Yard [0053] : Pretty Woman

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

We have been talking about the proverbial mirror, viz. our “Chitta” or consciousness that connects us to the world outside and inside. It is of phenomenal importance because it is our window through which we perceive or experience anything and everything. This is precisely why Yoga has put all the emphasis on controlling its fluctuations.

But ‘controlling its fluctuations’ is easier said than done as these fluctuations are caused by a very fundamental defect in the mirror called “Avidya” or ignorance. The name of this game (of removing “Avidya” and hence fluctuations of our attention so we can experience the True or Absolute Reality) is called ‘evolution’.

Indeed it takes several births (which again is as per the Design or the Divine Will) but once the Realization takes place, the person experiences total bliss and achieves the Supreme Goal. The evolution reaches its pinnacle, the journey culminates in reaching the Ultimate Destination. And then what?

Then the journey has to end. There is nothing beyond, nothing to be achieved, no point to prove, no further striving, no further struggle, no work to be done (“Tasya Karyam Na Vidyate”) and hence no need to take birth again! Purpose of the cycle of birth and death is served at least as far as that person (“Jeeva”) is concerned. In fact, Limited Consciousness (“Jeeva”) merges into Universal Consciousness (“Shiva”) and does not manifest again as Limited Consciousness. Now, that’s real Yoga or “Joining”!

Heavy? Then let’s try to understand the process of evolution through this simple story of a pretty woman...

There was this lady once upon a time

Who was one of her kind with beauty sublime

She had no one to appreciate including herself

She did even not have a mirror on her shelf

For self-appreciation she did create a mirror

Only to find it tainted to her horror

She set about the task of correcting the defect

To savour her looks the mirror had to be perfect

Finally with her effort the mirror started shining

And her beauty in all its glory reflecting

But her gaze in the mirror did transiently remain

She put away the mirror and never looked at it again.

Ok, so much on mirrors and evolution! Let’s come back to our original topic of discussion – how to sleep tight!

We have covered some ground already and answered a few questions around what is the phenomenon of sleeping, why is it necessary for us, what happens when we sleep, how to maximize benefits from sleeping, when should we sleep and so on.

Let’s round off our discussion on sleep with a few more tips on how to sleep well:

1.    The surface on which we sleep must be even. It should also be a good balance between being too hard and too soft. Too soft a surface cannot provide our spine solid enough support to rest on. On the other hand, if the surface is too hard, we may not get the cosy and comfortable feeling which is so necessary to reassure our mind and body that we are going to get a new lease of life! The ‘feel’ of the bed should be just right.

2.    There should not be too much light, too much noise, strong smell or something on our tongue to tickle taste-buds. The temperature should not be too low or too high. The place should have good ventilation but no strong wind.

3.    Snoring is not healthy for the person as well as a great irritant to others. More often than not, people snore when they are lying on their backs (as in Shavasana). Buddhasana is a good posture to prevent snoring.

4.    Meditation prior to and immediately after sleep gives simply outstanding results. There is usually some time-gap between hitting the bed and dropping off to sleep and waking up and getting out of bed. It is best used in meditation which immediately brings our brain to lower level of functioning – an intermediate state between being fully active and slumbering off.

5.    Although it is advisable to have last meal of the day at least a couple of hours prior to sleeping, it is okay to drink a cup of warm milk before retiring to bed. How this helps is – milk contains proteins which are used in the re-building process as proteins are the basic building blocks as far as our body is concerned. In fact, the complete guideline is as follows:

“Deenante Nishante Jalam, Bhojanante Takram, Dugdham, Vaidyasya Kim Prayojanam?”

(If we start our day with a glass of water, drink buttermilk at the end of lunch and dinner and end our day with a cup of milk, where is the need to visit a doctor?)

Yawn... Let’s move on to other topics next week.

Till then...