I wasn’t always a morning person.  Like 67% of alarm clock users, I would hit “snooze” up to three times in a morning, groggily shaking off my sleep 30 minutes later, and leaving my now husband to question whether or not he should take the leap and wake up next to me for eternity. 

Thankfully not too far into our coupling, he came up with a creative solution to the snooze, and after trialing it on a most challenging subject, me, we decided to go forward with it! Simply put, it’s a “yoga alarm clock”. Less specifically, it’s a wake up call you can feel good about, one that encourages a daily ritual of stretching and setting an intention, all before you get out of bed. 

You may be surprised how one change - The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg calls these “keystone habits” - can be the match light to start the fire. What makes a keystone habit successful is its ability to unintentionally carry over into other aspects of your life, and I can pretty much guarantee once you start a ritual like this you will begin to feel the lightness of a clearer head and more positive mindset. You may also find your physical body feels more awake and at ease. 

Here’s just a bit of what I discovered once I began practicing what we call a Yoga Wake Up each day:

1. My mind was piqued with curiosity and wonder. And there’s science to back this up; meditation has the power to rewire the brain for happiness, both toning the vagus nerve and increasing happiness hormones like endorphins and serotonin.

2. I felt less distracted throughout the day, recalling my morning intention and allowing it to inform my actions throughout each day. 

3. Feelings of gratitude and joy replaced feelings of anxiety and dread, and I began to appreciate mornings! By swapping a rather easy positive experience with what once felt like a chore, I was able to reverse the effects of waking up early. 

This one’s most important! In Hardwiring Happiness, author Rick Hanson explains that our first thoughts of the day tend to be negative; this is called the negativity bias, and it’s assumed we’re evolved to feel this to defend and prepare ourselves for disappointing outcomes. However, in this most sacred state; those first waking minutes during which our first thoughts are so impressionable, injecting them with happiness, particularly everyday as a ritual, is enough to chart a course that can truly change the direction of your life! 

So tomorrow, instead of giving in to the sweet siren song of your social media newsfeed, consider swapping the scroll for 10 minutes of audio-guided bed yoga and meditation instead.

What do you say? Shall we make a daily yoga practice your new morning ritual? All who are in, say OM!

About Yoga Wake Up:

Yoga Wake Up infuses your day with movement, joy and gratitude within the first minutes of waking up. By rousing you awake gently and effectively with audio-guided mindfulness, Yoga Wake Up encourages a better routine and sets a positive tone for the day ahead. Yoga Wake Up was the featured App of the Day on The App Store, where it offers monthly, 6-month, and annual subscription memberships. Learn more at yogawakeup.com.