Do it only if you can't make it through the day without it.
* Moving your body first thing in the am makes a huge difference: Studies show that exercise first thing in the morning helps shift the body clock and can even get you over jet-lag.
A friend of mine uses an elliptical trainer first thing in the morning, with her light box on a shelf so that it's by her face; I use a light visor on week days so that I can move around more freely.
* Avoid caffeine after noon: You probably don't have to be as strict as me, though you want to avoid stimulants in the afternoons and evenings while you're making this change.
I found yerba mate or matcha tea first thing gets me going; I stick to water and herbal teas after 12 noon.
* It's all about habit: Habits are tough to break if you're not vigilant; if you stick to it for about 6 weeks, though, it becomes something you just do.
* * *
If you mix and match your waking times, you're messing with your body and making it hard on yourself. If you want those early mornings to be easy, you have to make them regular. 6am weekdays and 7am weekends for me. 10pm bedtime.
People ask me if it doesn't suck having such a "restricted" sleep schedule.
No, not in the least. For the first few weeks, it was hellish. Then my body got used to having sleep – real, deep, nourishing sleep – and it liked it. I still have chronic fatigue, but I function way better than I ever did before.
And I have early mornings. 7am on a Saturday, I have the back yard to myself – most people are not up unless they're working shifts, so they're at work or in bed, and it's peaceful.
Once I shifted my expectations, I realised I preferred this pattern. It might suit you, it might not. Good luck!