‘You get more energy when you wake up before or as the sun rises than you do from staying in bed’.

This is something a Yoga teacher said to me a few years back and it instantly resonated with me.  I had just started teaching and so some mornings I had to get up early for class but on the other days I’d stay in bed to ‘catch up on sleep’.  I clearly wasn’t  a morning person.  I never had been.  I tried to pack as much as I could into my evenings, ending up going to bed much later than I should.  But I always paid the price for staying up late, dragging myself through the mornings in a sluggish stupor.  I’d delay getting out of bed and end up rushing around in a frenzy to get ready, lacking any kind of sensible motivation for the day ahead.

Nowadays things have flipped 180 and I avoid late nights (aka going out after 7pm) because I am just too  tired at the end of the day, but my morning habits are much healthier.  I am now always up before 7am and I like to be in bed by 9pm.  This shift to an earlier focus has made me feel more energized. Each day begins with a bike ride along the beach to the studio, or an early start at home so that I am generally a happier, calmer and more organized parent. I still incorporate the odd evening activity into my calendar, but generally I prefer to relax, unwind, and get a good night’s rest.  It’s true that I don’t have a very active social life, but eight times out of ten, when I catch up with friends it’s a daytime rendezvous.

Since finding a love for the morning, my whole day has become more enjoyable.  When heading to a 6:45am class, I will get up early enough that I don’t have to rush; even if I am feeling tired, I know how much better I will feel when I cycle along the beachfront, how amazing I will feel to have the opportunity to teach and practise Yoga and how much easier it is than the alternative (if Jesse’s on the early class it means I’m at home with 1 year old twins and a 5 year old getting ready for school), so I am grateful for the fact that we can co-parent and co-teach.  It really works for me to get outside as early as possible, though not ideal when it’s cold, dark and wet. Don’t get me wrong, with everything there’s a trade off.

I love how Ayurveda teaches to be in sync with the various rhythms of nature, including particularly the circadian rhythm.  And when you go to bed closer to the time of the sun setting you get a deeper and better quality of sleep.  The old saying ‘an hour before midnight is worth two after’ has a basis in fact, as not only do you go to bed earlier allowing for longer time to rest, but that time you’re asleep is also more efficient.

I now feel refreshed when I wake up, and surprisingly awake (I used to always feel groggy), and most importantly I feel complete gratitude for my ability to get out of bed and appreciate the stillness of the early morning and the calm that a beautiful morning Yoga class brings.

You can catch me teaching the early bird 6:45am classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Yoga One Bournemouth.