Do You Wake Up and Have Trouble Going Back to Sleep? This Pose Could Be The Fix

Reclining Buddha Is Trying to Help You Rest

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | September 29, 2014

Beautiful. Yes. Exotic. If you are a 24-year-old American girl, yes. The first time I traveled to Thailand and visited Wat Po, that is what I saw: a beautiful, exotic, enormous statue. That was half a lifetime ago. 

Today I see compassionate instruction. Perhaps we are not meant just to ogle this pose; we are meant to assume it, to see what the effects are. Perhaps its enormous size, more than 141 feet long, nearly half a football field, is an exclamation point on its meaning. This is a powerful pose. 

This pose healed my lifelong insomnia and terrible night anxiety. There must be someone else out there that it can help. I hope you will give it a try. 

How to Do the Pose

Notice these most important points about the position of the Reclining Buddha:

• He is lying on his right side.
• His platform is elevated under his right armpit.
• He is supporting his head.

Here is a photograph of the position I learned in yoga class with Nishit Patel, Vishnu Asana. This is the position I rest in when I wake up in the middle of the night and want to go back to sleep. 

• My left knee is bent, creating stability in the pose.
• My left elbow is bent, also for stability. 
• I am using a pillow to apply gentle pressure under my right armpit.

This pose changed my life. It gave me control over restlessness and nighttime anxiousness. If you are interested in understanding why it works, I can tell you, but try it first, and tell me what you experience. 

Use this pose to drift off to sleep, perhaps reading something calming to end the day, or use it to attain a calm state of mind if you wake up in the middle of the night. If you wake up anxious at 4am you are just like me. Lying in this pose might make as much of a difference in your life as it has in mine. 

If your right arm starts falling asleep, it is fine to move it.

If you do not find peace lying on your right side after twelve minutes or so, try lying on your left side in the same pose. I know 1 person who is more soothed on the left side than on the right side. 

I hope this helps you find relief. 

2-Minute Practice Cards: 2-Minute Bedtime Practices -- Wake Up Happy

Let's Talk About Discipline

Why Didn't Eknath Eat the Nut?

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | September 8, 2014

Does the word "discipline" leave you cold? Does it bring to mind a sadistic drill sergeant? Does it reek of the exact opposite of what you want to cultivate in your life?  

Have you ever asked yourself, "Why is discipline being touted as a virtue, when it is the epitome of icky, repellent, mindless, slavish following?" 

Has this question nagged you, as you have read the likes of St. Teresa of Avila almost weeping off the page with entreaty to apply oneself in a disciplined way to, in her case, prayer?

Maybe you tell yourself, "Well, it's fine for saints, but a mere mortal, I . . ." 

The Ancient Toltec wisdom in don Miguel Ruiz's The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom includes the equally impassioned entreaty, "Always do your best." 

What is the connection between discipline and personal freedom? 

The connection is simple but profound. 

There is a memorable scene in Eknath Easwaran's Passage Meditation: Bringing the Deep Wisdom of the Heart into Daily LIfe in which he describes being at someone's home and sitting near a bowl of cashews. He made up his mind to skip the cashews. However, he observed his hand, seeming almost independent, wandering toward the nut bowl again, and again, and again. Each time, he pulled his hand back. Because he had made up his mind, he brought that hand back empty again and again.

"Just eat the damn nut!" readers like me rail, "It's not like it's an entire pie." (There was this woman. She was in the hospital. In the night, she walked to the nurses' break room, went into the refrigerator, and ate the lemon meringue pie they had purchased for a party the next day. The whole pie. It wasn't like that.)  

Why didn't Eknath eat the nut?

Discpline can be doing something, such as prayer, a way of doing something, "your best," or not doing something, like eat the nut. 

Now ask yourself, if you make up your mind to ____________ (eat fewer calories, get up earlier, exercise regularly, save a few dollars each month, smile at the kids every day, stop using heroin) and at the critical moment you "do whatever you want to," you EAT THE NUT so to speak, are you free?

