Heavy sleeper — easy taker
How to "get along" with sleep disorders
If all our life is a dream (as they say) that we must watch till the end, then sleep must be very important for life. :)
In today’s urban hasty lifestyle people are too often suffer from sleep disorders. The reasons are more than enough: stress, lack of movement, wrong daily regimen and even a poor diet. We will not dwell on all the links between sleep disorders and functions of all body systems. For the sake of clarity and briefness we’ll only focus on what can and should be done to solve this problem.
In many cases just a regular practice of hatha yoga helps in promoting an appropriate regimen of sleep and wakefulness. However, you must correctly set accents and learn to hear yourself slowing down in a noisy race of modern life.
Pay attention to the following in your daily routine:
1.Daily regimen should conform with the biorhythms of nature. One should go to bed "today", i.e. up to 24 hours, get up "tomorrow" and preferably before sunrise.
2. Before retiring to bed do not use any gadgets. At all. (This is a challenge indeed, but that’s what a real yogi is committed to accept! :)) However reading of spiritual literature, evening meditation and / or prayer, as well as thoughtful "debriefing" of the day with humility and compassion will provide immense help in curing sleep disorders.
3. Do not drink stimulating beverages. If you have sleep disorders you should not drink them at all. As an indulgence one can allow himself a cup of tea early in the morning.
4. Avoid having a full meal just before retiring to bed. Warm milk with spice and honey will be the best solution instead.
5. Have lunch between 12 and 15 hours. It should be warm cooked (not "heated" in the microwave!) food. Under conditions of office life use thermos with kitchari for instance. The main thing — awareness and silence during the mealtime.
6. At lunchtime and / or after work arrange a promenade, at a leisurely pace, being totally aware of your feet and legs and the gravity at least for 20 minutes.
7. Restrain from talking too much, especially in the evening.
The emphasis in hatha yoga practice:
1. Sutra-Neti and Kapalabhati practice every morning the morning unless you have any counterindications (period, tumors, acute digestive system problems). It’ll wake you really up, give the energy boost and will improve your concentration, even if you were unable to sleep during the night.
2. Active and dynamic practice of hatha yoga in the morning with a proper Savasana in the end and relaxation in the evening.
3. Soft so-called "tha" mode of practice (with predominance of stretching) in the evening with a predominance of forward bending and lying postures.
4. Stretching of the muscles of the shoulder girdle (even if there’s no time for complete yoga practice). It helps after a stressfull day when the head tends to "hide in the shoulders."
Gomukhasana, Garudasana for hand, Eka Bhudzha Svastikasana 1, "Dragonfly" and other asanas for arms developed by Andrey Lappa.
5. Regular practice of Bramari and/or Nadi Sodhana pranayams in a comfortable position (either mornings and evenings, or at least in the evening).
6. Regular practice of Trataka with a candle before going to bed. This will help to stabilize the mind and make it quieter. It is also very helpful to set good contact with the fire and put any thought which occurs during the practice into this fire — the universal transformation power. As soon as one can trust the fire, one gets deeply relaxed…
Aromatherapy to help
Use of essential oils (EO) can be a great help in establishing the correct daily regimen and overcoming sleep disorders.
The most effective are the following:
1. Using in aromadiffusor (3−5 drops), or adding to the bath (3−5 drops pre-mixed with salt) EO of Litsea Cubeba, preferably in the morning and noon. This oil is a true magic, it stimulates memory and alertness and harmonizes the body’s biorhythms. It is also know as very effective antidepressant.
2. Using soothing oils such as lavender, olibanum (incense), valerian (valeriana wallichi), ylang-ylang and sandalwood in aromadiffusor or in bath in the evening before retiring to bed. If you drop only one drop of the EO of valerian on a cotton ball and put it next to your pillow it will "lull" you and help to improve the quality of your sleep — you will get up fresh and light after 6−7 hours of sleep. If there are no problems with falling asleep but you tend to wake up in the middle of the night, then it is better to use the EO of nardostachys jatamansi.
3. Regular oiling or ayurvedic Abhyanga especially for slim and excitable people adding to 50 ml of base oil 20 drops, for example, of EO of ylang-ylang (very good for women, harmonizes the function of the reproductive system), lavender (perfect for hypertension), sandalwood, cypress (also effectively helps with varicose veins), vetiver, patchouli and other. Abhyanga is usually performed in the morning with warm oil (heated to 40 degrees in water bath) in a downward direction, starting from the neck to the feet. It’s sufficient if you leave oil on skin for 45 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
To determine what the base oil is the best for you it is better to consult a specialist in Ayurveda, or at least do one of the tests to determine the current constitution (vkriti).
With the predominance of vata dosha a warming and nourishing sesame seed oil will be ideal, but in case of aggravation pitta dosha sesame oil is not suitable, it’s better to use either coconut oil or grape seed oil. In case of kapha dosh predominance it’s beytter to use corn and almond oil, it also has warming properties, as well as sesame oil, but not so "heavy".
There are many more things to consider about your particular sleep disorder, nut it’s impossible to cover all of the details and possiblities in one brief article. So if the advice here doesn’t help then you’d rather consult a specialist in Ayurveda and revise (our start) your spiritual practice.
And please bear in mind and try to embrace it with your heart — we are all in Good and Loving Hands of Our Divine Parents! Let everything be. Let everything go. We are all loved.
