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We all know by now that meditation is excellent for so many reasons including stress management, cardiac and immune maintenance, problem solving, and more. I am a huge fan of meditation for every single one of these reasons. It is the best way I know to connect not only to our bodies, but our minds and the even higher aspects of ourselves.
But meditation is also a great way to improve your sleep and enhance your dreams.
Did you know that anxiety, depression and pain stick with you while you sleep? You bet - they can be visible in the patterns of brainwaves, eye movements and muscle tone recorded in laboratories and sleep clinics. They disrupt our sleep architecture, or the cycles and rhythms of sleep.
Not surprisingly, when we carry extra stress, when we're down in the dumps, or when we have aches and pains our sleep is far from optimal. Our REM (dream) density and deep sleep is lessened when we are anxious, sad or sedentary. All of this means we end up feeling even more mentally and physically "off". We feed a negative cycle.
So how do we break it? How do we turn it around and feel truly rejuvenated physically, mentally and spiritually? Well, of course, one great way is through meditation!
During meditation you clear your mind. Essentially, you focus on "nothingness" and you simply "be". This is easier said than done at first, but you get better and better at it the more you do it. Eventually the feeling of this becomes second nature. You get very good at recognizing when you need to take a minute to stop what you're doing (physically or with your thoughts) and clear your head again to get back to that feeling.
With a clear mind you don't have a bunch of mental congestion. Your body can "get through to you" better. You recognize when you need to calm it and lower your blood pressure, physically exercise or simply stop your thoughts and worries and just let go. You allow a state of rejuvenation where your body can glow naturally.
And our most potent, natural rejuvenator is sleep - without a doubt. Generally speaking, we restore ourselves physically during deep sleep and mentally during REM. A meditator with a peaceful body and mind can let go of the day at will and drift into blissful sleep at the drop of a hat. And a peaceful body and mind enter naturally into optimal sleep rhythms so your body can do its thing cellularly and hormonally resulting in a balanced and radiating You!
Pretty great, huh? Well guess what? We can take it to even higher levels. Once your mind is cleared of chatter, worries and stressors, you then have an excellent opportunity to hold your focus on an intention, ideal, or something you DO want to fill your mind with. This may be something specific like new life patterns or behaviors, or something abstract like Love, Peace or Joy. You are only limited by your imagination.
Meditation is simple and powerful. When you wake up in the morning, take a few minutes to clearly intend a perfect day, a perfect presentation, or a heart full of Lovingkindness. You'll be surprised at how big of difference this makes in your life. When going to sleep, take some time to hold the clear intention of blissful restoration and health. Or repeat affirmations that tonight you will experience certain wonderful dreams, or even lucid dreams!
Lucid dreams are dreams in which you are aware you are dreaming while you are dreaming. This is easily a whole separate topic, but as it pertains to this one, fully lucid dreams can deliver absolute freedom, and a connection to something more. In lucid dreams, you can go anywhere with anyone anytime! Almost every single person who has tasted this un-boundried experience will tell you it was exhilarating. Many report it as deeply spiritual, feeling wholly connected to higher aspects of themselves and the universe. Upon waking they cherish the experience and feel - yes - rejuvenated in every way!
I hope by reading this you get a sense of how powerful simple meditation can be. When applied to the realms of sleep and dreams, you obtain an amazing inner resource for rejuvenation. All you have to do is "tap in"!
Daniel Topp, M.A. has spent over 15 years in sleep medicine and currently co-owns VAST Wellness Center and 3PoundUniverse.com. Find out more about beginning meditation with his popular free e-book 'A Meditation Primer', available at => http://www.3PoundUniverse.com
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