Atma Namaste! How we wake up every day is so important to our energy throughout the day. How do you get out of bed every morning? Do you jump out and get started or do you slowly open your eyes and let the morning take you, are you unhappy because you didn’t get enough sleep?

I love to wake up with a thanksgiving prayer, followed by my yoga practice for 90 minutes. Practising yoga in the morning is a really amazing way to start your day. I know it sounds hard but if you start waking up earlier and doing 20 minutes of yoga in the morning it will make a world of difference. I bet you one month into this you are eagerly waking up before the alarm with a different attitude. I find that this helps to sustain my energy levels throughout the day. If you are not into the physical yoga you can try just practising some morning meditation. Following the breath for ten counts and going back to 1 when you have reached 10, eyes can be open or closed. Start with 5 minutes (you can set a timer on your phone) gradually increase to 10 minutes etc.

I have experimented with not doing my usual wake up routine and found that on those days I was drained and exhausted, I could barely make it through the day and also I was a bit irritable. I came to the conclusion that waking up mindfully is really important in how we affect the world around us and how the world affects us. Some days are wonderful beginning to end and some days are calamity beginning to end.  But even the days that are hard are just not that difficult anymore, your perspective changes. Everyday is not the same and every day is a new lesson, whether you saw it or not.

One of the techniques of Arhatic Yoga practice is at the end of the day it’s good to reflect on your entire day, focusing on your thoughts and actions, the happy moments and the moments when you made mistakes. Maybe think of how you could have handled the difficult moments better, how you could have treated someone nicer. Give yourself a pat on the back for the good things you did. Were you responsive or reactive? Sometimes I am reactive and I have to ponder those actions at the end of the day and see what is triggering them. It’s never the other person it’s always me, every situation and every person is an opportunity to learn and grow. Hope your morning is beautiful and it stretches throughout your day! Thank your body for its amazing ability to wake up, move and take you through the lessons!