2-Minute Bedtime Practices: Wake Up Happy

How You Drift Off to Sleep Influences How You Feel When You Wake Up

By Jennifer Rose | July 31, 2014

When my friend was young, he would wake up in the morning confused, not realizing that time had passed and that things had happened, and that he had been asleep. 

So his mom ritualistically explained to him each morning that the sun had gone down, and the lights had been turned off, and Mommy and Daddy had gone to bed. She filled in the narrative of the night. 

Eventually, he learned to do this himself; he internalized the narrative, and he did not worry in the morning about the things that had changed in the night. 

Choose an Inspiring Last Thought of the Day

By the time I heard about my friend and his morning confusion, I had already been advised many... many, many times by my yoga teacher, Nishit Patel  that I should fall asleep thinking an inspiring thought. He had told me, more than once, that it was quite important to go to sleep calm and happy, because that would set the tone for the next morning. 

TV, Computer, Turn Them Off

Mr. Patel advises that falling asleep in front of the boob tube is not the way. What do you like? He asks. Read something happy and uplifting at night, and you will wake up happy and uplifted in the morning. If zebras make you smile, read about zebras.

Maybe we are not at all different from my friend with the morning confusion. Part of our mind picks right up where we left off the night before.

The National Sleep Foundation agrees that it is important to make healthy choices about falling asleep. In their Healthy Sleep Tips they suggest an hour of "calming activity, such as reading." They further emphasize:

For some people, using an electronic device such as a laptop can make it hard to fall asleep, because the particular type of light emanating from the screens of these devices is activating to the brain. If you have trouble sleeping, avoid electronics before bed or in the middle of the night.

Practice a Relaxing Bedtime Ritual

According to the National Sleep Foundation:

A relaxing, routine activity right before bedtime conducted away from bright lights helps separate your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety which can make it more difficult to fall asleep, get sound and deep sleep or remain asleep.

2-Minute Bedtime Practice

Here is a relaxing exercise to practice just before you fall asleep. Nishit Patel taught it to me, and it served me well. 

Six Points Exercise

When you are in bed and ready for sleep, lie on your back with your eyes gently closed and let your gentle awareness lightly touch on six points:

1. Your heart center

2. Your left shoulder

3. Your left, mid-thigh

4. Your pelvic center, just above your pubic bone

5. Your right, mid-thigh
6. Your right shoulder

Repeat bringing your gentle awareness to this sequence of points a few times, and at the end, rest your awareness at your heart center. 

2-Minute Practice Cards

This practice and six others will soon be available from Better Existence as a 7-card set. Practices to soothe your stress, and beautiful images will send you off to a peaceful rest. 

I just heard from the printer that the cards are on their way. I am excited to share these principles and practices with you. Sometimes all we need is a little support to start a new, positive practice. 

What My New York Friends Asked Me About the 2-Minute Revolution

Every Person on Earth Can Do Something Positive for Two Minutes Each Day

By Jennifer Rose | July 24, 2014

I am back in rainy Portland after visiting New York City. Rain makes me smile. Go figure. 

In New York, everywhere I went, while I was teaching yoga classes, and while I was getting my hair cut, I talked about the 2-Minute Revolution. 

Here are questions people asked about the 2-Minute Revolution, and the answers I gave:

Question: What Should I Do For 2 Minutes?

Answer: Something Positive That Feels Right to You

Three categories of positive things fit into my line of work: 1. working toward a meaningful goal (coaching). 2. Contemplating useful thoughts (introspection) 3. Meditative Practices (Yoga and Meditation)

Here are some of the ideas for 2-Minute Practices I heard from my friends and students:

Listen to the sound of the Hudson River. 

Organize my space. 

Think happy thoughts. 

Here are some ideas from Better Existence:

Sit still in an aligned posture. Read about it here: Harvard Study quoted by Better Existence

Breathe diaphragmatically. Read about it here: Barbara Fredrickson, vagus nerve, love

Simply BE silent. My yoga and meditation teacher Nishit Patel suggests practicing silence for 10 minutes. Well, I do not suppose it could hurt to begin with 2. 

