Time and again I run into people who have trouble sleeping. For many of us the deep sleep that all of us experienced as children where we wake totally refreshed is just a memory. Well I’m happy to tell you there is a wonderful simple way that the Taoist monks invented thousands of years ago that requires no harsh training or special abilities. I have explained this very simple technique later in this article.
First, let’s discus the cause of sleep problems and more importantly why deep sleep is so important for our bodies. When we sleep deeply the body uses this time to do repair and the most important job of all, “REGENERATION”. Yes, deep sleep can actually reverse the effects of aging.
So how do we lose this precious ability as we age? Why do so many of us have to take sleeping pills? Are we just doomed to lose the ability we had as children?
Many so called experts on health will give you all sorts of reasons as to why you are not sleeping, They will say, hey you know what, its natural to loose this ability to sleep deeply as you age. Or your thyroid is not functioning correctly; you need to take this medicine.
If we look deeply in our hearts we will discover the deep conviction that it must be possible to live and age gracefully and to retain the wonders of childlike sleep. It’s one of the reasons I think the beauty business is so profitable because it taps into a very deep conviction within us that we somehow have the potential for radiant health and aliveness within.
The Taoists believe that it is over-identification with our mental aspects, our mind, that causes all our problems. In fact, if you look at so many spiritual traditions they all emphasize meditation and stilling the mind. Why?
When we meditate we have a chance to go beyond the mind to identify with our immortal spirit, the awareness, the consciousness that we truly are. For many of us this is just a nice concept and it’s not something we really want to cultivate….But the Taoists would say, you go ahead and cultivate your worldly life but also spend an equal amount of time cultivating and developing the sure conviction that you are an immortal spirit as well.
Children live much more in their bodies, feelings and spirit, until we as “wise” adults train this out of them. Jesus said it so beautifully “Unless you become as little children you can not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” We need to get back deeply in touch with our spirit and joy and live more fully in the present moment. Of course I’m not suggesting that its not important to train our minds, absolutely, but we tend to do it at the expense of our spirit and inner joy.
So one powerful way to do that is getting in touch with the deepest part of us where new cells are created deep in the bone marrow. We never really think of our amazing bones, unless we break one. Then we realize how important they are. They provide the structure for us to live and have a life. If we stand correctly and inhabit our bones deeply our mind because naturally peaceful.
Please don’t take my word for it, try the Taoist Bone Breathing Exercise below and see how your sleep improves dramatically. Don’t be surprised if you fall asleep as you practice.
It’s best to practice when you first get into bed, lie comfortably. I recommend on your side with one leg bent, resting over the over the other leg that is straight. But any position that feels good for you is also fine.
Start to be aware of your finger tips on both hands and co ordinate your breathing. As you breath in imagine you are drawing the air and life force into the tips of your finger bones and draw the breath all the way to the wrist joints on one inhalation, as you exhale breath out from the wrist joints to the finger tips. Keep doing this until you start to feel your bones. You may feel them become heavier and they may feel warm, or more condensed. This is very good. The heavier and denser they become you are doing it right. Once you have the heavy feeling in the hands now add the feet at the same time.
From tips of toes all the way to ankle joints on inhalation and then out to toe tips. Do both the fingers and toes simultaneously.
Take your time and remember the important thing is to actually feel the bones get more dense and heavy.
Once you have the fingers and toe bones feeling heavy you can now go deeper in with the breath. We use the major joints as the markers for our breath to reach. So the next major joints are knee and elbows.
Inhale simultaneously on both arms and legs, from tips of fingers and toes all the way to the elbow and knee joints on one breath then exhale to the tips of toes and fingers, Again keep practicing till you feel the bones get heavy and more dense. Remember you are sending the breath and life force deep into the center of the bones, deep into the bone marrow itself.
The rest of the exercise is so simple. Just go deeper into your body. Use the shoulder and hip joints as the markers. So now the whole arms and legs are breathing. After you have the arms and legs try adding your spinal column, your rib cage and even your skull. Until all the bodies’ bones are feeling heavier and denser as if they are dropping like lead to the floor.I wish you peaceful and rejuvenating sleep. :-) Andrew Fretwell
0 Responses to “Sleeping Problems? The Easy Taoist Way to Solve them”