An Opportunity For Reflection Through Action

Cats generally spend sixteen hours of the day sleeping, and newborn babies around the same. Honeybees sleep five to eight hours. Giraffes get by on only about thirty minutes of sleep, while a certain species of bat sleeps almost nineteen hours. We’ve all experienced a good night’s sleep as well as a terrible night’s sleep, so we know the difference it can make. When we sleep well through the night, we wake up in the morning ready to meet the day. And when restful sleep eludes us, we definitely feel it the next day. The autonomic nervous system regulates our bodies’ automatic and involuntary functions like heartrate and breathing. We are meant to flow between these two branches. Our sympathetic system is like stepping on the gas and our parasympathetic system is like stepping on the brakes. In other words, many of us don’t know how to relax, and that also means many of us aren’t sleeping well. More technology can keep us connected, but the downside is that it often keeps us working longer hours. And that doesn’t even address the effects of a global pandemic.

We Never Change

Deep, restful sleep seems more elusive than ever. Thankfully, there are sleep practices to make the promise of quality rest more approachable. Would you like to feel more centered? Would you like to feel more calm and collected? Would you like easy tools to do so? And through consistent practice, we can take the intention of better sleep from possibility to probability. A ritual is where you can make the everyday sacred. It is an opportunity to infuse the everyday with meaning. It is an opportunity for reflection through action. And maybe in our busy lives, we can begin to invite more space and spaciousness into the everyday and approach sleep in a more sacred way. You lie down in bed and you just forget it, forget it all, let it go. If only it were that easy! But why is sleep so hard to come by? The simple answer is stress. When we are able to invite balance into our system, we can sleep more soundly. Are you familiar with the term sleep hygiene? It encompasses all the ways in which we can set ourselves up for better sleep. In the same way you maintain daily personal hygiene, like brushing your teeth and showering, sleep hygiene is a baseline for setting up a more ideal environment for rest.

Us And Them

Sleep hygiene begins with shutting off your laptop and phone an hour or so before bed. Studies have shown that the blue light from electronics disrupts melatonin production, which is essential for regulating sleep. So, if possible, start there. Eat dinner at least three hours before bedtime in order to leave enough time to properly digest. Keep the bedroom temperature on the cool side. Make the room as dark as possible. This might also mean investing in a small bedside clock if you use your phone as an alarm. Those are just a few ways to help invite in better sleep. The calmer the environment, the better. Creating consistent sleep rituals will help condition your system to prepare for deeper cycles of rest. The following sections will offer more techniques to incorporate into your bedtime ritual. Play with these practices and see what resonates with you.

Nine More Lives

More importantly, approach these practices in the most compassionate way possible. It’s better to take baby steps to avoid becoming overwhelmed and to set yourself up for success. If that sounds like your usual routine, your first sleep hygiene step might be to leave the phone in the living room when you go to bed. These elemental building blocks of the universe form the foundation of our bodies as well. Depending on the tradition, the elements of Earth, Fire, Water, Wood or Air, and Metal or Ether are said to be present within us all. However, it’s also true that most people are primarily dominant in certain elements. Suppose that you know someone who seems very grounded. You might characterize this person as dependable and loyal. Their body type may seem thick or solid, their voice warm and deep. If you were to ask for their astrological sign, it’s likely you would find that it corresponds with an Earth sign. Someone who’s an Air sign might have a thin, narrow build. But more often, we are a mix of various elements. It’s interesting to notice how the elements show up in our physiology and in our personalities. The root of the word universe is the Latin uni, meaning one, and versus, meaning turned. The universe is everything turned into one. We are a part of the universe, and it is a part of us. There is nothing outside of us, and everything is within us. As within, so without. As the universe, so the soul. The elements are all around us and within us. With awareness, we can use the elements to support and help us. The following sections are about taking simple actions and imbuing them with intention. In this way, we can create rituals that allow us to tap into the elemental energy of the universe. The Earth element helps us to ground ourselves through action and our physical presence. Earth reminds us to get out of our heads and into our bodies. Grounding ourselves means we connect to the stability and foundation of the Earth element. In that connection and support, we can release and clear extraneous energy. When we feel more secure and balanced, we are better able to surrender ourselves to sleep. When hearing sounds that give you goose bumps, have you ever felt your hair stand on end? Your system is sensing something and then tuning in to a feeling and a sense of knowing. Combing out your hair at night, or simply using a comb or brush to massage your head, is a great way to clear out your sensory system and anchor yourself and your thoughts in your physical surroundings.