Om Shanti…
How to "get along" with sleep disorders
If all our life is a dream (as they say) that we must watch till the end, then sleep must be very important for life. :)
In today’s urban hasty lifestyle people are too often suffer from sleep disorders. The reasons are more than enough: stress, lack of movement, wrong daily regimen and even a poor diet. We will not dwell on all the links between sleep disorders and functions of all body systems. For the sake of clarity and briefness we’ll only focus on what can and should be done to solve this problem.
In many cases just a regular practice of hatha yoga helps in promoting an appropriate regimen of sleep and wakefulness. However, you must correctly set accents and learn to hear yourself slowing down in a noisy race of modern life.
Pay attention to the following in your daily routine:
1.Daily regimen should conform with the biorhythms of nature. One should go to bed "today", i.e. up to 24 hours, get up "tomorrow" and preferably before sunrise.
2. Before retiring to bed do not use any gadgets. At all. (This is a challenge indeed, but that’s what a real yogi is committed to accept! :)) However reading of spiritual literature, evening meditation and / or prayer, as well as thoughtful "debriefing" of the day with humility and compassion will provide immense help in curing sleep disorders.
3. Do not drink stimulating beverages. If you have sleep disorders you should not drink them at all. As an indulgence one can allow himself a cup of tea early in the morning.
4. Avoid having a full meal just before retiring to bed. Warm milk with spice and honey will be the best solution instead.
5. Have lunch between 12 and 15 hours. It should be warm cooked (not "heated" in the microwave!) food. Under conditions of office life use thermos with kitchari for instance. The main thing — awareness and silence during the mealtime.
6. At lunchtime and / or after work arrange a promenade, at a leisurely pace, being totally aware of your feet and legs and the gravity at least for 20 minutes.
7. Restrain from talking too much, especially in the evening.
The emphasis in hatha yoga practice:
1. Sutra-Neti and Kapalabhati practice every morning the morning unless you have any counterindications (period, tumors, acute digestive system problems). It’ll wake you really up, give the energy boost and will improve your concentration, even if you were unable to sleep during the night.
2. Active and dynamic practice of hatha yoga in the morning with a proper Savasana in the end and relaxation in the evening.
3. Soft so-called "tha" mode of practice (with predominance of stretching) in the evening with a predominance of forward bending and lying postures.
4. Stretching of the muscles of the shoulder girdle (even if there’s no time for complete yoga practice). It helps after a stressfull day when the head tends to "hide in the shoulders."
Gomukhasana, Garudasana for hand, Eka Bhudzha Svastikasana 1, "Dragonfly" and other asanas for arms developed by Andrey Lappa.
5. Regular practice of Bramari and/or Nadi Sodhana pranayams in a comfortable position (either mornings and evenings, or at least in the evening).
6. Regular practice of Trataka with a candle before going to bed. This will help to stabilize the mind and make it quieter. It is also very helpful to set good contact with the fire and put any thought which occurs during the practice into this fire — the universal transformation power. As soon as one can trust the fire, one gets deeply relaxed…
Aromatherapy to help
Use of essential oils (EO) can be a great help in establishing the correct daily regimen and overcoming sleep disorders.
The most effective are the following:
1. Using in aromadiffusor (3−5 drops), or adding to the bath (3−5 drops pre-mixed with salt) EO of Litsea Cubeba, preferably in the morning and noon. This oil is a true magic, it stimulates memory and alertness and harmonizes the body’s biorhythms. It is also know as very effective antidepressant.
2. Using soothing oils such as lavender, olibanum (incense), valerian (valeriana wallichi), ylang-ylang and sandalwood in aromadiffusor or in bath in the evening before retiring to bed. If you drop only one drop of the EO of valerian on a cotton ball and put it next to your pillow it will "lull" you and help to improve the quality of your sleep — you will get up fresh and light after 6−7 hours of sleep. If there are no problems with falling asleep but you tend to wake up in the middle of the night, then it is better to use the EO of nardostachys jatamansi.
3. Regular oiling or ayurvedic Abhyanga especially for slim and excitable people adding to 50 ml of base oil 20 drops, for example, of EO of ylang-ylang (very good for women, harmonizes the function of the reproductive system), lavender (perfect for hypertension), sandalwood, cypress (also effectively helps with varicose veins), vetiver, patchouli and other. Abhyanga is usually performed in the morning with warm oil (heated to 40 degrees in water bath) in a downward direction, starting from the neck to the feet. It’s sufficient if you leave oil on skin for 45 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
To determine what the base oil is the best for you it is better to consult a specialist in Ayurveda, or at least do one of the tests to determine the current constitution (vkriti).
With the predominance of vata dosha a warming and nourishing sesame seed oil will be ideal, but in case of aggravation pitta dosha sesame oil is not suitable, it’s better to use either coconut oil or grape seed oil. In case of kapha dosh predominance it’s beytter to use corn and almond oil, it also has warming properties, as well as sesame oil, but not so "heavy".
There are many more things to consider about your particular sleep disorder, nut it’s impossible to cover all of the details and possiblities in one brief article. So if the advice here doesn’t help then you’d rather consult a specialist in Ayurveda and revise (our start) your spiritual practice.
And please bear in mind and try to embrace it with your heart — we are all in Good and Loving Hands of Our Divine Parents! Let everything be. Let everything go. We are all loved.
Om Shanti…