Have you ever felt like a slave to a habit?

Join the teleconference Conversations With Walking Yogi Nishit Patel before October 1st, when the topic will be Discipline. 

Nishit Patel, (who is great to friend on Facebook, because he is giving away the store every day with wise posts straight from the heart) tells a story about a Yogi Saint, Swami Ramtirth, who had a devotee who brought an apple each day at the same time. Until one day that devotee did not bring the apple! This Yogi Saint noticed that the absence of the expected apple created a mental disturbance. . . . He never ate another apple. 

This story demonstrates a premium placed on freedom from habits. It demonstrates the awesome power that habits have to disturb our minds, and the urgency to invest in conscious thought and action. 

Swami Sivananda of Gangotri to Bhole from 'At the Eleventh Hour' by Rajmani Tigunait (page 95): 

. . . discipline becomes torture if you do not understand its value and if you are not motivated to help yourself. It is self-motivation that prepares the ground for self-commitment. Only then do you enjoy the disciplines you undertake. Such discipline is called austerity. If you don't enjoy it, it is torture. 

 Join us in meaningful conversation on this topic and many more: Conversations With Walking Yogi Nishit Patel  the first Wednesday of every month. 

You Are Invited

Conversations With Walking Yogi Nishit Patel

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | August 29, 2014

Yes, you are invited to hang out in the sublime company of yogis. You may know some of us from the old days at the Himilayan Institute in New York City, where Nishit was the director. You may be a student of Nishit's from post institute days. You may not yet have met Nishit at all, but be curious about the breadth and depth of yoga and meditation as a practice, a philosophy, a lifestyle. ALL are welcome. You can subscribe right here, on this website. 

I know you are busy. I know it seems impossible to commit to one more thing. But just once a month, if you set aside that first Wednesday and join us, it might go something like this: You slog home from your job exhausted. You ask yourself, "Self, why did you commit to this?" You almost don't log in, but somehow you do. Then, when you make the connection, you think you can hear someone smiling. How is that possible? And that smile settles into your heart. You already feel a little lighter. Then the conversation begins. These topics are not usually discussed. What is the purpose of life? What is death? What is eternity? The smile in your heart is joined by an expansive feeling of possibility unfolding. You feel inspired and uplifted.  It feels like home. At the end of the hour you feel like only a few minutes have passed. You hang up feeling encouraged and ready to transform your tomorrows. This is why yoga-minded people look for opportunities to join together for discussion, for satsang. 

Over the years, many of Nishit's students have relocated across the country and around the world. When I met him in 1998 the technology did not exist to overcome the obstacle of distance, but today, it hardly matters at all. 

When I relocated to Portland in 2012, I knew I would miss Nishit's weekly classes at Three Jewels in New York City. (Mondays at 6:30 PM). Now I see the wonderful opportunity, and I want to include as many old and new friends as I can in these conversations. 

So, check under your sofa cushions, or cancel that Hulu subscription you never use... I jest. But Nishit is really making himself available for a price that represents a token of appreciation each month, and making it possible for us to shine a little in that bathing glow that lights us up within. This is an awesome opportunity.

Your participation is as you wish. You don't even have to join the live call. You can download the recordings later at no additional cost. One subscription covers all. You can submit questions, or just listen in. 

To join the conversation, or to gain access to the recordings, click here, or choose the Events tab. You will be able to read more about the event and, especially, read Nishit's invitation. Hope to see you Wednesday, September 3rd at 7pm New York Time at the first Conversation. 

Seeing Things Differently

Looking Without Glasses

By Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | August 22, 2014

Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati has a wonderful public facebook group for his ashram called Abhyasa Ashram Satsang. He recently posted an autobiographical account of his life with Swami Rama called "Witness Everything." 

