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This morning, I downdogged my way through the worst yoga class ever. It was actually worse than the class I took last week where the instructor prepared us for crescent pose by insisting that we 'stand fully erect until we felt the pleasure of our erection'. As a woman, I felt that this was an unreasonable challenge. No, this morning's class was devoid of odd movement cues. In fact, it was devoid of instruction altogether. Instead, we grooved our chaturangas to an hour of Madonna. It didn't exactly offer the centering experience that I've come to look for in a yoga class. But I was thrilled to be there. It was 6 am and I knew that for the rest of the day I'd have the satisfaction of owning my early morning effort.
The end of daylight savings time gives us the unique gift of an extra hour in the morning. While sleeping through it may seem like the obvious choice, investing the time in exercise pays dividends that stay with you throughout the day. An early morning workout is your opportunity to become centered before the day's stresses throw you off kilter. And if you can take your activity outside, you enjoy the added luxury of personal time in the quiet space of morning stillness.
Dragging your body out of bed at the sound of a 5 am alarm is difficult. I wish I could tell you that it gets easier, but I 'm not sure that it does. What does get easier is your ability to trust that it's worth the effort. If you make the investment, you'll come to depend on starting your day with success, already having accomplished something important as the kids, the boss, and the spouse drag you in different directions. And at the end of the day, your head will hit the pillow with a satisfied exhaustion, giving you just the strength you need to reset the alarm and do it all over again.
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