How to Wake up Well – 4 Practical Tips from Sadhguru

“Before you move your body, your body and your brain should be active. You should not get up dumb.” —Sadhguru

Tip #1: Wake Up With a Smile 

Then if a hundred and fifty thousand died, at least a few million people lost someone who is dear to them. Check on those four or five people who matter to you. All of them are alive today. Give yourself one more big smile! I am telling you, this is a simple first step to your spiritual process.

You are alive. If we put a gun to your head right now, will you think it is a relief? You will be terrorized. That is how precious it is for you to be alive.

Tip #2: Don’t Get Alarmed

The kind of sounds you come awake to will determine the context of the day and the future of your life in many ways. Coming awake to an alarm bell with a sudden start is not the best way to do your life. The kind of food that you consume, the kind of thoughts and emotions that you process within yourself and the level of vibrance that you have managed within your body will determine how much sleep you need. You know the amount of sleep that you need, so you must go to bed early enough so that you come awake naturally. If you are coming awake naturally, but you doubt whether you will come awake on time or not, you can use a certain chant – like one of the Vairagya chants – to wake up.

Tip #3: Waking Up On the “Right” Side

One important aspect of your physiology is your heart. It is the pumping station for your blood, which pumps life across the body. If this one thing does not happen, nothing happens. This starts from left side. In India, they have told you that when you wake up, you must roll to your right side and get up. They have told you that if you roll to your left side and get up, bad things will happen to you. This is because when the body is in a certain state of relaxation, the metabolic activity is low. When you get up, there is a certain surge of activity. That is why they told you to roll to your right side.

Tip #4: Rub Your Hands Together and Place Them Upon Your Eyes

A whole science of living has been built into your life. They told you that you must rub your hands together and place them upon your eyes in the morning after you wake up. There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands. If you rub these two palms together, the system immediately comes awake. If you are feeling sleepy, just do this and everything will come awake. Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and the other aspects of your senses will come awake. Before you move your body, your body and your brain should be active. You should not get up dumb. That is the idea. You can do that and then roll over to your right and get up.

Editor's Note: Sleeping well is also a key factor in how you wake up. Here are 6 tips from Sadhguru on how to sleep well.