wide awake - Sara Ivanhoe | Yoganation

W I DE AWAKE
YO G A F O R P E A C E F U L S L E E P
If sleep evades you, try these practices, and if all
else fails, engage in the following process of self-inquiry
to explore your relationship with being awake.
BY SARA ELIZABETH IVANHOE PHOTOS BY DAVID YOUNG-WOLFF
HAIR & MAKEUP BY MEGAN PORSCHEN
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When asked of the Buddha “Are you a man, or a God?” the Buddha replied...
“I AM AWAKE.”
I’ll start with the bad news – in some cases,
chronic insomnia has no real cure. While there
are many types of insomnia and many reasons for
sleeplessness and sleep difficulties, for some of us,
no matter the herbal treatments we seek, there
may still be no end to the challenge.
It is important to know that if you have tried
Western medicine, holistic medicine, meditation
and more, and have still not “solved” your sleep
issues - this does not make you a bad yogi. For
some, trouble sleeping may be a “one day at a
time” issue, and an opportunity to learn how to
live fully with the challenge.
Yoga is not necessarily a cure for insomnia, but
it can have some very soothing effects. If you are
struggling to sleep because your mind is agitated,
these yoga practices can often slow the system
down enough for you to fall asleep. For those
whose insomnia is unrelated to stress, these rejuvenative postures can relax the body and allow for
regeneration, as a nourishing practice is essential.
Dive in as if you were wrapping yourself up in a
new set of sheets.
Rather than seeing our failure to sleep as a
problem, it can be an opportunity to investigate
our relationship to the night. There is an ecosystem of nocturnal animals with wisdom to share.
In Buddhism, the ultimate act is to “wake up”
to the truth. If sleep evades you, possibly it can
be a gift, giving us a nudge to ask “what does it
mean to be awake?”
VIPARITA KARANI
Downward Facing Savasana: The Bat
Bats are one of the most complex creatures.
They are flying rodents, they hunt at night to
avoid competition, and they emit noise designed
specifically to produce an echo to reveal their
prey. As the moon is reflected light, the bat lives
by reflected sound. We can learn from the bat
to utilize the art of reflection to reveal our path,
point out what will nourish us, and show us what
we need to see. >>
Legs up the Wall
Viparita Karani evokes the attitude of a bat hanging upside down,
helping us to calm the nervous system and to fully enjoy the hours of night.
Opposite page: Anantasana (Reclined Buddha).
Previous page: Sara relaxes in Supported Child Pose (Possum).
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Downward Facing Savasana
Adho Mukha Savasana, or Gravitational Surrender, literally turns
our world upside down, allowing us to have a different –
and hopefully more relaxing – relationship with our body in bed.
<< Instruction:
Find a clear wall space or a closed door.
Sit sideways against the wall and roll onto
your side with knees bent in a fetal position
with your hips close and your head away
from the wall. Shimmy closer, keeping the
hips 6-12 inches away from the wall and
then allow the legs to rest, soles of the feet
facing the ceiling, relaxed and supported.
It is said that for maximum benefit, lifting
the arms up and away from the wall will increase blood flow to the head; however, you
may find that it is just more comfortable to
place the palms of the hands onto the belly
and allow the elbows to relax to the floor.
Feel free to let the legs relax and flop open,
or strap the legs just above the knee to keep
them together.
Rest here for a minimum of two to three
minutes up to 10, 15 or even 20 minutes.
Rise slowly from the pose. Release the legs
by allowing the knees to bend into the
chest. Roll to one side and allow the blood
pressure to adjust, slowly climb yourself
into a seated position. Pause for a few moments to ensure the effect the pose.
ADHO MUKHA SAVASANA
Downward Facing Savasana:
Gravitational Surrender
For those with trouble sleeping, savasana can actually stimulate anxiety, since
spending time on the back without sleep
or rest can create an association between
the position and the trauma of sleepless
nights and worry. Since our physical position is connected to our brain patterns,
shifting the body, even just slightly, can
generate a dramatically different effect on
the thought train.
