Books on Happiness / the happiness revolution - 2 students
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However, the rest you get in stages 3 and 4 is the key to sleeping efficiently.
Furthermore, you can now be able to understand why my patient Calvin was having so much trouble with his alarm clock. When Calvin woke up at 5 a.m. feeling rested and ready to go, he was probably rising from either stage 1 or REM sleep – thus he was alert and fully awake. However, when he awoke after setting his alarm clock for an additional 30 minutes of sleep, he was then entering the deeper realms of the sleep (stage 3 or 4). Jolting up from the experience of deep sleep made him feel dull, groggy and irritated. His only error
Checklist for a Restless Night:
•Eating after 7:00 p.m.
•Consuming ca eine after 6:00 p.m.
•Going to sleep after 10:00 p.m.
•Exercising vigorously after 8:00 p.m.
•Watching disturbing television or movies in the hour before you go to bed.
•Listening to disquieting music in the hour before you go to bed.
•Eating spicy foods at your evening meal.
•Handling business or financial concerns the hour before you go to bed.
•Exercising (to the point of increasing your heart rate) less than four times per week.
•Allowing yourself to argue or fight with other members of the household in the hour before you go to bed.
•Drinking co ee throughout the day.
•Drinking ca einated sodas throughout the day.
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was his desire to gain 30 more minutes of sleep. When I explained the sleep cycle to Calvin, he immediately realized the importance of getting up when he felt rested and not setting the alarm.
When you realize that those 20 or 30 minutes of sleep may not o er much rest, and may also ruin your morning, it becomes much easier to get out of bed right away. Furthermore, if you wake up and feel you need more sleep, ideally, you should rest for another 90 minutes to complete another sleep cycle. Since this ideal option is rarely possible, yoga nidra o ers you a wonderful solution.
AYURVEDIC SLEEPING
– YOGA NIDRA
Yoga science o ers you the solutions to help you master the sleep cycle – this knowledge and this ability puts you in a rare class. The great majority of people sleep as docu-
mented by the accepted stages of sleep and the sleep cycle. This means you go from the waking state and gradually descend through four stages of sleep, landing at level 4, the home of deep sleep. It is only in stages 3 and 4 that you are truly gaining rest. However, most people do not stay in these two stages very long. Instead, shortly after reaching the state of deep sleep, you start to drift upward into the second and REM stages of sleep where dreams dominate. Thus, the goal is to maximize your time in stage 3 and particularly in stage 4, so that you can gain deep rest in a shorter period of time.
The Mandukya Upanishad is an ancient text that explores the four states of consciousness. These four basic states of consciousness are waking, dreaming, sleeping, and turiya, which is a comprehensive state beyond the others. Yoga science teaches you how to voluntarily and
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freely travel between the first three states of consciousness, gaining mastery over the sleep cycles. This technique is called yoga nidra, or yogic sleep.
Yoga nidra o ers you the unique opportunity to observe yourself interfacing with three di erent levels of consciousness. According to Swami Rama, yoga nidra is a state of conscious sleep. Karen and I sought to learn yoga nidra with the goal of reducing our sleep, sharpening our minds and deepening our understanding of ourselves. We knew that our identity and self-worth was too deeply entrenched in external worldly values – one bad day at the o ce made life at home di cult that night. We wanted to be able to rest more deeply and understand ourselves at a deeper level. Yoga nidra was the solution for us.
After several months of following Swami Rama’s guidelines for yoga nidra, I wanted to test my progress in a lab. I placed three temperature diodes attached to a biofeedback machine on my forehead, throat and the center of my chest. These three locations are the physiological homes to the three common states of consciousness: waking (forehead), dreaming (throat), and sleeping (heart/center of chest). By placing your awareness at one of these three locations, you can access that state of experience. For example, in the dreaming state, your subtle awareness is unconsciously focused at the throat center. By consciously bringing your awareness to your throat with proper instruction, you will eventually be able to consciously enter the world of dreams. Many yoga texts talk about how the temperature of these three centers is influenced by the mind. When you focus your awareness on one of the three locations, then it is said that the temperature will increase at that specific location as well. Thus, it was logical that the temperature sensors would verify the focus of my concentration. Hooked up to the lab’s computer, I was ready to test my concentration and verify this ancient technique.
I completed the prerequisite exercises in the lab and then began the yoga nidra practice. The biofeedback therapist gave me verbal instruc-
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tions throughout the experiment and made a written record of my body’s state as the computer documented the changes in my body temperature. I was asked to enter and quickly leave the throat and heart center areas. If I stayed too long at the throat center, I could get caught by a dream sequence and forget my experiment. Likewise, if I lingered at the heart center I could remain in deep sleep. As a scientist, I needed to stay sharp and actively control the focus of my mind.
