We all – or a lot of us, anyway – love the idea of morning yoga. Starting your day off with a room full of like-minded yogis, flowing on your mat, and connecting body and breath. Heaven, right?
Except sometimes – especially when it’s still dark when the alarm goes off and you can hear rain pouring outside – that idea just doesn’t become reality. Much as we might want it to!
So here are our top 5 tips for getting yourself out of bed, out the door, and onto the mat.
Are you ready?
Recruit a yoga buddy.
You’re way less likely to bail on class if you’ve got a friend waiting there for you. Find yourself someone who will help to keep you accountable, and give you even more of a reason to show up for class. Bonus points if you have time to go for coffee and chats after class!
Be prepared.
The last thing you’re going to want to do in the morning is pack your lunch for work, so make sure everything is all organised the night before – from your clothes to your lunch to the book you read on your commute. Have everything ready and waiting for you so that your morning is as seamless as possible.
Set your alarm away from your bed.
It’s an oldie but a goodie for a reason. Leaving your alarm somewhere away from the bed so that you’ll have to physically get up to turn it off. If your alarm is on your phone, this has the added benefit of keeping you away from scrolling through social media at bedtime.
Get a good night’s sleep.
Obvious, I know, but how many of us really commit to this? Waking up – and everything that follows – is so much easier after a solid 8 hours (or however many hours work for you – we’re all different!). Take time before you go to bed to relax, turn off your phone, drink some bedtime tea, and just chill out. If you’re into journalling, you could even write yourself a little note reminding yourself of your reasons for wanting to practice the next morning – having that fresh in your mind when you wake up can be really helpful.
Think about your future self.
I don’t mean years from now, but think about yourself later that day – what will future you thank you for? If you’re totally exhausted, maybe more sleep actually is the best thing for you, and skipping class might actually serve future you best. On the other hand, morning yoga could be just the thing to energise you and start your day off on the right foot. And honestly, the sleep we get once we’re hitting snooze isn’t really worth much. So when that alarm goes off, ask yourself: What would Future Me thank me for?
Hint: It’s probably morning yoga 😉
Hopefully these tips give you a little push to get out the door in the mornings! Do you have any other tips and tricks to help you out? Let us know 🙂
And maybe we’ll see you at morning yoga this week 😉
i agreed what you have said its hard for me to wake up in the morning if its still dark outside specially if it is raining, also if I set the alarm clock of my mobile phone i just wake up to turn off my phone and back to sleep, and finally i read your blog thank you for that tips i should ask my self if What would Future Me thank me for?…thank you so much Sarah i love your blogs.