Sunrise is the most important time of the day, and it’s ideal to be awake and up at sunrise to get the benefit. The sense of balance that one can attain at this time is really valuable, as well as the sense of a juncture, where the lighting effects and atmospheric affects can really generate a mystical state for those who are receptive.
The Sanskrit or Vedic yoga tradition divides the day into “muhurtas, which are 45 min time slots. The most valuable are the two before sunrise, leading up to the actual sunrise moment. The exact time of sunrise and sunset is called the “sandhya” or junction. It is the time when yogis would stop their activities to specifically meditate, if even to chant their gayatri mantras, or to take a few minutes to acknowledge the time and tune in to the cosmic shift and perhaps state at the sun directly so as to allow the sun’s rays to enter the eyes and stimulate the Pineal gland.
This is quite a science and since the Pineal is a type of lens like the eyes, it reacts to light and benefits from the sun. In total darkness it produces melatonin, which allows for good sleep. It also allows for mystical experiences on the yogic path of meditation and consciousness awakening. For centuries the Pineal was not understood and considered much like and appendix – unneeded and unknown. Now we understand more thanks to the Vedic yoga tradition of India.
By getting the timing right, we can achieve a lot move of value in life. And the sunrise moment is a powerful time, like sunset. I recommend rising to greet the sun if you can daily. It’s easier in the winter when it rises later perhaps, although it might be cold. But as it says in Bhagavad Gita, the essential Vedic text on yoga and self-realization:
“The non-permanent appearance of happiness and distress are like the appearance and disappearance of summer and winter seasons. They arise from sense perception and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.”
So by catching the early part of the new dawn one can capitalize on the peace and quiet to perform a momentary meditation, for as long as you wish, setting your intention for the day, preparing yourself for the tasks ahead, while offering to respect to the teachers and life coaches that have got us this far, as well as the masculine and feminine aspects of the divine, that animate all life. Not everyone is that specific about their connection with divinity or source, so then you can simply become centered and focused on the breathing and still the mind placing the attention on the breathe, in and out, ideally while intoning your mantra, or the universal OM.
One powerful mantra related to OM is the following. It carries more “shakti” or potency as an invocation of transcendence or union with the source. The word “yoga” actually translates as “union” implying between self and superself or higher self. A more detailed mantra to really connect is
Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya
You can recite this three times or repeatedly for several minutes as your mantra meditation for the sunrise moment. Anything from a few seconds to two hours of mantra meditation at dawn will empower you to balance out the hemispheres of the brain as well as stimulate the Pineal, and also connect us with source.
Rising and taking rest in synch with the natural cycles of the day is ideal for the Circadian rhythms of the body and mind. And traditionally even six hours sleep a day was enough for new aspirants. As one advanced on the path of meditation that could be decreased, and with age, I see in older people generally. That’s unless your convalescing, when more sleep is better, as it is actually the great healer. Wake up too late after sunrise and your body clock will not be at its optimum. These kind of habits are not conducive to yoga, nor are late nights obviously. So be sure to pace yourself and keep in synch with the rhythms of nature to really get into a peak state of consciousness.
It’s worth it in the long run.