I just started reading it and I am already finding it inspiring, already recommending it. I love how tender the writing is toward himself and his journey. There is a little story about getting glasses in it. In the story he is prescribed glasses, then another doctor takes them away, but in the interim he contemplates the question, What am I not seeing that others are seeing? Even as a boy he deeply contemplated vision, and how people might see things differently. 

Although the ultimate gist of "seeing" can be pointing at something subtle, reading that is how I got inspired to take off my glasses. I am pretty darn nearsighted and have worn glasses nearly constantly except during sleep since I was in third grade. There is an idea that how things look without glasses is "wrong." But when I tried walking along without my glasses, the word that came to mind to describe my vision was "gentle." When I put my glasses back on, the world seemed almost like it was screaming at my eyes, and I took my glasses off again and enjoyed my vision in its unique and natural state a little bit more. 

There is a theme in my conversations and reflections today about doing things in a way that is new, eschewing the habitual. 

I ate a melon I had never heard of before, a Sprite Melon. The child in me rebelled at the unfamiliar food, like a normal kid, without tasting it. Then we decided it was okay. 

A friend and I discussed how refreshing it is to stretch the eyes up and down and side by side into the usually ignored realms. Identities fall away refreshingly, we agreed. (And because of the revolution I am starting I can't help mentioning that eye stretches are a wonderful exercise that anyone could do for 2 minutes a day. You can contact me for instruction, or read about it in the book Joints and Glands Exercises by Swami Rama.)

Here are some images that caught my naked eye when I took off my glasses. I hope you enjoy them. I had so much. Thanks Swami J.   

2 Minutes to Modify Intrusive Visual Images

Take Time to Revise What Your Mind Shows You

By Jennifer Rose | August 17, 2014

I have a friend who suffers from recurrent, unwanted visual imagery, and she asked me to write a blog post about how to work with it. 

I learned a technique from Dr. Achala Singhal, a Cardiologist (poetically and actually she is a doctor of the heart) at the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences. I met her in New York at the Harnessing Your Power workshop we offered in 2006.

Here in all its simplicity is the technique.

1. Choose an intrusive mental image to work with. Be ready to call it to mind, but don't do that yet.

2. Bring to mind a visual image that gives you a special pleasure. Really get it clear.

3. Now bring to mind that intruding thought. Consciously and carefully surround and imbue it with the image that gives you pleasure. Take your time doing this. 

My resistance to this exercise was high. 

--It won't work.

--It will ruin the thing that gives me pleasure. 

--The negative image will overwhelm the positive one. 

In 2006, I surrounded an intrusive mental image with violets. The image still comes to mind occasionally even in 2014, but it always comes with violets. It never bothers me. I always focus on the violets. They make me feel happy, just as before. The violets won. 

It is worth a try. I would love to hear about your experience if you try this. 

Okay. That was a quicky. It felt like the right time. 

2 Minutes to Soften Tension in Relationships: Personal Reflections

Ever Had One of THOSE Days?

By Jennifer Rose | August 14, 2014

Sometimes it happens. 

Between my publishing deadlines and my husband's social work, one of us gets irritable. Then cupboard doors start getting closed quite decisively. Or one of us flashes a crinkle brow. It's true. We get cranky. 

When it's K who gets cranky, I do this walking on eggshells thing, at least inside my head. It's like a cranky contagion has entered the apartment. Me in my hazmat suit, making a big deal. K is pretty cool with my cranky side. I read somewhere a long time ago that men are better at compartmentalizing that kind of stuff. He's really nice, actually. 

Practicing Together

The other night I was pouting in my hazmat suit when it was time for us to do our 2-minute practice. It occurred to me that we might not practice on this night because of the stink mood in the villa. You know, making a big deal, as I said. But I decided not to allow that thought to determine my action.

I heroically unzipped my hazmat suit and said in my normalest voice: "It's time to breathe." And he pleasantly joined me in the crocodile pose. 

I set my iPhone timer to 2 minutes. 