The experiment lasted less than 30 minutes as we tested several rounds of concentration. The computer printouts of my body temperatures and the observations of the therapist were quite conclusive. My body temperature did change at the area of my body where my concentration was focused. At whatever site I held my attention, the temperature increased while at the other two sites the temperature simultaneously decreased. Even though my body snored when I went into deep sleep at the heart center, I felt completely conscious and was able to follow the technician’s verbal instructions. This simple experiment fueled my interest in yoga nidra.
Insight through Sleep
Gaining insight and wisdom through sleep is not a concept that is limited to the tradition of yoga and the technique of yoga nidra. The famous surrealist painter Salvador Dali is reported to have taken a strange type of nap. He would place a metal pan next to a chair and then go to sleep sitting in the chair with a spoon in his hand held over the pan. As soon as he lost consciousness -- and therefore muscle control -- he would drop the spoon. The sound of the spoon clattering on the pan would awaken him. In this brief nap he claimed to find inspiration for his paintings. Thomas Edison used a remarkably similar technique to gain insights for his inventions. He would go to sleep in a chair with ball bearings in his hands. Just like Dali, he would drop them when he lost consciousness and awake inspired and ready to work.
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My further reading about yoga nidra mentioned a fourth state of consciousness, called turiya that can be experienced through practice. This is the fully conscious state that is not lost even in the midst of deep sleep. Turiya is beyond waking, dreaming and sleeping. In turiya, you have the ability to observe yourself in deep sleep, yet you can also gain great insights and knowledge. Thus, afterwards you feel rested and may have gained newfound insights.
While yoga nidra will provide you with deep rest and rejuvenation, the ultimate goal of this practice is much more profound. Yoga nidra is “used to develop wisdom that cannot be developed otherwise… it will help you solve problems and give you solutions…” writes Swami Rama.24 This is the power and insight that yoga nidra o ers you.
AN INTRODUCTION TO YOGA NIDRA
You can learn how to achieve deep rest in a short period of time when you learn yoga nidra. If you spend 10-15 minutes a day practicing the inner methods of yoga nidra, you will not only feel more rested and therefore need less sleep, but you will also soon come to know yourself in a very expansive and inspiring manner.
The first prerequisite to yoga nidra is a moderate level of experience with diaphragmatic breathing, alternate nostril breathing and the 61Point Relaxation exercise. These techniques will improve your health and increase your emotional stability. Furthermore, the sleepiness, commonly felt when learning 61 points, can be overcome through dietary modifications and repetition of the relaxation exercise. When you find it easy to breath diaphragmatically and can travel through all
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61 points without falling asleep, then you are ready to learn ‘Advanced Relaxation.’ When you have a good understanding of these practices, you are ready to begin learning the initial stages of yoga nidra.
Yoga nidra is a multi-layered practice where you graduate to deeper and deeper levels of experience and understanding. In the beginning, you may notice that yoga nidra o ers you a way to gain deep rest in a short period of time. Later you may discover that this technique will greatly benefit your insightfulness and your mental acuity. In this book, I can only provide you with a simple and e ective methodology for you to begin the practice of yoga nidra. A teacher is required for the more advanced levels of this practice.
YOGA NIDRA PRACTICUM – THE FIRST STEP
After having completed the 61-Point Relaxation and Advanced Relaxation, the first step in the practice of yoga nidra begins with finding a consistent time when you are not overly tired or exhausted. If you are sleepy, you will not be able to maintain control over your states of consciousness and will easily slip into the dream world or into the typical stages of sleep.
This exercise should be done in the corpse pose* (shivasana) in a dark room, preferably before sunrise or at sunset. A small pillow should be placed under your head for comfort. You should also not have indigestion or physical discomfort when you practice yoga nidra. Do not practice this first stage of yoga nidra for more than ten minutes because you are likely to fall asleep rather than gain deep rest.
Begin by lying down in an area where phones, computers, or family members will not disturb you. While it is best to practice yoga nidra before sunrise or at sunset, choose any time that is practical for you. It is most important to continue the practice regularly at the same time of day and that your lifestyle remains consistent during the
* The corpse pose is illustrated in Chapter 5.
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weeks or months that you have dedicated to learning this wonderful practice.
In the waking state, your awareness is focused between the two eyebrows. Close your eyes and bring your awareness to this point and take three slow diaphragmatic breaths. Next, move your attention to the throat center -- the home of dreams. Slowly and gently take 10-20 breaths while keeping your awareness at the hollow of your throat. Every breath should be simple, serene and diaphragmatic. Do not linger at your throat center or you will easily slip into the dream world.
Next, bring your attention to your heart center, located in the center of your chest not at your physical heart. Breathe here for the remainder of this practice. The heart center is the main focal point for yoga nidra. You may begin to fall asleep, but try to maintain consciousness as your breath becomes very fine. After about 10 minutes of practicing yoga nidra, start to bring your attention systematically outward. This exercise gives you the rare opportunity to consciously observe the subtle correlation between the focus of your attention and the states of consciousness.
