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November 2009 
What is your body most worried about right now?
Posted on Apr 14th, 2009
by 
barbara
barbara
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for April 14, 2009:
Lack of restful sleep is of high concern right now . . . the revisiting post-concussive syndrome episodes that I have been reaching to heal may or may not come to visit in the next week or so . . . I am working with yoga nidra methods to help my sleep, and my waking mantra is to bring my presence as fully as I can into my life. Mostly, I hear my body say it wants rest and exercise, and I am struggling with how to make that happen (as opposed to "let" it happen) because life just keeps getting in the way.
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Ah.
Life / existence.
Pain in the back side sometimes, ain't it? Always getting in the way of progress.
;-)
I wish I had some useful “help you get to sleep” advice, but I sometimes have trouble with it myself. I find the worst thing I can do when struggling to sleep is laying there and continuing to struggle. I find it best that I get up and do something useful (this could be meditate, email a friend, bake a pie) and when sleep comes, it comes naturally. Forcing something never brought that thing any closer…it just pushes it away.
I wish for you peace and rest.
I am really sorry to hear that you are not getting restful sleep. It can go on for years sometimes, like it did with me.
When I worked in a health food store, I put together a number of tips that I found could help people with sleep - to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Here is the blog piece I did a couple of years ago, with all the tips. Even one of them might help you. Good luck.
http://mimibyrd.gaia.com/blog/2007/4/insomnia_how_to_fall_asleep
These are great suggestions, Mimi – thanks (especially the one about carbohydrates … chocolate ice cream qualifies yes?); and Tharlam, thanks for the wisdom about forcing sleep; I don't take any drugs (unless chocolate ice cream qualifies), and I think I am going to keep my Yoga Nidra meditation CD in my bedroom and play it when I find myself awake at 2:30 a.m… .
Have you been reading about how great dark chocolate is for us? I knew that all along ;>)
Tell me more about your Yoga Nidra meditation CD. I used to lull myself to sleep with Don Gibson's Classics (with nature sounds). It sounds weird, but is absolutely beautiful and soothed me through some of my most terrible times from acquired brain injury. I need something new. (((hugs))
yes, I think dark chocolate ranks right up there with clean water and oxygen. The Yoga Nidra meditation CD that my Thai yoga massage therapist recommended is Yoga Nidra Meditation CD: Extreme Relaxation of Conscious Deep Sleep by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati. I have only had it a week, but I know I really like his voice and the focus on the body. Other music/relaxation/nature CDs that I think you may like are the Delta Sleep System by Jeffrey Thompson (www.relaxationco.com) which uses classical music. The other one I use is Pachelbel Three Meditative Variations with Ocean by Liv and Let Liv. The music is Pachelbel's canon with ocean sounds in the background. I may try Don Gibson's classics. I got whacked in the head about two years ago and the syndrome that followed I think still disturbs my sleep.
thanks so much, I have added Yoga Nidra Meditation CD to my Amazon shopping cart. ((hugs)) I love Pachelbel Canon. Everyone has a version they love best. My friend Nancy's version had the ocean sound, but I liked my version best ;>)
I still belong to Brain Injury Recovery group and Brain Injury Assoc. after 8 years,and get support from them weekly. I think the main thing is to let the brain rest and recover, and also to challenge it to create new pathways. Time does heal us. Thanks for all the recommendations. ((hugs))