We breathed. 

The phone chimed after two minutes. 

Something to Feel Proud of

Then we exchanged some marveling and congratulatory phrases, as we commonly do after we practice:

"We did it again!"

"It goes by so fast."

"We are doing really great." 

"I feel so different."

"That's amazing." 

I got a friendly pat. I put away the hazmat outfit. It's not comfortable. It's not flattering.

Life as Laboratory

A few months ago K and I made a contract with each other to practice crocodile breathing for 2 minutes each night for three months. We read on the Mayo Clinic website that vagus nerve stimulation has effects we are interested in. I know diaphragmatic breathing massages the vagus nerve. Okay, it's not an electric implant... maybe that's a good thing. 

K and I missed a night of practice about three weeks ago, so we started over from the beginning. We are making a fun experiment. Being "science-y." 

I love sharing this time with my husband. We reconnect around something positive and inquisitive every day. I look forward to it, and I fondly reflect on it. 

When One Partner Practices

It isn't necessary for both partners to practice to have an impact on a relationship.

My dear friend committed herself to a daily Tai Chi practice. She had wanted to start a daily practice for a long time, and she consulted with me to understand why the practice wasn't sticking. (I am good at this.) After consulting with me, she has been practicing daily for months. We only talked about it once! 

I texted her this morning to inquire whether she had noticed any effects of her practice on her relationship. I got a wonderful reply:

"The self respect and care of my body shows in how I communicate with S. I can tell that with more love and patience with myself, I give this to S." 

2-Minute Practices

Much of the magic of these practices is in their dailyness. It does not take a lot of time. I chose 2 minutes because it is a number the mind accepts. Everyone has two minutes. 

You choose a practice that is meaningful to you. You don't need cards to be part of the 2-Minute Revolution. Your commitment to practice is your enrollment. Practice. Encourage others to practice. We can change the global conversation by being "the change we want to see in the world." Imagine meeting at the water cooler to talk about what positive effects you are noticing from your practice. 

Join the revolution. Start today. 

2-Minute Practice Cards

are available in the Better Existence Online Store. 

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Soothing Practices: 2-Minute Practice Cards

2-Minute Bedtime Practices -- Wake Up Happy

2-Minute Practice Cards are now available in the Better Existence online store. 

These cards are a helping hand reaching out to anyone who suffers from stress, restless nights, or morning dysphoria. There are 7 cards which can be used for a variety of 2-Minute Practices. Clear instructions guide your practice. 

Bedtime Practices bring a variety of benefits: 

1. Practicing before sleep gives you a lot of return on your time investment. Your last thoughts at night become your first thoughts the next morning. This is a great time to make a meaningful investment in yourself on a regular basis. 

2. I have used bedtime practices to vastly improve the quality of my own sleep, and to improve the quality of those wee morning hours when sleep can be elusive. 

3. Those wee morning hours become a time to use these practices, a quiet time you look forward to because you are investing in your own well-being. 

These cards are intended to be companions that accompany you through the night. Each card has a soothing and beautiful image to place near your bed. 

The cards are suitable for beginners as well as advanced practitioners. 

For beginners, these cards introduce a variety of positive practices for body, breath, mind, and awareness. They will allow you to explore different ways to positively affect your well-being.

For advanced practitioners, these cards can anchor you in practice during periods of transition. They are for anyone who has looked in the mirror and said, "You know, you aren't actually practicing." 2-Minute Practice Cards provide friendly support. 

Daily practice is a gift to yourself. We are all busy, but everyone can find two minutes a day to feel a little better. And two minutes a day can truly make a difference. 

Every day, you have a relaxing time to look forward to. Every day, you have some pleasant time to recall, and something you have done that you can be proud of. 

Daily practice capitalizes on the human tendency to form habits, enabling you to add consciously selected threads to the overall fabric of your life and personality. 

Learn more about 2-Minute Practice Cards by visiting the Better Existence online store.