What have I gotten myself into? I am so not a morning person, yet I have volunteered to teach the 6:30 am Vinyasa class at the Buddha Lounge, my yoga studio in Delray Beach, twice a week.

Why would I do this to myself? I am cranky and half-sleeping for hours after I wake up. Until recently, I slept until 11 am on weekends and only got up then because I felt guilty. I had royally screwed up my body’s rhythm from all of my years bartending, when I would work until 5 am and sleep until midday. And the years working for the gossip rags, going out to fabulous parties until 2 and 3 am on weeknights, regularly, didn’t help any either. Seriously. I was a disaster.

But from a yogic perspective, I felt like the universe was presenting me with a new, exciting opportunity that I would be crazy to pass up. Maybe having to peel myself from my comfy bed at 5:25 is just what I need. Maybe I will become a whole new person – a morning person.

Don’t get my wrong – there is nothing better than waking up before dawn. And even more amazing is doing Sun Salutations as the sun rises. There is a whole different energy at this time of day. Everything is so quiet and serene, and everything seems possible. I feel like I have the entire day ahead to get done everything I need to do, and then some. I feel so accomplished after I have taught 2 yoga classes, had breakfast, read the Daily New and the Post and taken the dogs for a long walk…and it’s still only 9:30 am.

Of course, my main issue with arising so early is that I am dead tired by midday. Like, I feel like I will collapse by 2 pm. I usually need a nap, which cuts into all of that precious time I was planning to use to do all of those important things. And then I’m up all night, mindlessly trolling gossip blogs. *sigh*

But I’m learning to embrace it. Last April, I decided I wanted to become a yoga teacher and a nutrition counselor. I took a giant leap of faith and went for it. Well, it’s all worked out and now I’m living the life I always imagined. Even if it’s just a few hours too early…