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Four ways that yoga helps prevent insomnia
Published July 9, 2011 | 
Getting a good night sleep is just one of the many benefits that having a regular yoga practice will do for you. How does yoga cure or prevent insomnia?
1. Doing yoga calms your nervous sytem down. You will have less stress producing adrenaline pumping through your body. Result? More calm body and mind.
2. Yoga stimulates circulation, including sending more blood to the sleep center of the brain.
3. The focused breathing you do while practicing yoga (pranayama) helps to calm the mind, reduce anxiety, and promote sleep.
4. Yoga helps rid your body of toxins. You may find yourself with more energy throughout your day and actually need less sleep!
Resource: I highly recommend: Bikram Yoga by Bikram Choudhoury (he talks about insomnia on pages 133 to 134).
Website about Bikram Yoga
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Ten steps to getting in a relaxed state this evening
Published November 18, 2010 | 
Being in a relaxed state means:
- Your mind only being concerned with the present moment.
- Your heart rate is normal
- Your are breathing deep and easily
- You smile easily
- You feel peace and contentment
No matter how your day went today, you can be in this relaxed state.
Here are ten easy steps to getting there:
- Before having to attend to family matters such as cooking, laundry, kids’ homework, etc. take time for yourself first: go to gym for workout on your way home, take a walk, take a catnap, etc.
- Take a bath
- Pour yourself a nice glass of wine or whatever it is you enjoy drinking.
- Put on some great music and cook. If you don’t like to cook get spouse/partner to cook, order take out, or go out!
- Delight in the successes of your day (even during the “worst” days, you experienced success. Come on now… you know you did!).
- If you have kids revel in their magnificence.
- Have plans to do something tender or romantic with your sweetie: share that nice meal, back rubs, movie, or…
- Think of something you have to look forward to for tomorrow.
- Count your blessings and be thankful for them.
- Put on something comfortable and…
Enjoy your relaxed state this evening.
Debra : )
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Posted in anxiety, Family life, Happiness, Positive living, Self-empowerment, stress | 
bath, breathing, content, cook, gym, peace, relax, success, taking care of self, wine | 
Leave a commentA simple thought: All we have is this moment. Right now.
Published July 19, 2010 | 
A simple thought for this afternoon:
All we really have is this moment. Right now. Wherever you are or whatever you are doing, take a moment, breathe and say “thank you”. Smile. You are alive. It is a good day.
Debra : )
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Posted in Self-empowerment, Spirituality | awareness, being happy, being present, breathing, gratitude, peace, The Now | 3 Comments“Growth is easy when you have a silent mind”~ Gary Null A meditation for tonight
Published July 14, 2010 | 
Get comfortable. In a sitting or lying down position, become aware of your breathing. Relax. And breathe.
Think “I am peace”. Silence. If other thoughts come along, let them and observe them as you would clouds floating by in the blue sky. Let them pass gently by. “I am peace” Breathe.
Sweet dreams.
Debra : )
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When it’s raining outside, drink wine (or make lemonade): Ten ideas on dealing with disappointment
Published July 4, 2010 | Sometimes life just doesn’t happen the way we want it to: people aren’t acting the way we want, circumstances come about that mess up our expectations and plans. As a younger woman, I had a real hard time with this. I am learning now how important being flexible and going with the flow really are. In a recent post we explored the idea of how we react to circumstances is more important than the events or circumstances themselves. I really believe this. Once we get this, our lives are so much more peaceful and happy.
Ten Ideas to consider:
- If something unexpected occurs, try not to automatically get upset about it. It may not be what we were planning or expecting, but is it really so bad? Breathe….be calm. Is there another way to look at it?
- Another person’s choices or behavior is really out of our control. If we let their choices or behavior upset us in anyway we are giving them too much power over us.
- Stretch and enjoy the flexibility of your healthy and beautiful body. Know that your mind and spirit can be that flexible too!
- Lower expectations and you will be disappointed less often.
- Know that most people (like your boss, parents, spouse, friends) really are doing their best with what they have.
- Practice forgiveness, acceptance, and release. Forgiveness is such an important thing to learn how to do for your own health and well being.
- When struggling with disappointment, breathing and taking a walk are always excellent options.
- Think before you say anything to someone you are disappointed with or angry with. Words can and do hurt. Choose words carefully when in a negative state- or better yet, don’t talk at all for a while.
- Pet your cat or dog often. Animals are wonderful mentors in just being in the now and not letting too much stuff bother them.
- What we resist persists. Just try going with it, whatever “it” may be. Let someone else be in control or let things and people be what they are. Feel how that acceptance feels in your body. That is peace.
Debra : )
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Peace: a simple meditation
Published July 4, 2010 | Peace. Breathe. Peace…
Think peace as you lie down. Breathe. Peace. When other thoughts begin, refocus your mind on peace. Just peace.
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Posted in Affirmations, anxiety, insomnia, Meditations, Spirituality, stress | bedtime, breathing, meditation, peace | Leave a commentSleep To Renew The Spirit
Published June 29, 2010 | A book that I have had on my bookshelf for a good many years is: The Science of Well Being by Wallace D. Wattles & Dr. Judith Powell
There is a small section in this book that addresses the importance of sleep for our well being.
Some guiding principles:
- It is in sleep that your brain is recharged with vital energy
- Our breathing is much deeper when we are sleeping
- It is therefore important to keep the air in the bedroom well ventilated: keep a door or window open to keep air circulating.
- Our mental attitude is important: go to sleep with pure cheerful thoughts as you are nodding off..
- Read something spiritual or uplifting before going to sleep
- Exercise gratitude: write in your gratitude journal, say a prayer of thanks
- Meditate
- If you have insomnia, do not let it worry you. While you lie there awake, picture yourself healthy and feel thankful for all of the abundance in your life.
Many of these ideas I have written about previously in The Warm Milk Journal. Repetition is key to our learning. It is good to hear similar ideas repeated from different sources of wisdom.
Sweet dreams!
Debra : )
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5 things to do If you can’t sleep tonight…
Published June 28, 2010 | - breathe
- don’t stress about the fact that you’re not sleeping
- do tension exercises
- get up and read something boring
- get out your journal and write: worries, how you are feeling, a story, just write!
Debra : )
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Is pain keeping you up at night? A meditation for pain management
Published May 31, 2010 | Chronic pain can be a source of sleepless nights. Whether it is a headache, body ache of some kind…how can we relax and get our rest when we are hurting? There is pain medication of course, but is there a gentler and healthier option for dealing with our physical discomfort so that we can get the sleep we need? Yes! Meditate.
Meditation may be difficult when we are in a lot of pain. So why not meditate on the pain itself?
Here is a meditation exercise to try when you are in pain (source: Discover Inner peace A Guide to Spiritual Well Being by Mike George, p. 145)
Mastering the Dragon
1. Think abut your pain. Focus on it. Begin by describing it to yourself with as much detail as possible. Where is it? Is it dull, throbbing, stabbing or sharp pain? Is it constant or intermittent pain? Is it hot? If so, is it like the heat of a poker or the heat of spreading wax?
2. Form a mental picture of your pain, based on your description of it. You might imagine it as a piece of music played by an orchestra, or an oil slick on the sea, or as the movement of a machine such as a clock or set of gears. Concentrate totally on the pain, and whenever it varies, however slightly, vary the image.
3. Take slow, deep breaths. As you exhale, imagine the image changing as a little of the pain leaves you. When you exhale, bring the pain back. This may seem odd, but you are learning to control it. It will be slightly smaller each time you recall it. you will not erase the pain all at once, but you can ease it by degrees. Eventually, it will be significantly reduced.
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