Sleep Well to Live Well

 

Sleep Well to Live Well

Universe , by the virtue of the laws of nature, has provided all humans four sources of energy; namely food, breath, sleep or deep rest and a meditative state of mind.

 

Happiness programme 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has delineated all these sources of energy for the benefit of humanity with consummate ease and dexterity, which enables a person to recharge his/her batteries and feel rejuvenated and reinvigorated to enhance their inner potential.

In his impish manner, Gurudev says, “Practising Sudarshan Kriya is like romance with breath.”  And regular practice of the technique helps in the quality of sleep of a person.

 

What is Sleep?

As per Wikipedia, “Sleep is a condition of body and mind which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is inactive, the eyes are closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness gets practically suspended.”

An Art of Living teacher filled with energy purveyed the participants in a course and asked, “How would a person feel the following morning after sleeping for fourteen hours a day?” In unison, the participants replied, sluggish. His next question was what if the individual sleeps for barely a few hours a night. The answer, again was, “The individual would feel restless and irritable.”

 

In either situation, the performance of the individuals would be below par.

 

Quantum of snooze

A baby between the ages of two weeks and two months sleeps anywhere between 15.5 hours to 17 hours during a day, while a normal and healthy adult ought to sleep between 7 to 9 hours to feel refreshed and recharged.

 As children we have no option, but to follow the principles laid down by nature. However, as adults, as we lose our innocence, in order to become achievers often neglect our sleep.

Humans  despite all the talent and knowledge seem to lack the intelligence to compute or quantify the repository of energy or full potential within their selves. The nature of a human being is akin to that of an atom. The nucleus of an atom is positive, while negatively charged particles are smeared on the circumference.  Negative thoughts and actions are not an integral part of human nature; it merely resides on the circumference.

An individual who appreciates that the Divine lives within becomes calm and radiant. Such a human being automatically becomes a magnet for other people.

 

Silence and siesta

It is noteworthy to mention that a person suffering from any ailment is prescribed several medicines to recuperate. But sleep is the wonder tonic which removes all the toxins accumulated in the body. Adequate rest and sleep are an integral part of our healing process.

It is paramount for a human to eschew violence and ferity, even if it is in thought. It is important to rediscover the inner potential and become peaceful.  Peace dawns on the human mind when there is innocence and what better way to cocoon the mind with efficacious thoughts than to remove the swathes of cobwebs.

Humans need to observe the mind, the thoughts which cannonade it and the noise it generates. This cacophony is often generated in pursuit of accumulation and at the cost of fulfilment.

 Aggregating and acquisition of fame, recognition, and wealth by offering sacrifices at the altar of humanism is certainly not the sign of a wise person.

The seminal British painter, poet and print maker William Blake who was virtually anonymous during his lifetime put it succinctly, “Think in the morning and act in the noon. Eat in the evening, sleep in the night.”