Kapha, Pitta, Vata… and morning Yoga/Meditation practice.

Anyone else have trouble with morning practice?
(posted from the Yoga Journal community forum, 11/19/08)

I am not a morning person. I admit it and my best friends can attest to it (one of them will only wake me up if she has a cup of coffee in her hand). Although I’m MUCH better than I used to be in the morning, I still have trouble finding the energy to do anything other than force myself out of bed and do my morning routine in a zombi-like state. I know a morning practice can influence your entire day for the positive and would love to have that, but it’s just so hard to get up and do it!

Does anyone else struggle in the mornings? Any suggestions?

- altilden

Many - but that would be a consultation. The best way to get over the Kapha hump (6 - 10am, it makes us feel slow, lethargic and attached to our beds and comforts), is to synchronize our body clocks with the Sun’s movements. This is one of the most important ritucharya (rituals in harmony with the Divine) in Ayurvedic wisdom. Getting to sleep before 10 ensures your Pitta time of night is used for its best purpose - processing the thoughts, emotions and sensory inputs from your day (we are only consciously aware of 20% of what we take in). This, and minimizing Vata (so you don’t wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble going back to sleep), gives you the clearest, most Peace-full mind for yoga and meditation in the early morning (the best prana time for practice). Other tools would be foods and habits that minimize Kapha and/or maximize the quality of sleep you get.

NAMASTE