Brahmamuhurtha

Brahma muhurta (time of Brahma) is a period (muhurta) one and a half hours before sunrise or more precisely 1Hr 36 Mins before sunrise. (i.e. 96 Minutes = 2 Muhūrta or 4 Ghaṭīkā.) Literally meaning "The Creator's Hour", it is traditionally the last phase or muhurta of the night and is considered an auspicious time for all practices of yoga and most appropriate for meditation, worship or any other religious practice. Each muhurta lasts 48 minutes, and therefore the Brahma muhurta begins 1 hour and 36 minutes before sunrise, and ends 48 minutes before sunrise. The time of sunrise varies each day, according to geographic location and time of year, thus the time time of the Brahma muhurta also varies. For example, if sunrise is at 6am, the brahma muhurta begins at 4:24am. If sunrise is at 7am, brahma muhurta begins at 5:24am, and so on. ^[1][2][3][4]

In Yoga^[5][6][7]

Sri Thirumalai Krishnamacharya (S. T. K.)stated "Think of God. If not God, the sun, if not the sun, your parents."^[8] S. T. K. identified himself with Vaishnavism(worship of Vishnu), as did Annanta, under the guidance of Shiva, who is the first yogi.^[9] A modern Yogi would then show reverence to the sun.

In the Kali Yuga, divinity can still be reached through yoga, but because of the agitated mind associated with the Yuga, Yoga must be practiced through Kriya, based on asana.^[9] It is therefore common for modern yogis whose lineage can be traced to S. T. K. to practice the Suryanamaskara (Sun Salutation) in the morning. The Sun Salutation can be used in ritual cleansing practice that uses the mind states associated with Vata in Ayurveda. These mind states are mentioned in Patanjali's Yoga sutras ^[10] These qualities are nearer to the divine, as they pertain to stillness of the mind, which allows for the spirit to shine. It's because of the inherently stiller state of mind in Brahmamuhurtha, that meditative states can be more easily achieved.^[9]

Importance of waking up in Brahma Muhurta

Ayurveda states that there are three doshas found in the human physical body, called Vata (Air and Ether), Pitta (Fire and Water) and Kapha (Earth and Water). The increase or decrease of these three doshas is related to the cycles of time. From sunrise until 10:00am is the time of Kapha; from 10:00am until 2:00pm is Pitta time; and from 2:00pm until sunset (6:00pm) is the time of Vata.

The evening follows a similar pattern, from 6:00pm until 10:00pm is the time of Kapha, from 10:00pm until 2:00am is the time of Pitta, and from 2:00am until 6:00am (sunrise) is Vata time. Brahmamuhurtha occurs during the Vata phase of the morning, between 2:00am and 6:00am, and Yoga masters state that the best time to meditate is one and a half hours before dawn, because the mind is inherently still at that time, enabling one to achieve a deeper meditative state.^[11]

References