We’ve all been there; blinking into the darkness, fidgeting and harumphing, increasingly aware of the approaching morning. Here are some kundalini yoga techniques for sleep…
1. Breathing through your left nostril helps to calm your frenetic mind, reduce your body temperature and prime you to drop off. If you lie on your right side (which has the added bonus of nourishing and comforting your liver), it will help to open up your left nostril. You can also try blocking your right nostril and breathing long and deep through your left nostril for 11 minutes before bedtime, either sitting up or lying in bed, to help relax you.
2. If you’ve had a particularly restless night, try 15 minutes of shoulder stand in the morning – it’s said to be the equivalent of two hours of sleep. Be careful if you have any neck injuries or blood pressure issues, or are menstruating. The alternative posture for shoulder stand is to lie on the floor with your legs resting up the wall – also a great posture to do to prepare your body for sleep.
3. Have a delicious bowl of lettuce soup as your evening meal. Yogi Bhajan called this a natural opium. Simmer a head of lettuce with your favourite herbs and spices to taste and then blend it into a soothing soup. It’s delicious supper and a perfect remedy for a good night’s sleep.
4. Try the Ayurvedic herb Ashwaganda to re-establish your long-term sleep rhythms. This remedy helps to regulate your sleep cycles over time, facilitating more refreshing sleep.
Mudra: Press your palms together in prayer mudra with fingers exactly fitted against each other and thumbs fully connected leaving no peeking space.
Eyes: 9/10 closed with vision parallel the nose.
Instructions: Inhale deeply, hold the breath in while you mentally chant: Wahe guru 8 times.
Then exhale completely, hold the breath out and mentally chant 8 times: Wahe guru in the same rhythm and speed.
Wonderful, simple, it is the simplest thing to do. At the moment your mind wants to go elsewhere do this. You can expand your capacity of your life experience with 11 minutes a day. Be still at the end and feel the effect as you hold the breath in and concentrate. Feel expansion and light from within and see the light and expansion. There can be a tremendous change in your destiny because it brings the neutrality of the tattwas (elements of the universe earth, either, air, fire, water). You can magnify its effect by sharing it, teaching it, and doing it as a group meditation.
Sleep well! Sat nam x