I wake up around 6.30am, with a gentle light alarm. Cortisol levels are at their peak in the morning, which is not inherently a bad thing; cortisol has an important role in energy and alertness. But being jolted awake when those levels are already elevated feels aggressive. Starting gently, with light not noise, is an act of kindness to your nervous system.
Before anything else, I stretch. Overnight, the body is relatively still for hours, which causes the fascia and muscles to stiffen and spinal fluid to shift. A morning stretch restores circulation, reactivates the lymphatic system and signals to the nervous system that the body is ready to move.
