We often hear of successful people starting their day at the crack of dawn. The famous saying “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” has been a part of our lives growing up. Increasingly, science shows that our sleep and wake cycles are heavily tied in with circadian rhythms and the precise timing of the release of various hormones such as cortisol, to promote wakefulness, and melatonin, which helps ease us into sleep and may have numerous other benefits.
Melatonin is secreted by pineal gland when there’s darkness and is thus known as ‘sleep hormone’. Understanding its impact on the body can help maintain sleep cycles that could help one to come to a state of optimal health. Some studies show that exercising may be beneficial for improving sleep quality, and the time of day when we exercise may be important as well. So when exactly is the best time to wake up and do our yogic practices or exercises keeping in mind melatonin production? Sadhguru talks about when the hormone production is at peak and how to align ourselves more with the geometry of the universe in order to make most of nature’s support for one’s well being.
Sadhguru says, “The last quarter of the night, the pineal gland is at the highest level of secretion. That means you can stabilize. Substantial research into this. So, that is labeled as Brahma Muhurtam, or the time of the creator. You can make yourself the way you want yourself to be. Within the human system, because of the nature of planet’s relationship with the sun and the moon, certain things are happening in the human system. What is considered as the last quarter of the night – we consider from sunset to sunrise as the night – the last quarter of the night, at that time there are physiological changes happening in the system. They’ve even found… even the waste material in your body, like your urine for example, at that time has qualities which it doesn’t have at any time of the day.”
“There’s substantial research into this these days. So, the entire body is in a certain conducive atmosphere. There is a natural production of what is called as melatonin, which is a secretion of the pineal gland. So, the pineal gland is at the highest level of secretion in the last quarter of the night, so we want to make use of this. So, anywhere between 3:30 to 6:00 or 5:30 or whatever time the sunrise happens is considered Brahma Muhurtam because your pineal gland is at its highest level of secretion – that means you can stabilize. In modern medicine it is seen as a mood stabilizer.”
“Well, I’ve been talking about bringing yourself to ease. Bringing yourself to ease means that you are not a fluctuation, you are at ease. This is naturally happening at a certain time; at that time people want to sit up and do their spiritual processes so that they get the best benefit. So, that is labeled as Brahma Muhurtam, or the time of the creator. Or you can look at it this way: it is a time when you can create yourself, you can make yourself the way you want yourself to be. So, you become the Brahman in the morning, so that you will make yourself the way you want yourself to be.”
Plus receive a free eBook by Sadhguru