Additionally, lying on one’s back can
sometimes create feelings of vulnerability
and lack of protection. On the other hand,
this position of downward facing savasana
turns the direction of energy flow into the
earth. The natural downward flow of energy, or gravity, is called apana vayu by the
yogis. As yogis, all we need to do is to ride
the wave of the downward flow. Students
who express irritation at traditional savasana often find lying on their bellies soothing.
Instruction:
Lie face down on your belly on a padded surface. The arms can rest at the sides
with the palms facing up or stacked to
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create a pillow. You may keep your neck
straight by placing your forehead down
or you may turn your head to the side
and rest on your cheek. When choosing
this option, be sure to time yourself and
switch sides to create balance on the neck.
When the legs are relaxed, the feet generally “flop” open with the heels dropping
out gently to the sides. Allow this to happen for maximum relaxation.
Follow the breathing tips and remain in
adho mukha savasana for 3-20 minutes.
Press yourself back into child’s pose for
three to five breaths and then press up to
sitting.
CHANDRA BHEDHANA
Moon Breath
In the yogic system, the right side of the
body is symbolized by the Sun, “ha” and
the left by the Moon, “tha.” Together, they
create Hatha, a balance of sun and moon
energies. Most yoga teachers lead practices
that begin with the right side of the body, or
the Sun side. Whatever “side” we do first,
we do best, as by the time we get to side
two, the body is fatigued. Thus, the sun
side of the body is often receiving our full
attention, while the Moon may be slightly
short changed. It is no surprise then, that
we often are left energized, but not necessarily relaxed.
Chandra Bhedhana is a circular breathing
technique which nourishes the Moon channel and softens the Sun; to do so, we inhale
through the left nostril and exhale through
the right.
When practicing, reflect on the power of
the Moon, the energy of our internal world.
To this day, most religions and cultures operate on a Moon calendar. The Moon, although quiet in countenance, is a powerful
force on the water element; it affects the ebb
and flow of the ocean and the tides. As our
bodies are mainly composed of water, it is
no wonder that the moon has such a powerful effect on us. Honoring the moon is a
practice of humility and an opportunity to
ask for guidance.
Instruction:
Find a comfortable seated position. (You
may sit on a chair or rest your back against a
wall.) The priority is to sustain an extended,
long spine as the tendency is to lose the erect
posture due to fatigue.
Locate the middle and index finger of the
right hand (even if you are left handed.)
Make a peace sign with the right hand and
then place the tips of those two fingers into
the notch where the forehead and nose meet.
To balance the effort of the arms, you can
use the left palm to support the right elbow.
Sitting tall, slightly drop the chin. Exhale
through both nostrils, then with the right
thumb, close off the right nostril and inhale
through the left. Pause. Then, use the ring
finger to close the left nostril and exhale out
the right.
This is a circular breath, so you are always going inhaling through the left nostril and exhaling through the right. Try to
balance the length of the inhalation and of
the exhalation, then lengthening the breath
once the pace is comfortable. Becoming
curious about the path the breath travels
helps us stay present and become more personally aware.
Practice a minimum of three rounds to
feel the effects; continue up to five minutes.
Complete with a few rounds of softly coaxing the air to travel through both nostrils
with ujjayi breathing.
SUPPORTED CHILD’S POSE
Possum
Thanatosis, or “playing dead,” is a famous defense mechanism of the possum to
ward off unwanted attention of a predator
or potential mate. So much so that it has
even become known as “playing possum.”
One of the few nonviolent acts of defense,
“playing dead” can be a powerful tool in
navigating adversity. We all struggle with
challenges in the urban jungle regarding
career and relationships. Often, instead of
reacting violently, this strategy can be successful in making a problem simply go away.
And whether or not we are facing adversity,
coming into relaxed stillness can be beneficial to our nervous systems: By playing dead
for a few minutes, we can awaken and be
reborn feeling fresh and rejuvenated.
Instruction:
Lay out a yoga mat or find a soft surface,
then place a blanket over the entirety of
the surface to create padding. Find a yoga
bolster or stack several folded blankets to
make a rectangular supported lift at least
six inches high, but no more than a foot or
foot-and-a-half off the floor. >>
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Hold the twist for at least one full minute then release and switch sides by switching the crossing of the legs. This is a long
hold for a twist, so please be gentle in the
transition.
