Deep relaxation during the Scent and Sound Healing gong bath
The importance of sleep
I write this from Tagaytay for the last leg of the Kundalini yoga teacher training with Tarn Taran Kaur Khalsa. The program here starts early, at 4:00 am sharp with a 2 ½ hours sadhana. This means getting up as early as 3:30 am to get ready to practice.
I usually go to bed past 11pm so the first three days was difficult with only three to four hours of sleep. Itâs important to get enough sleep. The National Sleep Foundation says we need at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep for the body to repair and restore itself.  When sleep is curtailed, the body doesnât have time to complete all of the phases needed for muscle repair, memory consolidation and release of hormones regulating growth and appetite.
Sleep is also important for the release of the growth hormone (GH or HGH) which is said to be the âfountain of youthâ. GH is secreted from the pituitary gland and is released in pulse-like rhythmic cycles during sleep. According to natural medicine practitioner, Dr.Josh Axe, â[GH] plays a vital role in cell regeneration, growth and maintaining healthy human tissue, including that of the brain and various vital organs.â If youâre a sports fan, GH is used by athletes to build their muscles, increase their performance and to speed recovery from muscle fatigue or injury and is often associated with cheating and steroids use.
Age leads to GH decline, so watch out!
As we age, the melatonin (sleep hormone produced when weâre exposed to darkness) in our bodies starts decreasing, so we wake up earlier and earlier. GH levels decline as well. This explains the link between lack of GH and other disorders associated with aging. Low GH levels correspond with higher risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
If you find it difficult to sleep, Iâm sharing a routine from the Yogic Lifestyle notes from the teacher training program to help you. This routine ensures a quick, deep, and rejuvenating sleep:
1. Exercise â yoga and meditation to relax the body and process the stresses of the day.
2. No big meals â it is easier on the liver and digestion if you have not eaten a heavy meal for at least two hours.  Neither is it a good idea to go to bed too hungry, since this might wake you up in the middle of the night.
3. Comb your hair down with a wooden comb.
4. Do your bathroom routine.  Void the urine, brush your teeth and clean the mucus from the throat until the eyes begin to water.
5. Drink a glass of water.
6. Wash your feet with cold water, rub them with a coarse towel and massage them with almond oil. While doing this process, separate yourself from the world and tune yourself into the One Creative Cosmic Power.
7. Your bed. It is best for your back and for proper sleep to use a firm bed and bedding of natural fabric. Have your bed facing East-West so that you are not aligned with the Earthâs magnetic field.
8. Lie down on your back and start long deep breathing, consciously relaxing and letting go.
9. Turn into your right side as you relax into sleep so that you are breathing through your left nostril which brings a calming and cooling effect on the body and brain. It relaxes the heart and lets the stomach and small intestine drain as you sleep.
Message me if you want to learn the yogic way to wake up in the morning.
Regular kundalini yoga classes resume on May 7 which will activate your creative fire and help bring you through any block in life.
On May 19, 2018 there will be a gong workshop followed by an all-night puja in Yoga+Express Legazpi.
On May 25-27, 2018 I will be in El Nido, Palawan for a Success and Prosperity Workshop.
Join me for the workshops, or invite interested friends.
Be happy, always. See you when I get back.
In loving service,
ROSAN
