Ayurvedic texts and many texts of ancient wisdom believe in waking just before the dawn. This is in the time of Vata, 2-6am, where the energy is dispersed, creative and expansive. It is also a great time for thinking..so any extra work or creative projects you're working on would be perfect for this time of the day. If you're not already an early bird, the idea of this may sound awful, but after getting to bed early with a light stomach you will find you’re ready to think and take on the day. With any new habit, it is important to start small and take it one step at a time. This approach using Kaizen, is outlined extensively in my course "Expert on You", in which we break down the 10 daily habits of Ayurveda.
First thing when rising is to spend a minute or two thinking about the bigger picture, and to practice gratitude for being a part of this experience. If you think about how small we are compared to our planet that has been around for 13 billion years, it's nice to get a bit of perspective.. we get so wrapped up in our day to day lives and sometimes just touching a tree and thinking about how long its been here can really help to realign us into a state of gratitude. The average life of a tree can range from 70 to over 5000 years… a sequoia lives 2500 years! How amazing is it that we get to be here with them, think about all they have seen.. first thing upon awakening is the perfect Time to say thank you!
This time is called Brahma Muhurta in ancient texts. It is a very sacred and beautiful time to be awake when the world seems so peaceful. Is it this time where we can be like Brahman, the Creator. We can create who we want to be during this space of mental expansion and neural imprinting. Science has taught us that our neuroplasticity is strongest during this time and our pineal gland is secreting the most melatonin. This stabilizes us and aligns us to the rhythms of the day. If we are light, clear and ready for an expansive future, we will take that into our day and our lives.