Wake up at 5:15am, press 5 minute snooze once. Out of bed by 5:20am.
Make green tea in to-go travel mug and some yogurt concoction in a tupperware to go.
Catch 6:02am bus filled with an eclectic mix of ambitious early risers out to catch the first rays of sun for their run/swim/other athletic activity sitting next to still drunk revelers trying to make it home before the sun rises (they’re failing). This particular morning being the Sunday after the Saturday of Halloween, there were a few costumed revelers.
Arrive at Bondi beach at 6:20am, take a stroll in the sand, find a rock to do some brief yoga and a meditation upon.
Saunter over to the Icebergs club to teach 7am yoga class.
By 7:45am, I’ve lead a feisty group of yogis through 5 sun salutations, a few warrior poses and far more movement than I’d ever used to imagine anyone interested in before 9am. Yet regardless of my previous judgement about the morning hours, the classes are usually busy, people are awake and mostly ready to go. Even the beach-side and ocean water filled pool we teach the classes at is teaming with swimmers by 7am. Bondi beach itself is crawling with surfers and some runners (and the occasional, let’s watch the sunrise since we’re still drunk and awake partyers) by the time I’ve arrived at 6:20am for my meditation.
This is all fascinating to me (maybe not to you reader) because in my past life as a New York City dweller and corporate worker/market researcher, I dreaded the mornings. Especially the weekend mornings, usually I was hung over from the night before. I would drag my sorry butt out of bed around 11:30am, blink my eyes open enough to make coffee and then head to brunch around 12pm/1pm. Have some bloody mary’s to cure said hang over. After brunch I might go for a shop, buy some things I didn’t need that cost to much because of my slightly buzzed state. Basically, what I’m saying here, is that I nearly never saw the 5:15am hour unless I myself was one of the drunk revelers. I pretty much never saw the 6am-7am hour no matter what and was lucky if I even woke by 8:15am on the weekdays to get to work by 9:30am.
It’s not like I’ve become a yoga teacher and all of a sudden I’m a made over person who never drinks and loves my super early mornings. Yes, I don’t drink as much and do enjoy the fresh quiet of the morning. However, it’s also a change in culture and location. New Yorkers lack any respectable outdoor space, in fact most of the public space in New York is crowded, concrete, loud and busy. Meanwhile, Sydneysiders enjoy multitude of parks and beaches all within very accessible distance from their homes. Of course they are all up early, they’re taking advantage of their beautiful city, weather, sun and waves! New Yorkers pride themselves on their cool, unique and ahead of the curve bars/restaurants/clubs etc. Therefore, they stay out late on the weekends frequently said establishments. Sydney is relatively lacking in that cool bar area, so early to bed for its residents.
Change of culture, change of environment, change of profession, change of habits and lifestyle. These early morning hours just mean I now rest my head down on the pillow by 10pm. A major faux paux in NYC but I’m slowly adjusting.