When I was learning kalaripayattu in Kozhikode, for the few days, naturally body hurt with the exertion. “Good pain” I guess the fitness folk call it.

Maybe because it is also spiritual or the rigorous exercise led to better sleep, I happened to wake up by 3AM often in those days.

With body all stiff and hurting, I used to sit up and do breath watching. Doing breath watching first thing after waking up has been a natural choice for ages. Robert Svoboda also recommends it in his morning routine.

Lo Voila, the first time I did this in those days, the body discomfort reduced by 50-60 %. Maybe even more.

So I tried to do it everyday. It was an amazing find.

Recently, one Swami from Isha Foundation told me something similar in relation to my long covid symptoms –

Wake up at 3 AM, do your surya kriya (similar to surya namaskar) very slowly – deep breathing and awareness. It fixes most problems.

I instantly recalled my kalaripayattu experience.

While waking up at 3AM is highly recommended for spiritual benefit – Brahma muhurat and all that. I had not heard this being recommended as a health fix before. But I had already experienced the health benefits and thought maybe it was a one off. But if 3AM yoga is being recommended as a health fix – it is really interesting. And worth trying out!

Much gratefulness for the many yogis who brought this great science to us. And the current yogis who made it easier to access for me…