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A word about sleep..



                           For good sleep
Sacred space
Bed is for sleep not working, emailing or social media.
Your body will learn this over 30 days if you cease with the machines now!
Make your bedroom like a spa...soft lights and no clutter. 
This applies in daylight hours to.... keep it sacred..this is a life changing practice to build!

Subtle messages

When you sleep you open to the unconscious - to a different knowing. Your body and mind will sense when your phone updates, receives messages etc. 

Keep the phones OUT of the bedroom - even on silent or switched off they subtly disturb you.

Routines
Sleep is best when you have routines.
Stop working (including work emails and social media) well before bedtime to signal to the mind and body that it is in 'down time'.
A little yoga, qigong or swimming is a great way to wind down. 
Here is Fa Soon Gong..a qigong form that is good for sleep.
https://youtu.be/HKY4nV2EGLE

Cease stimulation
Find a selection of gentle movies and books and stick to them just before bed.
Social media can throw up news items that are disturbing even if you are merely trying to connect with friends! Put a stop time on FB etc.

Waking in the night and Witnessing
If you wake in the night, especially in the wee small hours, you will likely find the 'monkey mind' at work. See
Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety by Daniel Smith

Usually we process in a very primitive way - in dreams, however if we are awake we can discover murderous, jealous, fearful, monstrous thoughts going on. ...most unacceptable and scarey to the conscious mind! 
This can result in conflict - especially if we take it all seriously.
Do not try and stop the thoughts! 
Also don't  believe them! 
Also don't get up unless you really need to...
Meditation and deep breathing don't work (for me anyway!). 
Observe what is happening as if you were a scientist. Another way to describe this is Witnessing.
There is lots on You Tube about witnessing..here is one video

https://youtu.be/jlEy-gaV17E

Daytime practice

Don't leave it until you are lying awake at night to start the witnessing meditation. 
Do it daily so that when you need it...at the dentists, in an argument, when you wake..you can tap into it instantly!! 
Practice really does make perfect.

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