The Sacred Time Before the Dawn

I was asking a health coaching client about their Keystone Habit the other day. If you aren’t familiar with this term, it refers to the key stone at the top of a stone arch - the shape and position of which keeps the entire structure in place. We also have these key structures in how we organize our day around healthy habits. My client said his keystone habit was definitely getting up early and doing his morning routine.

I say this after finishing my own morning routine at the ripe hour of 7:30am. Having a new puppy is a pretty good motivator to get up early btw.. It is either that or clean up a little accident that occurred. :). So here I am, at 7:30, having hydrated, meditated, tongue scraped, eliminated, and activated (exercised) and all before most people have even rolled out of bed.

If you have ever spent time in southeast Asia, hung around Buddhist temples, or did a traditional meditation or yoga retreat, you know that us yogis/spiritual minded person get up early. Monks get up to start their meditation between 3 and 5 am. Traditional yoga practice begins as the sun begins to rise. The sacred time before the dawn - called Brahma Mahurta. If you have ever woken up with the monks at these early hours, even if it is just to catch an early morning flight, you can’t deny that there is something subtle and ethereal in the air. Our minds are not yet in full activation mode. Our physical and energetic bodies are on the brink of being awake. The subtle part of ourselves is more open. Our personality and ego self not quite so sticky. A perfect time to sit in the Self. Or so think the monks.

When we pay attention to nature, we try to live in alignment with her. And she isn’t a sleepy head. To be fair, she also goes to bed (sun setting) early.. which makes early rising naturally easier to do. People may assume that yogis, meditators and spiritually-minded folks are just naturally driven to wake up early. Just as it may be assumed that yogis are naturally flexible. But it ain’t always so. It’s all about routine and regularity. :)

A popular saying in habit change science is, “Don’t assume the habitual is the natural.” It is notable that in both Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, there are no “night owls”. There are just habits of eating too late and staying up way past the sun went down. We are all infinitely flexible people (regardless of the performance in yoga postures) and can shift any habit we choose if we have a strong enough desire for what’s on the other side.

So what does the morning have to offer?

What my client said he loved about the morning routine is the quiet and calm that inhabits this time. And how when he automates these things that have to happen anyways towards habits that make him thrive, he has more energy and expends far less time working or wasting time on stupid BS things. Pretty smart, huh? Him, not me. :) My motivation for getting up early is the same. It seamlessly organizes my day and takes care of things like exercise, energy levels, and mood so I have lots more capacity to do things I really care about… which for me is currently my new Nutritionist program I have enrolled in to complement my health coaching, and training my sweet puppies.

Like many people, my work life has shifted quite a lot in the last months. I am getting really lit up with my private health coaching and LOVE the connection I make in this intimate setting. So contact me if you are looking at having a similar experience to that above. I can help make that happen. :)