Morning yoga

I am never a morning person. I can't just wake up, jump out of bed and smell the coffee, then go about daily life. In order to prepare my mind to really wake up in the morning, I have to do certain things. Things like open my eyes slowly to make contact with lights again, stare at the bedroom ceiling for a while without having any particular thought, stretch my body a bit, and guess what the weather might be like that day by"touching" the temperature. It is like a ritual for me. By doing all these little gestures, I feel more alive.
But this morning wasn't a typical morning. I got up and jumped into meditation right away. Since I decided last week that I was going to become an early bird no matter what, I forced myself to climb out of bed as soon as I opened my eyes in the morning. The result: thoughts flying like countless flies couldn't be stopped. I felt irritated. Not to mention my springtime special treat-- allergies. This morning, I sat still in meditation while my runny nose dropped like a leaky faucet. It didn't stop until I started doing yoga.
my body warmed up, the allergy symptoms disappeared. Because of insomnia last night, my yoga practice this morning was not as strong as usual. Nevertheless, tt was still good enough to make me feel vitalized all over again. In the corpse pose I fell into a deep sleep without even noticing how it happened. It was not until my uncovered feet get cold that I really woke up from that unconscious state.
I like the idea of getting up early to practice yoga. Like so many other times I did it in the late afternoon, which a special mental effort and time that has to be made available, I always enjoy the after-effects in my body and mind . It works like a wonder. Nothing else can do the same for me.
Happy Earth Day!