At First Light

At first light:

at first light, with dawn just past the hint of day and sun now giving rise — this is the time to be outside, if only for a short walk or a few breaths of morning air. Research shows the many benefits of this practice, that it has a profoundly positive effect on health and overall well being. Exposure to early morning light is the first step towards our later sleep that night, it’s a process that begins with sunlight entering our eyes and every cell responding to this joy. Literally, the brain fires up, trillions of cells throughout the body perform their own version of sun salutation, it’s a yoga of light and mind. Science calls this photobiomodulation, a chemical reaction triggered at first light and its effects carry all the way through to that last moment when we close our eyes to the ending of the day.

this first light is sending us a message, stirring the brain to produce the proper hormones for the coming day, suppressing melatonin production for favor of cortisol and serotonin. This is reversed as evening approaches, the raw material of serotonin is converted to melatonin and prepares us to sleep once more. There is such great wisdom of body and nature here, their complete function displayed, how everything responds to the seamless structure of life’s endless rhythm.