Top Tips for Dark Mornings

How are you adjusting to the longer nights and darker days? Do you find it a struggle to get out of bed in the morning?

About 8 years ago I started shifting my schedule to get up earlier in the mornings. I no longer found I could be productive in the evenings and desperately wanted to find some time for my yoga practice, and some time just for me.

At first I began going to one early morning yoga class each week. Then I started getting up early on a second morning for a home practice. After a while I added a third morning. It became a habit, and this habit stuck.

These days I'm often up and about before 6am Monday - Friday (weekends I sometimes lie in until 8!).

Why? Well for me this is a time when no one else is about, and no one needs anything from me, so I can do whatever I like! I can do my yoga practice, but I can also go for a walk, have a cup of tea, read my book or sit and do nothing. I'm also more productive and more focused in the mornings, later in the day my attention wanders a lot more!

Do I get tired? Sometimes yes. But I remind myself that it's my choice to get up early, and if I really need some extra sleep when my alarm goes off I let myself take it (most often though I decide that I will feel better for getting up and moving, and I do). I also make sure I have a few early nights in the week.

I have to admit that it's always harder at this time of year. It's dark, it's cold, and a warm bed is a more appealing prospect. But taking some time in the mornings for whatever you need is a great way to start the day.

Here are a few tips to help you get up and about. The hardest thing is getting started!

1. Get organised! Think about what you will need for the morning the night before and have it ready and waiting, clothes on the radiator, water in the kettle, yoga mat waiting...

2. Set realistic and achievable goals. Maybe you start getting up half an hour earlier just one morning a week and take it from there.

3. Avoid distractions. Don't pick up your phone, start to answer emails, scroll through the news or anything else (unless this is how you planned to spend your time).

4. Get up and moving straight away. Resist the temptation to snooze your alarm, jump out of bed and head straight for the shower or the coffee pot, whatever you need to wake up your system.

5. Get warm. Jump in a warm shower, pull on some cosy clothes, maybe jump on your yoga mat and warm up your body with some sun salutations.

6. Enjoy your time. Whether you are up early for a yoga practice, meditation, or simply a cup of tea in peace, enjoy the time and you are far more likely to develop a habit. Change the way you look at early starts, this time is a gift not a punishment!

Want an incentive to get out of bed? Keep reading to find three free yoga classes to get you up and about in the mornings.

Not a morning person? We're all different. Maybe you can carve some time out for yourself at a different time of day?

With love

Sarah
x

YOGA TO START YOUR DAY

10 minutes to connect with your body and breath and ease into your day. Gentle movement combined with a steady, rhythmic breath to stretch out and find a moment of calm. This sequence can be done sitting in a chair or seated on the floor.

A 15 minute sequence that is perfect to start your day. Gently wake up and stretch out the body, connect with the breath and find a moment to pause and set yourself up for the day ahead.

A 30 minute ashtanga class, a great way to get moving and warm the body from the inside out on cold mornings! Dive straight into Surya Namaskar A and B before flowing through a standing sequence with a focus on the legs and feet.

Need some help to get up and about? Join me and some other early birds online on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7.30am each week for a 30 minute yoga session. Get up, get moving and enjoy the accountability of a live class twice a week. If you miss a class, you can catch up in your own time.