As you gain some experience with this first level of yoga nidra, you will feel greatly re-energized after only a few minutes of this practice. When you want to explore the deeper dimensions of yoga nidra, find an experienced teacher who
can guide you. Combining expert guidance, personal experience and the insights from valid texts will help you come to know about turiya and the amazing possibilities this practice can bring you.
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SLEEP, REST, AND BE HAPPY
Sometimes understanding the sleep cycle and yoga nidra is not enough to free you from the bondage of sleep. There are eight factors that have a tremendous impact on the restfulness of your sleep. To gain deeper rest, you may need to look at these eight factors: your diet, your mind, your breath, your bedtime, your bed itself, your daytime rest, your personal sleep cycle and your waking time.
The first and most important factor for deep sleep and rest is your diet. The last four hours before bedtime are critical. In healthy adults over 25 years of age, solid foods should be avoided for approximately 3-4 hours before bedtime so that your sleep is not merely dictated by the nature of the foods you just ate. When your stomach is busy digesting foods at bedtime, then your mental function is distracted. Thus, when you do not eat solid foods for at least three hours before bedtime, then your mental fire will burn bright as you actively initiate the stages of sleep.
Furthermore, your final meal of the day strongly influences the quality of your sleep. When the last meal of the day is light, fresh and warm, your sleep will be more pleasant and restful. If your final meal of the day is spicy, oily, and lifeless (such as leftovers from previous meals or meat), then your sleep will more likely be agitated, dull, and less restful. Therefore, pay special attention to the final meal of the day.
A wonderful home remedy for insomnia is boiled milk before bedtime. Eight ounces of boiled milk with a teaspoon of sugar can be taken at bedtime and will ensure a more peaceful transition to deep sleep. The carbohydrates in the milk will encourage the release of seratonin and increased absorption of tryptophan. Seratonin is the neurotransmitter of happiness to help you sleep, and tryptophan is the amino acid that is a major building-block in the production of seratonin. Consider having a small glass of hot milk at bedtime to aid in the restfulness of your sleep.
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The second most important factor for good sleep is your mind. A regular practice of meditation before bedtime will calm and cleanse the mind. It is also very important to monitor the stream of information being absorbed by your mind in the final hours before bedtime. Some of my patients had the habit of watching the news just before bedtime. They often complained of bad dreams that involved serious accidents and other types of frightening incidents. The violent and sad stories they saw on the television were actually ruining the quality of their sleep. Once they stopped watching the news before bed, their disturbing dreams ceased.
Another group of my patients su ered because their mind kept replaying the events of their day while they were lying in bed. They had a hard time getting rest because their mind was so busy running through everything that they needed to remember and complete the next day. My simple suggestion of taking ten minutes to write a list of things that they needed to do the following day helped them achieve better sleep and rest. You, too, can make a list of the urgent things that you need to remember and keep it by your bedside so that your mind is free to rest.
The third most important factor of good sleep is your breath. It is important to always breathe through your nose throughout your day. Nasal breathing helps your mental acuity and steadiness. If you are able to take the time for breathing exercises during the day, you will have much better sleep at night. The yogic texts claim that one minute of proper breathing will restore 60 minutes of vitality (pranic pressure) to your mind and body. Spending 12 minutes on focused breathing twice daily will provide you with the rejuvenative 24 minutes needed to re-vitalize yourself from the last 24 hours of your day. I ask my patients who have insomnia or other sleep disorders to learn alternate nostril breathing and practice it during those 12 minutes.
Going to bed on time is essential and is the fourth important factor
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for good, restful sleep. When you stay up past 10 p.m., it becomes easier to stay awake long after midnight. This is because the fire of metabolism peaks between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Thus, you will have a greater ability to control your sleep and get deeper amounts of rest if you are sound asleep before 10 p.m. Also, by going to bed a little earlier you will not be so exhausted at bedtime.
Your bed is also very important in your sleep habits – your bed is the fifth factor for good sleep. If your bed is overly comfortable, it can be very di cult to get out of bed in the morning. Likewise, an uncomfortable bed can make it very di cult to gain any rest. Therefore, it is important to have a bed that provides support, yet does not engulf you with too much comfort.
If it is possible, the bed can become your exclusive retreat for sleep and rest. Reading, knitting, television viewing and work activities are not bedroom activities. Keep the
bed as a sanctuary for rest and relationships. It trains your mind to immediately calm down and begin to rest when you go to bed. I urge my patients with insomnia to use their bed only for sleeping.
The sixth factor for good sleep is taking 10-15 minutes to rest in the afternoon. A “power nap” can help
you get your edge back when done properly. As you spend more time in the deeper stages of sleep, you will naturally need less time in bed. Taking a 10to 15-minute rest in the afternoon can further advance your ability to reduce your sleep. It is incredible how this short period of rest can help you make it through the remainder of your day with vigor and vitality. I have included the entire technique for this power nap earlier in this chapter.