Restful Nights Sleep

By Alicia Cuervo

Have you ever laid in bed and had the "Monkey Mind" keep you awake or sometimes even worse, have one of those nights where you never really go to sleep because your mind is thinking about what you need to do tomorrow, what you didn't get done today, or just a general, random rambling of thoughts, one to the other? One of those nights where you feel like you were awake the entire night because you jumped from one thought to the next, and never really went to that deep REM sleep. It happens to me all the time, but I have a solution to nip it in the bud and get that beautiful nights sleep we all love and need to have a productive day.

 In our yoga practice we focus on our breathing, not trying to control it but just being aware of it. We become aware of our stomach expanding, our chest moving in and out, the sound it makes as it goes through our nose, by doing this our thoughts "Monkey Mind" begin to dissipate and we get a clear head absent of the rambling thoughts racing through our brain. The next time your laying in bed racing around your minds race track, focus on your breathing just as you would in your practice. Listen to your breath, feel your stomach go in and out, your chest expand, the breath going through your nose and watch your mind go clear of thought. Soon you will be in a deep sleep and wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day. You will awake well rested and ready to get the things done that the night before unsuccessfully tried to keep us awake.

Namaste!