3 practices for better sleep
In Ayurveda, early fall and winter are known for wreaking havoc on our ability to rest. These three practices will help fortify your sleep and balance the excess Vata energy within, so you can feel more grounded and calm all season long.
Riding through these difficult days can leave us feeling depleted, and even getting recuperative sleep can be a challenge. On top of that, in the Ayurvedic tradition it’s Vata season, which is known to wreak havoc on our ability to rest.
Vata is the Air element characterized by wind, movement, coolness, and dryness. In autumn and early winter, Vata is the dominant energy both around and within us. It is also dominant through times of change and transition, as we age, and in various other ungrounding conditions.
If our own Vata is over-abundant, we may have a harder time feeling grounded and calm; we may experience less rejuvenating sleep, or deplete more quickly than usual.
This isn’t without repercussions. In Ayurveda, sleep issues—such as insomnia, waking in the middle of the night, or not achieving restful sleep—are considered the root of many illnesses and physical and mental imbalances.
The good news is that yoga offers many tools to help regain rejuvenating sleep, create more optimal conditions for sleep, or at least get some of the healing properties of sleep during the day.
Lastly, it’s important to keep in mind that while Vata seems like a challenging energy, it’s important not to label it as “bad” or “negative.” The truth is that it’s necessary. When Vata is in balance, it can be very powerful. It’s the energy we need to help carry us through transition; it’s the energy we need for change, re-creation, and transformation.
relaxing, vata-balancing practices for better sleep & rejuvenating rest
Here, I offer practices to help fortify your rest and balance the excess Vata energy within, so you can feel more grounded and calm all season long.
In general, an early evening practice is a good idea to get the body prepared to unwind and relax. Make sure you don’t activate the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) with back bends or a vigorous practice. Move slowly, smoothly, and calmly, with a focus on grounding (especially your feet and legs), deep breath, and relaxation.
1. COUNTDOWN TO CALM
If you find it difficult to settle down and quiet your mind, try Counting Your Exhales. This technique works prior to starting a yoga or meditation practice, when trying to sleep, or even before a business meeting.
Sit or lay in a comfortable position. Take a few letting-go breaths. Then, starting on an exhale, and focus on the number 10. (Maybe picture the number as you mentally count it.) On the next exhale, lightly concentrate on the number 9. Then continue to count down on each exhale. When you get to one, start again with 10.
Continue the cycle for 3-5 minutes. When your mind begins to wander, just notice it and without judgment draw your attention back to the number of the breath you are on. Do not be surprised or upset if you forget the number you are on; simply start again at 10.
2. RELAXMORE (OR SLEEP)
In 2002, I recorded a guided audio meditation to help people consciously relax. For almost 20 years, the number one comment I receive about the practice is that "I never heard the end of it.” Apparently, unintentionally, I actually made a sleep practice! Try it, and let me know.
To prepare, set yourself up in Savasana or bed, and enjoy my 20 minute Relaxmore practice, now on Spotify.
3. PRE-BED REST
Sometimes a simple, single pose can be a powerful sleep aid. This simple Restorative Yoga posture helps you prepare for sleep. (You can do it right before bed!)
May you find grounding and ease through this time of transition and transformation.
p.s. is your back “acting up” this autumn?
For many of us, the lower back tends to "act up" during the autumn, or in other times of change and transition. In my practice series this week, I offered a therapeutic sequence to explore the foundational psoas, bring us back into our core, activate the parts of the body that support stability, and establish a balanced alignment needed to relieve excess tension in the low back. Most importantly, the practice welcomed ourselves back into our body, so we can feel at home with our breath, here on the earth now.
This 60-minute on-demand practice is now available through:
