Above is my practice space in the early hours of the morning. Thankfully, there is plenty of room in our living area. Our make shift alter in front of the window makes for a calming focal point. To get myself in the mood I light candles and sometimes burn sage. It's nice. The silence at this time is comforting.
I get up at 3:00am and have to be on the mat within 10 to 15 minutes of my wake up call. There isn't much time to acclimate. It's literally get up and
go. The less I think, the better. It brings new meaning to Guruji's famous saying,
"body strong, mind weak." I find it true. My mind could probably think of more than a 1000 reasons why I shouldn't do what I do. But, I do it anyway. I'm hoping, mentally, I've become stronger on each given day. It's interesting what comes up when working with resistance and difficulty. Now, we're in November, it's cooler, it's darker, and it becomes even more challenging to rise. But I do,
somehow. I'm thankful.
But really, it's not
that bad. It's the same challenge everyone else faces with practice, no matter what hour or time of day. I like to think we're the lucky ones, anyway.
Our practices become a part of us. It's what we do. As simple as that.
6 Insightful Comments:
Beautiful, inspiring too! 3 AM. Great way to work with the mind tendnecies. Respect!
Thanks Claudia. Truly it all starts in the mind. :)
I really like your comment about becoming stronger each day. The early starts (I try for between 4 and 5 am) are one of the things I have struggled with in trying to establish a consistent practice. It is easy to find reasons not to get up but each time I make it to the mat my resolve to do the same the next day strengthens. I find that if I acknowledge the fact that I would rather stay snuggled up in bed it somehow becomes easier to get up. Thank you for your insightful and inspirational posts and videos.
Thanks for this, really beautiful spot for an early morning practice! I find that of course getting up is a challenge, particularly in winter, as you say. But many people live with someone who is on an altogether different schedule, who stays up late and gets up late, say around 8am, not 3am. Going to bed early when the other one still wants to spend an evening together IS a challenge in itself.
Thanks for this, really beautiful spot for an early morning practice! I find that of course getting up is a challenge, particularly in winter, as you say. But many people live with someone who is on an altogether different schedule, who stays up late and gets up late, say around 8am, not 3am. Going to bed early when the other one still wants to spend an evening together IS a challenge in itself.
Yes, I agree. We are the lucky ones! I just found your blog...it's lovely!
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