Question: How Much Does It Cost?

Answer: It Is Free!

And if you sign up for the email list (look to the right) you get free encouragement such as reminders to check out the new blog posts, research on daily practices, and product announcements and discounts. 

I have been sharing prototypes of the upcoming 2-Minute practice cards, and people have been heard to say, "I want these!" They will be available very soon. 

So SIGN UP FOR THE MAILING LIST. I don't have any other way to keep in touch with you. 

If you are already practicing 2 minutes per day you are already part of the revolution. Sign up, and I will support you. Then, get your friends to sign up, too. You have already seen the value of a daily practice. Let everyone benefit from your experience, and ask them to sign up for the mailing list to get support for starting their practice. 

Question: How Long Should I Do It?

Answer: As Long As It Feels Right (PS: Every Day for the rest of your life)

This revolution is about turning inward and learning to trust your own inner wisdom. Learn a 2-Minute practice and master it, or try something different every day. And remember, every person on Earth can do something positive for 2 Minutes Every Day. 

Better Existence says, Daily-ness is important. Read about it here: Daily-ness supports change.

Please comment below with your ideas about what to do for 2 Minutes each day. What will you do for 2? 

You can get a free treat by signing up for the email list here: FIVE SECRETS THE BEST TEACHERS WISH YOU KNEW

The 2-Minute Revolution: Establish a Daily Practice

The 2-Minute Revolution:  Commit to a Short, Regular, Positive Practice

By Jennifer Rose | July 9, 2014

What Is The 2-Minute Revolution?

The 2-Minute Revolution is my mission to encourage you to commit to 2 minutes of positive practice each day. I am asking YOU to join a revolution. I am asking you to commit two minutes of your day to your own positive practice, whatever that practice may be.

Why Two Minutes?

Here is what Swami Rama says in Meditation and Its Practice about how long to practice each day:

You may sit for as long as is comfortable or for whatever time you have available on that occasion.

In the same book, Swami Rama stresses the importance of daily meditation at the same time each day. He says it "helps to eliminate the mental resistance caused by laziness and the tendency to procrastinate." (This topic is discussed in an earlier Better Existence blog post "Daily-ness Supports Change.")

Swami Rama is not being a pushover when he says "as long as is comfortable." He is not letting us off the hook when he says "whatever time you have available." He means it.

My meditation teacher Nishit Patel, a student of Swami Rama, has frequently repeated that I may meditate for two minutes when I am busy, but that I should practice on time every day. He too emphasizes the importance of regular, timely practice over feats of endurance.

Research Supports What Meditation Teachers Are Saying

Because I had already heard it from my meditation teacher, I was fascinated by Social Psychologist Amy Cuddy's research on "power posing." It correlates with my meditation instruction on at least two points: 1. assuming an "open, expansive posture," and 2. the length of time equal to two minutes.

Her research had the goal of determining whether posture impacted feeling states and behavior. After participants maintained an "open, expansive pose" for two minutes, the researchers measured decreases in cortisol, the stress hormone, and increases in testosterone, the power hormone, in both female and male study participants. They also measured a marked increase in willingness to take a risk.

The research shows that "a simple 2-min power-pose manipulation was enough to significantly alter the physiological, mental, and feeling states of our participants." Cuddy et al remark, "The implications of these results for everyday life are substantial." Meditation teachers couldn't agree more!

Swami Rama has stated that if one would only imitate the posture of a meditator, even without meditating, they would reap enormous benefits. He has called the need to meditate a "dire necessity." 

Last week's blog post explained that 2 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing could create feelings of love. Cuddy's evidence shows that 2 minutes in a meditation posture "is enough to significantly alter the physiological, mental, and feeling states of participants."  

Get These Benefits Into Your Life Today

You can see that I am leading up to something. Are you ready to commit to 2 minutes a day to reap these rewards for yourself? Please add your comments below. 

