Ancient secret for productive mornings
Are your mornings crazy and rushed? Do you wake up after multiple snoozes and feel stressed out that it’s already morning? You eat breakfast in a hurry or skip breakfast on some days due to lack of time and rush to work. By the time you reach the office, you are already tired, stressed out, and exhausted. Does this sound familiar to you? This is how the majority of us start our mornings. More or less, my mornings were also the same till I practiced my granny’s wisdom. After I practiced my granny’s wisdom, my mornings became stress-free, and the entire day became joyful. I got time to exercise and start my day in a relaxed way. In this blog, I will share my granny’s piece of wisdom with you, which will transform your mornings.
My Granny
My granny is a simple woman with profound wisdom behind her words. She did not read any self-development books or attend any courses, but somehow, she managed to do the right things at the right time. She lived in perfect alignment with nature. She always woke up at 5 AM. Even on Sundays and holidays, even in cold winters, she woke up at the same time. I have never seen my granny sleep after Sunrise. I admire her way of living.
She urged me to wake up early too. I found it ridiculous in my childhood days and wondered why I should wake up so early. I think your granny would also have suggested the same. Somehow, all grannies carry this wisdom.
Wisdom behind granny’s words
So why is it that our grannies woke us up early? Why is it that our tradition and culture have always emphasized on waking up early? Is it because “All life starts at Sunrise on earth?” Or is it because our Vedas and Sage Patanjali said so, and the religion adds to it? What about Science? Is there any Science that supports our granny’s wisdom? Is there any proof? The answer is Yes.
Proof given by Science for granny’s wisdom is Circadian Rhythm. In 2017, three scientists who worked on Circadian Rhythm received Nobel Prize. Our poor granny did not get any prize.
Understanding Circadian Rhythm
So, what is Circadian Rhythm? It’s a 24-hour clock that regulates all the biological and physiological processes in the human body. It tells the body when to sleep, when to wake up, when to eat and guides the timings of various life processes in the human body. Like an organization has particular work timings, our body, too, has an internal clock that tells the body when to do what. Our body runs by this internal clock. This clock is called Circadian Rhythm.
Connection between Circadian Rhythm and Sunrise
Science found out that Circadian Rhythm is closely connected with Sunrise and Sunset. Our internal biological clock recommends that we wake up with the Sunrise and end our day or slow down with Sunset. This is exactly how our grandparents lived. If you observe them, they wake up and rest at the same time every day, which is aligned with Sunrise and Sunset.
When our day-to-day activities are not aligned with our body’s internal clock, it results in various diseases. As per Science, a person who does not live life in tune with circadian Rhythm has higher chances of developing insomnia, depression, anxiety, migraine, diabetes, obesity, dementia, cardiovascular diseases, and various other health problems. So, now the secret of our grandparents’ robust physical and mental health, even in their seventies and eighties, is revealed. It’s their simple and profound wisdom of waking up with the Sunrise and slowing down with Sunset. Our ancestors were very much in tune with the Circadian Rhythm of the body.
Modern world and Circadian Rhythm
In the modern world, the majority of us wake up several hours after Sunrise and sleep late in the night. We don’t get our daily dose of sunlight during the daytime and are exposed to heavy artificial light during night times. Due to these factors, our Circadian Rhythm is disrupted, and we are experiencing many diseases. We are living in the circadian fog – a mild form of jet lag and we are all suffering from disrupted Circadian Rhythm to some extent.
Embracing the wisdom of our ancestors
Now that we understood the importance of following circadian Rhythm for good health let’s wake up with Sunrise. Let’s embrace the wisdom of our granny and change our life. This simple practice of waking up early in the morning offers us many benefits like below.
- It gives us time to relax and recharge in the mornings.
- Our mornings are in our control.
- Our health improves as we are in tune with circadian Rhythm.
- We become more productive and energetic.
- Quality of life tremendously improves.
These are some benefits of waking up with Sunrise. And now, this makes me think of the Sage Patanjali’s emphasis on Surya Namaskara. Doing Surya Namaskara is a sacred way of starting your day with prayers and gratitude to Lord Surya. In the early morning Sunlight, feeling the breeze, alongside listening to the birds chirping, performing Surya Namaskara where mind, body, and spirit are in alignment, brings us to present moment awareness instantly. How beautifully empowering it is to realize that we are all connected to the Sun! You can add this ancient yogic practice to your morning routine and transform your health.
So, Science proved our granny’s wisdom of waking up early before Sunrise is worth a Nobel prize. Let’s embrace our granny’s wisdom and make waking up early an integral part of our life. When we do this, we wake up with freshness and will find time to enjoy breakfast. We sleep better and deeper. We can plan our day peacefully and become more productive. No more hurried mornings and stress. Isn’t it wonderful that a simple practice like this can transform our lives positively? Want to read more about waking up early? Check out this book – 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma here.
Manjula Ghattamaneni, signing off and wishing you peace and love!
