Brahmamuhurta Madness!

The alarm goes off. 

My first thought is “oh nooo, I can’t believe it’s time to get up again!” My second thought is “should I snooze it?” It’s dark, the bed feels so deeply comfortable and warm; I can feel the law of attraction holding me to the sheets. I think, “why should I get up?” The truth is, in this moment, I’d really rather stay in bed for a couple more hours. So it goes: 5 or 6 days of the week I put myself through this, only to end up getting up. But why? What’s the story?

What is Brahmamuhurta?

Brahmamuhurta (Sanskrit for “the time of Brahma”) is the period before dawn, between 3:30 to 5:30am, that ancient sages and yogis used for meditating and practicing yoga. It is believed that pre-dawn is a period where the entire atmosphere is charged with an electro-magnetic intelligence; therefore, if you wake up during that time, you fill yourself up with its powerful energy. Some may wonder, “has this been proven by science?” I personally don’t know, and don’t particularly feel the need to find out, as for me it’s more spiritual than scientific.

My daily yoga practice

This is my waking up process after the difficulty of getting out of bed:

• I wake up, and make coffee immediately (disclaimer: there is a saying in the Ashtanga world that says “No coffee – No yoga”)
• I carefully sneak out the door, quiet so that I don’t wake up my precious little one
• I step into my Yoga shala, a.k.a my sacred place, my happy place!

It is so quiet, empty, dark, and peaceful, though there is so much life around. This is my moment, a time to be with myself; no to-do lists, no judgments, no mundane business. I am here with my mat, my breath, and nature.

I start flowing. My body sometimes feels tight; when I bend, my joints crack, and I feel pain — though its the good pain — the kind that has a bit of everything in it, suffering and joy all at the same time. I feel the expansion of my breath versus the contraction of my body. Most importantly, I feel alive!

With the daily practice you never know what to expect. Sometimes you wake up feeling heavy and slow, and you end up having an amazing practice. Sometime it’s hard to focus, and others, your mind is sharp and your body is open.

Discipline and devotion

My teacher posted a quote some time ago that said: “Ashtanga yoga is not fun yoga.” That sounds weird, right? What’s the point of doing it if it’s not fun? What she meant by that is the lifestyle of Ashtanga Yoga demands discipline and devotion. You don’t just practice “when you feel like it” — you practice everyday. Furthermore, when you practice it with discipline and devotion for a period of time, you start to realize that yoga can be the most wonderful medicine for your body, mind, and spirit.

So what’s the point?

I finish my practice, I am covered in sweat. I feel connected. Morning has arrived, and it’s back to business. Time to enjoy the craziness of my life, but now I am experiencing it from a different place. My mind is focused. My body is open and willing to face all my chores and responsibilities. My spirit is present.

In a few words, why do I wake up?

• I wake up to witness the forces of life rising up all together
• I wake up to sense the serenity that surrounds me and to embrace it
• I wake up because this is my sacred moment with myself
• I wake up to enjoy the silence and to fully feel each breath I take
• I wake up because this moment helps bring the “bigger picture” into focus and reminds me that life goes way beyond our regular tasks, chores, responsibilities, and other worldly stuff

When I flow on my mat, surrounded by nature, I can feel the essence of life.

Connection to something greater than the self

It may be that surfers finds the connection out in the water, artists find it when they are creating their masterpiece and it comes from their souls, runners find it as they actively move through the trails at dawn. The number of ways to find this connection is infinite; we are all different, so our way to connect with the bigger picture are different. But in my case, it’s my Brahmamuhurta Yoga that provides me with that connection.

And that’s why I wake at 4am, to connect with life.
Madness? Insanity? Maybe!
Is it worth it? Totally.