ANANTASANA
Reclined Buddha, or Vishnu in Yoga Nidra
Anantasana, one of my top five yoga
poses, is often considered to be the deity
Vishnu resting on his serpent in the act of
Yoga Nidra (a state beyond sleep). As Yoga
Nidra is one of my main yoga practices, I
love this interpretation of the pose.
<< Sit in a kneeling position, bringing the
big toes together and the knees as wide apart
as comfortable. Roll up a hand towel and
place it lengthwise under your ankles for
support.
Place the short end of the bolster so the
length of the bolster stretches away from
you; rest your torso on it. You can either
have the bolster close enough into you so
that your head floats off the top of the bolster and slightly hangs forward symmetrically, or you can allow the bolster to support your head as well and turn your head
to one side. When choosing this option, be
sure to time yourself and switch sides of the
head. The hands can rest on the bolster to
create a pillow, or bring the arms down by
the sides, whichever is most relaxing. Follow the tips to work with the breath and
remain here for 2-20 minutes.
SEATED TWIST (with breath retention
on the exhalation)
The Owl
The owl is possibly the most famous of
all night creatures. Its signature move is
extreme flexibility of the neck, turning the
head signifies the enhanced perspective, or
“seeing things from all sides.” The owl also
perceives even small amounts of light within the darkness, allowing it to look past the
obvious to give the owl its reputation of being wise.
Practicing breath retention on the exhalation allows the body to slow down and feel
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the power of emptiness. Conversely, holding the inhale is invigorating and helps us
to feel full. When practicing on one’s own,
breath retention should be simple, without
effort. For a full investigation of pranayama techniques, please practice under the
guidance of a teacher.
Instruction:
Sit comfortably on a cushion, blanket, or
bolster, with your left leg bent, left heel pointing towards the outside of the right hip, knee
pointing straight ahead. The right leg goes
over the left with the right knee pointing directly towards the ceiling, right foot on the
floor just to the left of the bent left knee.
Place your right fingertips down four to six
inches away from the outside of the right hip
to create length in the spine. Place your left
hand onto the right knee and guide it towards
you or bring the outside of the left arm outside the right thigh.
Begin with a nice deep inhale to sit up tall
and then gently twist to the right on the exhale. Look over the right shoulder as far as
is comfortable for you. Continue to lengthen
the spine as you inhale and twist further on
the exhalation.
Softly holding the exhalation soothes the
nervous system while holding the inhalation
wakes us up. At the end of each exhalation,
pause for a few moments (try counting to a
slow five) to feel empty, without straining.
When you inhale, make sure NOT to gasp
or gulp air in.
It is also called The Reclined Buddha. The
Buddha in this reclined position has many
meanings: One is to show the Buddha in
his final moment of enlightenment before
his death. The other interpretation is the
Buddhist notion that even when sleeping,
mindfulness is practiced; this is a reminder
that sleep is not a moment to check out.
It can be agreed that whatever the ascribed
archetypal origin, Anantasana is a posture
of enjoying the relaxed moment.
While practicing Anantasana, find the
places in the body that are afraid to relax.
Allow the head to become heavy in the
hand, allow the belly to spill forward in an
unattractive manner. Ask yourself,“Where
else might I let go?” “If I were to really
let go, how would I feel?” And if you’re
courageous... “Who is the ‘I’ that is letting go?”
Instruction:
Lie on your right side with your knees
bent into your chest and your head resting
on a flat right arm. Your left hand drapes
over your hip with the elbow heavy. Enjoy stage one for a few long breaths. Then,
bend the bottom right arm until the elbow
is pointed out to the side and the head rests
in the right hand. There should be no effort in the neck, the head should relax fully.
(This is my favorite stage; you can stay here
for minutes if you like!) Lastly, and only
if you want to add more, take the middle
and index fingers of the left hand and take
hold of the left big toe. Slowly and gently
begin to straighten the left leg bringing
the left foot towards the ceiling. Stretch to
your comfortable level of flexibility. Relax
here for 30 seconds up to several minutes.
Be sure to practice for the same amount of
time on side two. >>
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