I was recently reading an article “A Meditation Teacher’s 3 Tips for Deeper Sleep in Just 7 Minutes” in which the writer describes his experience with heartfulness together with some tips from his teacher for a deeper sleep.
After reading the article, it prompted me to share with you some of yoga’s secrets to a good night’s sleep. In addition to helping calm the mind and relax the body through heartfulness and many other pre-meditation techniques, yoga takes you to a deeper level of relaxation and meditation—one that will help get to the root of your sleep problems and more!
Since time immemorial, yogis have practiced a technique known as yoga nidra.This ancient yoga technique is very effective in relieving the physical and mental stress that is often the cause of poor sleep. We offer a unique version of this ancient yoga relaxation technique by combining it with Yoga Sound Meditation to make it even more effective in helping overcome insomnia and disturbed sleep.
Over the years, we have heard from so many people who have found relief from insomnia in this practice. One lady told us that her friend’s mother-in-law, who suffered insomnia for more than ten years, fell asleep the first time she heard our guided Yoga Relaxation & Meditation CD. This technique is very easy to practice. First you will be guided to consciously relax each part of your body, one at a time. This will help soothe the nerves and release stored tension and stress from each part of the body. Then, in a deeply relaxed condition, you can rest your mind and heart in the Yoga Sound Meditation that follows.
Yoga Sound Meditation is the ultimate panacea for stress and anxiety. According to the ADAA, stress and anxiety may cause sleeping problems or exacerbate existing problems. Anxiety is a lot deeper than stress. At the root of anxiety is an inner spiritual emptiness that can only be fulfilled with spiritual food.
As we describe in more detail in our recent Asana Journal article, it is explained in the yoga texts that our true identity is spiritual, not material. We are not our physical bodies, but rather we are the atma, or spirit soul temporarily residing in the material body. Just as we need material food to sustain our body, we (the spiritual living being) require spiritual food.
So what is that spiritual food? Let me read an excerpt from our upcoming book that answers this question in a nutshell:
What is it that can actually bring me the spiritual peace and happiness that I need? Yoga Sound Meditation. This is the conclusion of yoga scriptures and the most enlightened yoga spiritual masters. They have concluded that in order for us to experience inner peace, freedom from fear and anxiety, and deep happiness, we need to cultivate perfect wisdom and pure love. And the means for us to do this is the practice of Yoga Sound Meditation. Indeed, they have concluded that Yoga Sound Meditation is the means to cultivate such perfect wisdom and pure love. The transcendental sound, which is at the heart of Yoga Sound Meditation, is in fact the sound incarnation of perfect wisdom and pure love … it is actually the food which our hearts long for.
In the article on heartfulness I referred to earlier, the writer describes meditation as “imagining there is a light filling your heart and expanding and focusing on the lightness of your heart”. Techniques such as these are described as pre-meditation techniques because they help calm our minds and prepare them for actual meditation. Pre-meditation techniques such as heartfulness may offer temporary relief from stress, but without the power of spiritually potent yoga sound vibrations, such techniques cannot dissolve deep-rooted anxiety. Simply by adding the transcendental sound to such practices, however, they become surcharged with spiritual potency.
So regardless of your choice of premeditation or relaxation techniques, I highly recommend you enhance it with Yoga Sound Meditation for an even deeper sleep. You can learn how to practice Yoga Sound Meditation here. We have also recently released an easy meditation kit that is designed to make your learning and practice of meditation very easy and enjoyable. You can practice Yoga Sound Meditation any time during the day. Most people also find it very helpful to relax and just listen to and immerse their mind and heart in the soothing transcendental sounds on our Yoga Sound Meditation CDs for 30-60 minutes before going to bed.
In addition to getting a better night’s sleep, you’ll find many aspects of your life are improved by this simple yet wonderful practice.
With that, I wish you a good night’s sleep!
Wai Lana
