"Babe.... wake up.... isn't it Vata time right now? Come on, get up!" I squeezed my eyes shut, instantly regretting ever telling my husband about the Vedic times of day. "Nooooo. I don't wanna!" Although I knew he was right, but my bed felt sooo good.
"Come on, get up!"
"Sshhhhh! You're gonna wake up the kids!" Too late. In ran one, followed by the other.
"Hiiiii mommy!" Exuberantly happy to be awake and greeting me and the new day, my babies dragged me out of bed.
"Okay, okay! I'm up!"
I got up, got dressed, put on my running shoes and my ipod, and I was out the door. As I set my foot out into the glorious morning, it greeted me back, with a cool breeze, and beautiful skies, thanking me for rising early enough to witness it. I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, so grateful to be outside...and began my morning run. How sad to have missed out on all that bliss and beauty, and the energy that stayed with me all day, for a few extra minutes of sleep.
So why before 6 am? Why wake up so early, when our warm beds beckon us to stay? The Vata time of day falls between 2-6 am and 2-6 pm. This time carries the qualities of the Vata dosha, so it is very high in energy. By waking up before 6 am, we take advantage of that extra energy to give us the extra boost we need to get up and moving! Getting outside and stepping into daylight also helps our bodies to awaken, and reminds us that it is morning! Our bodies are so accustomed to staying up late at night. We have an abundance of electric lights that betray the time of day, and convince us to keep going way past our "bedtime." Walking in early morning sunlight helps to set our internal clock, and helps us to go to sleep at night too!
The sanskrit term for the art of daily routine is dinacharya. The times of day are a large part of creating a daily routine that is ideal for each of us as an individual. Give your body the extra help our environment offers us, and wake up in the Vata time of day!
For many, waking up is such a challenge because they can't get to sleep at night. If you have a hard time getting to sleep, or staying asleep, stay tuned for the next two blogs! We will be going over Pitta and Kapha times of day, and sharing some Vedic secrets for getting the best sleep at night!
