It’s often said that the best time for practice is just before dawn. This is because the mind and the body are fresh, and because the planet (and the home) is still calm and quiet. Some believe that the electromagnetic waves of the sun create obstacles to practice by raising the energetic currents in the environment, and that this is also a good reason to practice before the sun comes up. One of my teachers, Jamie Lindsay, used to say that practicing yoga in the morning is more like preventative medicine, whereas practicing in the evening is more curative. (I loved that way of thinking.) The Kundalini, Ashtanga, and Shadow Yoga communities all deem early morning asana as an important element of a complete practice.
But getting up before dawn can be hard to do. The large majority of yoga practitioners that I know do not practice early in the morning on a regular basis either because their schedules or lack of discipline get in the way. Not everyone has a lifestyle in which they can get to bed early enough to rise with the sun. And even if you do, it can be easy to hit the snooze button in your sleepy haze and convince your still-dreamy brain that another half hour of sleep will be much better for you than getting up to practice yoga.
But is early morning practice really better for everyone? I do enjoy it, but also find that I am a lot more open (and even more clear-minded) in the evenings. Others I know have said they prefer evening practice because they are stiff or tired in the morning, or worried about the things they need to do that day. Of course, it’s also been said that sunset is a beneficial time to practice, but because our work schedules don’t change (for most of us) with the seasons, practicing consistently at sunset is tricky for most people. And evening practice takes a different kind of discipline: You might be tired from a full day’s work or simply tempted to socialize with friends.
Do you have a favorite time to practice? Do you practice the same time every day? What feels different to you about morning, afternoon, and evening practice? Write in and tell us what you think!
I try to do a few poses in the morning just to warm up for long sitting. I wake up early, but I use my time to do vedic rituals, that is the most important part of my morning practice. Longer practices of asana are reserved for other times in the day.
I find that I prefer practicing in the morning. It is a great way begin my day. I have also found I just don’t get around to doing my practice later in the day, too many things get in the way.
I like to do a little bit of assana in the morning. I feel like if I do ten minutes or thirty minutes it is like a “place-holder” to start building it into my daily routine, helping my body remember how good it feels in an effort to be gentle and nurturing to the self discipline voice that thinks I “should be” up before dawn doing the 90 minute practice. But I’m with Karen, lately I feel more satisfied dong a longer practice in the late afternoon or evening when my muscles and joints are warm, and I can let go of the thinking part of the day.
I always found that practicing early in the morning revealed a more physically challenged body (stiffness, etc.), but more energy available for the expansion of spirit or consciousness. Later afternoons or evenings were just the reverse. Which is right? Whichever one happened of course! 😉
The traditional models from the medieval haṭha texts talk about 4 times of the day being good points for practice.
Early morning, before lunch, early evening and before bed.
I guess the common denominator is they are all times of transition from one situation to another and thus the model is still very relevant for todays practitioners. Though obviously the choice will be influenced by the personal possibilities in terms of content, purpose, need and lifestyle.
Best wishes Paul
I started to practice mysore in early mornings (5.30am) a few days ago and it has been great. But the main issue is the stiffness of the body, on the evening practice I used to be able to do poses that I just can’t do on the mornings, and it’s quite frustrating to know that you can do something that for some reason your body is not willing to do on that moment. I once read that early morning is when your body is the most honest, so I’ll just keep my early morning practice hoping to achieve full honesty of body and mind.