Only a quiet mind can sleep at night
Never under estimate the power of spending time in silence for better sleep.
Silence is often referred to as the language of the Gods in Ayurveda and yoga. Yoga and Ayurveda are sister sciences, because there’s no true yoga without Ayurveda and no true Ayurveda without yoga.
Observing a certain amount of silence is an essential part of daily yoga practice. Being in silence encourages the mind to journey inwards. When the awareness moves inwards, your mind will quieten.
Remember, only quiet minds sleep at night!
Ayurvedic healing involves a connection to the spirit in whatever form that works for you. It’s regarded as an important part of well being. Disconnected souls become individual and selfish, wanting things only for themselve and results in excessive overwork and stress
Those with a connection to spirit are much more relaxed, connected to their intuition and usually more successful in the long run.
The only way to connect to spirit is through silence because there’s too much noise in our daily life
In our modern Western lifestyle, silence is very elusive. Even when at home people ‘need’ the company of the radio or the TV in the back ground. It’s as though, we can’t bear the silence, we’re almost avoiding it! Are we afraid to be alone with our thoughts?
This is a beautiful quote about how in silence, great power is revealed to you.
“The true contemplative is not one who prepares his mind for a particular message that he wants, or expects to hear, but is one who remains empty because he knows that he can never expect to anticipate the words that will transform his darkness to light. He does not even anticipate a special kind of transformation. He does not demand light instead of darkness. He waits on the word of the universe in silence, and, when he is answered it is not so much by a word that bursts into his silence. It is by his silence itself, suddenly, inexplicably revealing itself to him as a word of great power, full of the voice of universe”
When I visit the ashram in India, it’s perfectly normal to observe silence until after breakfast every day. It’s hugely nourishing to come out of the practice and not feel like you’ve got to immediately ‘chat’ with someone. It allows you stay in the peaceful state from the practice a little longer.
On my retreats, I like to have one day in silence. Whilst it may seem odd at first, the retreat participants love it and when they come out, it’s almost as though they go from black and white to colour. They just glow, even the colour of their skin looks different!
The energy completely transforms as a result of the silence.
If you’re struggling with sleep deprivation or exhaustion, make the time to get to a retreat. Some people say “I can’t afford it”, or “I can’t take the time”. Think about what would happen if you don’t do something? Fast forward five years of pushing yourself to the limits and think about how that could manifest?
Imagine what it would be like being somewhere that’s truly peaceful, cut off from the demans of your frenetic life. I suspect it’s hard to imagine if you’ve not done it for years.
Taking time for yourself is a necessity, not a luxury. Just do it! This is what In the Moment Magazine says about retreats
Find out about Sleepology yoga here