If you are ready to join the 2-minute revolution simply start your daily practice. If you need support for your practice, call me 646-831-2675 or email BetterExistenceEmail@gmail.com.

We can help you be comfortable in a meditation posture. We can help you learn to breathe diaphragmatically. We can help you identify the right time for your practice, one that will support your effort. 

Even if your positive practice is not meditation, we are here to support you with our program for turning your habit of failure into The New Habit of Success. 

These benefits are your birthright. Claim them. 

Get     5 Secrets the Best Teachers Wish You Knew

BE Better Existence | 646-831-2675 | BetterExistenceEmail@gmail.com

2 Minutes of Diaphragmatic Breathing to Feel Love? You bet.

by Jennifer Rose | Thursday, July 3, 2014

Diaphragmatic Breathing Is the Foundation, Love the Culmination

I was inspired by this small item from Dr. Renu Kapoor's Facebook Page Personality Blog: 

The simple practice of deep breathing with diaphragmatic movement is the foundation for the science of breath. H.H.Swami Rama - Lectures On Yoga.

The most basic meditation skills: posture and diaphragmatic breathing, bestow endless blessings on the developing practice of meditation. 

Crocodile Pose Develops Awareness of Diaphragmatic Breathing

From the beginning of my training I have found the Crocodile Pose indispensable in the development of diaphragmatic breathing. 

I was slow to catch on to the feeling of breathing diaphragmatically. In the crocodile pose, diaphragmatic breathing is automatic! By studying the sensations and effects of diaphragmatic breathing in crocodile pose I taught myself what to look for in my seated meditation posture. 

To breathe in crocodile pose:

Notice how you feel before you lie down, so you can compare it to how you feel afterward. Notice how you feel physically and emotionally, and notice whether your thoughts are rushing or calm and the quality of your thoughts.

1. Lie on your belly with your legs separated comfortably and your feet and legs relaxed at whatever angle and rotation is the most comfortable.  

2. Support yourself on your elbows, so your chest is lifted, and fold your forearms in front of you. 

3. Adjust the distance of your folded arms away from your chest so that:
a. you can rest your forehead on your forearms
b. the rim formed by the bottom of your ribcage rests on the floor

4. Place your forehead on your forearms and relax with your eyes closed. 

Pay Attention While You Breathe In the Pose

Ask yourself:

What do I feel in my back?
What do I feel in my sides?
What do I feel in my ribs?
What do I feel in my belly?

Take a few deeper breaths, pressing the air out as you exhale, then relaxing and inhaling naturally. Return to breathing normally before you release the pose. 

Notice how you feel after the pose, physically, emotionally, and mentally. If you are like me, you might not want to get up. 

Why Does That Feel So Good?

When we breathe deeply and diaphragmatically we are getting more oxygen. We squeeze stale air out of the underutilized base of the lungs, and we naturally inhale more deeply. It is easy to feel how much our bodies love oxygen. 

When we breathe diaphragmatically, we create sensations that are the opposite of "fight or flight." Our sensations tell us that we are safe and calm. After a couple of minutes, the mind begins to believe what the body is saying.

And the vagus nerve is massaged by the movement of the diaphragm. 

Positive psychology researcher Barbara Fredrickson has tied vagus nerve activity to experiences of love.

"Your vagus nerve is a biological asset that supports and coordinates your bodily experiences of connection — of love." Barbara Fredrickson in Aeon Magazine

If the crowning achievement of a meditation practice is to "Love all and exclude none," as Swami Rama concludes in his lecture Treading the Path of Superconscious Meditation, then breathing in a way that massages the vagus nerve seems a very logical foundation.

Call me if the pose is uncomfortable for you.
There are variations that achieve the same results.
One size does not fit all.
Give yourself a personalized practice.
Better Existence 646-831-2675
BetterExistenceEmail@gmail.com

If you find you can't get enough on the topic of diaphragmatic breathing you will love this exhaustive exploration on SwamiJ.com, complete with pictures of cadavers!

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