STORIZEN CONTRIBUTE - Mamta Joshi
The Zen Moment
On a long weekend, the moment I decide that I am going to stay late and get up late, it never happens. The villain that is responsible for this obsessive discipline is often referred to as the internal body clock, the circadian rhythm, that tells our bodies when to sleep, rise, eat—often becoming a wet blanket in presentday life where heavy party scene goes around during big fat weddings, big fat festivals or just fat get-togethers with friends and loved ones seeking leisure hours after XXL working hours. It is definitely not a treat to wake up late in the afternoon, to have breakfast at lunchtime and laze till dinner which could stretch late into midnight. The parents may not be around to chide anymore but the bladder and the bowels take disciplinary action on any freaky behavior and penalize gutsy recklessness for days. Lexis changes with lifestyle pressures that had made one abuse oneself with junk food and alcohol. Cholesterol with LDL, HDL dominates every breath. The acid reflux keeps the deep-fried snacks and tangy chutneys out of reach. The ubiquitous bottle gourd (lauki), which went
unnoticed, becomes as vital as oxygen. For various ailments kitchen- shelf magic is rediscovered with the miraculous powers of fenugreek (methi), oregano (ajwain), asafoetida( heeng), fennel (saunf) and turmeric (haldi). One is forever exchanging notes about dieticians, physiotherapists, personal fitness trainers, meditation gurus, naturopaths and pranic healers. After messing up body, mind, and soul, one learns to kowtow before the circadian rhythm as one moves forward on the learning curve of life.
The sagacious Aristotle was of the view that
essence of life is in learning that there is a lot of unlearning to be done. It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contributing to health, wealth, and wisdom. Steve Pavlina, a popular motivator, and self-help life coach are of the view that morning hours fill life with beauty and energize the body like nothing else. He elaborates, “In my early 20s, I rarely went to bed before midnight, and I’d almost always sleep in late. I usually didn’t start hitting my stride each day until late afternoon. But after a while, I couldn’t ignore the high correlation between success and rise early, even in my own life. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher, not just in the morning but all throughout the day.
And I also noticed a significant feeling of well-being.” The proactive goalachiever that Steve was, he set out to become a habitual early riser. He promptly set up his alarm clock for 5 am. Once he got used
After messing up body, mind and soul, one learns to kowtow before the circadian rhythm as one moves forward on the learning curve of life.
On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher, not just in the morning but all throughout the day. And I also noticed a significant feeling of wellbeing.
to that extra time in the morning, it did a lot to reduce stress. He felt no need to rush around and that set up his mood for the rest of the day.
Due to demanding pets and school going kids, I have by force of habit, become a morning person. I feel happy when I get up early, come out into the garden to soak in the panoramic view that dawn unfolds before me, as the sky turns golden streaked with crimson red and grey hues while the epiphany of hundreds of birds pays twittering tribute to life. The cool breeze does nothing to ruffle the silence, in fact, transforms the ordinary day into an extraordinary one by its sheer magic. It is the hour for my inner silence, the ‘me time’ that belongs only to myself. That hour of delicious solitude is enough to keep me charged for the rest of the day other, without getting cranky. Morningness can ring in positivity and who else but Jalaluddin Rumi, a 13th-century poet, can put it in a better way. “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you Don’t go back to sleep You must ask for what you really want
Don’t go back to sleep” So avoid hitting that snooze button of the alarm. Let it ring out loud and early. We all have one glorious life to live. Rise, move your butt out of bed and shine!