Have a Good Day
I teach morning yoga. One day, a student asked me how in the world I can be so energetic and happy so early in the morning and still be alert and content late into the evening.
Care to know what advice I gave?
1) First thing: do NOT press the snooze button. I know it seems like if you just get a few more minutes of sleep that waking up will be easier. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Your body has several processes it goes through to prepare you to wake up. Pressing the snooze button confuses your system as your body doesn’t know if it needs to wake up or fall back asleep. With every slam of the snooze, you’ll feel more groggy and sleepy. Your best bet is to begin to routinize your sleep pattern. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. Yes, that means even on the weekend, if you work the Monday through Friday office grind. If you set your alarm clock for the same time every day and actually get up when it goes off, your body’s internal clock will naturally adjust to this time and, eventually, you will feel ready and refreshed when you wake up each morning.
2) The moment you wake up, tell yourself how bountiful, blissful and beautiful you are. If you start your day off speaking these wonderful words, you will create a self-fulfilling prophecy which will unfold as the day goes on. If you start your day off with negative chatter like “I’m tired,” or “I don’t feel well,” then unfortunately that is how you will most likely feel for the rest of the day.
3) While you were sleeping last night, your body entered a deep healing and regenerative process. To continue the process, have a glass of warm lemon water which will flush the digestive system and rehydrate your body.
4) After drinking your lemon water, make a trip to the toilet whether you have to go or not. It is important your body eliminates toxins. At the core of this process is a healthy bowel movement and the key to healthy bowel movements is consistency. Sitting on the toilet at the same time every day, as strange as that sounds, really works. While studying yoga in India, I learned this little trick and still use to this day.
5) Now that you are ready to connect with the world and feel alive, start with something physical. Get moving! I recommend Kundalini yoga, a type of yoga that embraces the inner power that exists within everyone. It is the ideal type of yoga in today’s fast-passed world as it requires little time to practice and produces amazing results. Kundalini yoga emphasizes strengthening all areas beyond the physical self. Kundalini yoga not only uses poses but adds the science of breath, vibrational sound, and meditation all in one practice.
Your brain is an oxygen hog. When you give it a surplus of oxygen first thing in the morning, it becomes sharp and ready to take on the day. You’ll notice you have crystal clear senses after exercising in the morning and, as a result, your day flows with ease and grace. And that’s how you have a good day every day!
If you are interested in practicing yoga in the morning or at any point in the day, please feel free to join one of my yoga classes! I teach at many studios, including Yogaworks, Equinox, Golden Bridge Yoga, and Guru’s Gate Yoga. You can see my full schedule online www.gurumitar.com/schedule.
Mention this article in The Notice and attend your first class with me for FREE! Please send me an email letting me know which class you would like to attend and I will put you on the guest list.
