There is so much to be said for how we wake up and how we go to sleep. This precious time can be the most powerful of the entire day. Upon awakening, there is a newness, a sense of opportunity, of new beginnings that we can access so long as we do not rush to pick up the stress or agitation we were running with the day before. At the end of the day, if we take time to clear our mind and emotions we will get to sleep more easily and rise with a clearer mind.

Waking Up Consciously

One of my teachers told me something that stays with me to this day. He said, “as soon as you wake up, get up.” The sleep we get after we hit the snooze button can often make us more foggy and tired. If we get up right away, we can use the time to connect inwardly, before the duties of the day pull us into action.

When you first wake up, you are relaxed, your brain has been operating at the theta and delta brainwave states during sleep, which linger as you wake up. If you pay attention at this...