Best for : You :
Posted: November 18, 2014 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bliss, blogging, Body Image, coffee, compassion, Conversation, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, gluten free, happiness, healing, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mornings, motivation, musings, natural, nature, nebraska, Omaha, paleo, passion, pilates, running, whole foods, yoga 16 CommentsThe battle you are going through is not fueled by the words or actions of others; it is fueled by the mind that gives it importance-
I was speaking with a close friend this past weekend and he asked me – quite bluntly like most dudes do, what change(s) since I ended the “reign of terror” on my body had the greatest impact on my being able to “compete” again? <– whatever this means. He waited patiently for me to share my “bad-ass” – “hardcore” training plan with him as we sipped our coffee during a frigid mid ride stop … The answer he eagerly awaited never arrived. As many of my longtime readers may know, the change(s) I made in my life were due in part to neglecting and abusing my body for many years. Moving on, after a long awkward pause I finally answered his question: I get up at 4 a.m. – Every single day. His response, in typical dude fashion was: “Why?!?” – Why wake at four in the morning?
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I simply, love waking up early. I get to be myself before the little one wakes up for the day. It’s peaceful early in the morning, and the world awakening around me feels calm and serene. The subtle gift of time speaks to my soul. You have to meet yourself there, early one morning to experience it – Dude.
Daily Meditation:
We fail to realize the rejuvenate energy given to us in the morning as we rush straight through it – Rushing to the gym to count reps mindlessly, updating our social status to let the world know we attended a 5:30 am yoga class. Such is the ebb and flow of life …
CultFit 
Wow, 4 AM is definitely an almost failsafe appointment time to meet yourself in peace. My take away here is that I will make firm plans to meet myself daily without drama. great post.
Its “Happy Hour” somewhere in the world right!?! 😉
I edited most of our pedantic conversation out, although my main point still rings true. Don’t mind me if I steal/borrow your words “… (the) take away here is that I will make firm plans to meet myself daily without drama.” either it be 4 am, Noon – whatever, you have to meet yourself in peace before you can make meaningful change.
I am an early bird as well (though I wake closer to 6). For all the reasons you mentioned, it has become an integral part of morning / day. I think it stems from the idea that by giving this time (ritual) to myself I can give better to others.
… Always a pleasure when you stop on over 🙂 My friend put me in a rather vulnerable position, one that actually required some mental processing and self reflection … For so long I would wake up, do whatever, hit the gym, go running for a million miles, bike to cool down – Without ever being “awake” or in the moment. I hope you are having a beautiful morning – Take care and be well!
I am a morning person, too, and when raising my son alone, I was lucky in that, he often slept in, so I was always assured of time alone to just listen to the universe, feel the welcoming space of a new day. Glad you’ve been able to move away from the cultural driven attitude of hurry and business that leads to body/soul neglect.
For many, many years, neglecting my body and soul defined who I was. You and I could share a wide ranging conversation covering all the “things” that helped me to heal and honoring my true-self, although allowing the time and space to heal? This above all else speaks to who I truly am 🙂
Thank you once again for sharing in my journey, your passion and kindness truly helps me – Thank you!
You are very welcome!
So much of this resonates with me. I too arise at 4:00-4:30 am to meditate, to be in nature, to start slow and with solitude. To fill my soul before starting my day. Can relate to the being hard on my body and mind. As I’m older, I’m slower and finding that my ability and desire to push and acomplish is much less, but yet, in “doing” less, I’m “being” much more.
Thanks as always for your words of inspiration!
… For the longest time I thought I had to get up early in order to get a jump start on the day. To train harder to better than the next guy. For the better part of the last 20 years I habitually woke up early to abuse myself. Then one day last Fall I went to an early morning yoga class in town, a class where I was reintroduced to the peace and beauty of waking gently and easing into the day. 🙂
I am with you there. I love early mornings, so much. It keeps me sane and connected. Why wouldn’t you want to get up at 4?
4:15 on the other hand is an entirely different story 😉
No, I like 4:15 just fine…except that it ruins me for the evening 🙂
Early morning has always been my favorite time of day. I need that quiet alone time 🙂
Sprinkle in a cup of coffee, time to find peace and harmony. A morning run/walk/ride … All is good in the world. 🙂
🙂 i get up at 04:45. I start work at 06:30 (i have a flexi option) out of choice so that i can get the rest of the day to myself… but yes, LOVE the serentiy of early mornings… the silence, the traquility, time to think uninterrupted … YOU know what i mean *smiles* yes i am a morning person too xxx
… And here I find myself, coffee in hand, replying to your thoughtful and kind comment – Early on a Sunday morning 🙂
I hope you and your family had an amazing weekend – Take care!