“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell. Don’t go back to sleep” Rumi
The art of waking up early (Trust me ! it is no lesser than an art), is a difficult one to master. I am a big believer of logotherapy byViktor Frankl. It primarily says any action is taken only when there is a motive or a desire to do it. How, kids wake up late on school days and early on weekends is a classic example of that. It holds good for gaining the habit of waking up early too. This entire write up is dedicated to honing this habit. Why am I dedicating so much precious space on this habit? Cause I know loads of people simply don’t get into the habit of early morning walk due to their inability to wake up early and give in too easily. They are missing something so beautiful. There is a league of morning men who would swear by this habit of theirs.
The league
Let me talk about some famous people who learned to beat the sun. Music genius A R Rahman had mentioned in an interview that he tries not to miss his morning prayers. He says “ A lot of grace flows into life at this time. It is during serene morning that one feels closest to omnipresent”. Michelle Obama hits the gym by 8.30. Tim cook is known to wake up early and catch up on his emails (although I wouldn’t agree on checking the mail part). Jaggi Vasudev the founder of isha foundation urges people to do their yogic practices early in the morning what he calls the brahma muhurta. Benjamin franklin, was a major proponent of “early rising”too. Hence his famous quote “early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise”.
By now I guess you can see that it is the success mantra of most successful people. Surely, we all want to jump onto the bandwagon and join this league of morning men. Few of us get motivated looking at life models of others. How long does the motivation last? I firmly believe that one must make any change for the sake of themselves. Embrace change because you want to be a better person and want to do something good for yourself. This way the change is likely to be permanent. This one, habit has far reaching effects both on body and mind.
Why should I wake up early ?
That early hour, when light is still filtering through the sky, the breeze is pleasantly cool and its quiet everywhere, you connect best to your inner self.
There is a common energy current flowing through all beings and you feel it. Even those who hit the road at this time, refrain from honking lest, the quietude is disturbed. There is something very magical about the whole atmosphere. Your mind is much clearer and very positive. In such an hour when one engages in practices of walk, meditation, yoga or any form of exercise, it has threefold effect ; strengthening the body, refreshing the mind and having a jumpstart to the day. You will be well prepared for all the activities ahead rather than playing catch the whole day.
Now if you feel motivated enough give it a try. Eat a light dinner, hit the bed early the previous night and give yourself the pep talk. Habit changes cannot be accomplished in a single day. Both mind and body need to get tuned. Sooner or later the body will buckle to the demands of the mind. So, initially you may struggle in waking up as I did. (that article is coming up soon ). But, soon your mind will be trained into waking the body up early. Keep up the habit and you will find yourself enjoying that quiet wee hour all to yourself to be spent as you please.
Give it a go !