Morning Magic

Ever since I completed my first yoga teacher training two years ago, there have been a few habits I’ve known would make my life better and yet struggled to adopt, including a morning devotional practice. For years, I’ve been fairly consistent about my nightly devotions, taking time out before my altar to sit, meditate, or simply talk to Goddess. However, I’ve spent years telling myself I’m not a morning person, and I cling to the bed until the last possible moment when the alarm goes off each morning.

Amazingly, the thing that finally prompted me to shift my morning routine was the birth of my daughter. Now that I’m working from home 99% of the time, my schedule has become both more fluid and more rigid (as only a baby can make it). In the early weeks after her birth, I shifted part of my devotional practice to the morning, using my mala beads and the mantra that I used to use every night first thing after I showered. This shift wasn’t so much about using my mornings more wisely: it was a desperate attempt to make time for my spiritual self, since the nights with an infant were rough, to say the least. But as I continued meditating in the mornings, I noticed how much brighter my entire day seemed…and I noticed how low I felt if I skipped the ritual, even on the weekends.

This morning, I added a short yoga practice to my routine. A few sun salutations, a cycle through the warriors, and some floor poses doesn’t take very long, but the effects are remarkable. I’m bright and alert, while at the same time feeling more grounded and balanced than I have in a long time. The more I get in the habit of starting my day early, the more I realize that the story I’ve always told myself about not being a morning person is not necessarily true: sure, I like to sleep in, and my body needs to feel rested for me to function properly, but there’s something bright and hopeful about starting the day with the rising sun. I feel more in tune with myself and with the earth right now; it’s a sensation that I most recognize from ritual or regular yoga practice, but all it took was a half hour of my morning checking in with Source and remembering to breathe.

And I haven’t even had a cup of tea yet!