Rise and shine! Getting your butt to the mat at 6:00AM may seem like a torture for some, but waking up early for your yoga practice is useful because you have time to yourself before everyone else wants a piece of you.

I personally enjoy doing yoga first thing in the morning, but I had to train myself to be an early riser. It took me a whole month of caffeine and sluggishness before my body finally accepted it’s 5:30AM wake-up call. Below, are four helpful tips to become a morning person!

Place your alarm 5 feet away from you

It’s too easy to roll over in bed and hit the snooze button. That sleep grogginess will send you right back to sleep.

When you place your alarm 5 feet away, you have to emerge from the covers and walk over to your alarm clock to turn it off. You’ll overcome your grogginess and be ready for the next step. Bonus tip: make your alarm clock extra loud and annoying!

Lay out your clothes and shoes the night before

Early in the morning, getting dressed is a huge barrier. It’s hard to fumble in the dark and find matching clothes and socks. Lay out all of your clothes the night before and put them on right when you get out of bed before you’re even fully awake.

DON’T CHECK YOUR WORK EMAILS!

I used to lay in bed and sort through emails first thing in the morning. I would get so stressed out and overwhelmed by my day ahead that I would convince myself work was more important than my health. Don’t fall into this trap! Work isn’t paying you to check emails at 5AM so save them until your work day starts.

Go to bed earlier

This seems like common sense but you’ll have to break the habit of habit of staying up late. Even if you’re not tired, lay down in your bed and close your eyes. Listen to a yoga nidra to help turn off your brain. You can read a book to help calm down as well. Avoid screens though, the light makes your brain stay awake.

Early mornings are a special time for YOU! There’s nothing better than waking up and feeling accomplished first thing in the morning. Now, when I don’t do my yoga practice early in the morning, I feel tired and sluggish all day and regret sleeping in.  It will take time to create this habit, so commit to it for 30 days. If you really struggle with it, perhaps try to commit to it over the weekend as well. You’ll have so much more peaceful free time when you wake up just a few minutes earlier!