Going to Bed Early

In order to wake up feeling majestic, we have chosen to go to bed as early as 7:00 p.m.  We now awaken at 3:00 a.m. and, most days, feel quite energetic at this dark hour.

To try this, one must begin eating a solid breakfast and/or brunch on the first day followed by a dinner that is completed by 4:00 p.m.  It is best to avoid bright lights after 6:00 p.m.  Consider winding down with a warm bath, stretching, dental hygiene, and/or any form of massage, (you can massage your own feet and also your entire body with a foam roller).

The hours of sleep before midnight are twice as powerful and deep as those post midnight.  This "old wives tale", according to many senior citizens that we quizzed, turns out to be the truest of the tales and the tale says that the hours of sleep before midnight count as two for one.

We shoot for bed by 7:00 p.m. and we are lucky to be dozing off by 8:00.  Sleeping from 8:00 to 3:00, with the hours before midnight counting as double, makes us feel as soothed and healed as if we received 11 hours of sleep.

In Ayurvedic terms, the hours between 2:00 and 6:00 a.m. are when the Vata Dosha is dominant.  Vata is ruled by air and ether.  Waking up at 3:00 a.m., we feel enthusiastic, light, inspired, and deeply tuned into our breathing.  The hours between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. are wonderful for pranayama (yoga breathing exercises) Qi Gong or Tai Chi, meditation, tuning into the spirit world, and also for enhanced creativity.

In Kundalini Yoga, the hours before dawn are considered The Ambrosial Hours.  A sweet nectar is present and we can (due to the fact that the lung meridian has a natural peak of energy between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m.), capture this ambrosial nectar through yoga, Qi Gong, or any healing practice of our liking.

To experience feeling like a King or a Queen, start by going to bed 30 minutes earlier each night and work your way back.  If you have children, they will benefit greatly from more sleep and they will quickly adjust to the new routine.  Offer the children a reward as in some extra time to color or play in the morning with a cup of herbal tea.

Remember, it all starts with eating earlier during the day and discontinuing all chomping three hours before bedtime.  We begin preparing dinner no later than 3:00 p.m. each day so we can be complete near 4:00 p.m.

Sweetest of Dreams to you!

Suzi and Tallison