Hello friends,
Today's lifestyle offers us a lot of comfort and convenience,
But it doesn't help us to sleep better.
Tonight,
I will teach you two ancient techniques to help you to fall asleep faster.
The first,
Let's learn the technique of opening the heavenly gate.
Opening the heavenly gate is a therapy in traditional Chinese medicine.
It has been used for thousands of years,
And is used in Chinese hospitals today as a supplemental treatment.
Lay down and make yourself comfortable.
Take two of your fingers,
Place them right in the middle between your eyebrows.
That is the location of the Yin Tang,
An acupuncture point on the governing channel of the body.
The same location is also commonly known as the third eye in yoga.
Using the pads of your fingers,
Apply gentle pressure,
Draw small circles,
And massage along the center of your forehead,
All the way up to your hairline.
And then repeat.
We only massage upward.
Remember to breathe softly and deeply as you move your fingers along.
We are practicing opening the heavenly gate.
As soon as you start,
You will get a sense of ease in your heart.
The thoughts occupying your mind will become less intense because your fingers are stimulating the superficial nerve endings.
This improves the blood circulation.
It calms the central nervous system and triggers the release of neurochemicals that deeply relax the body and the mind.
Massage your forehead upwards gently for three to five minutes before you go to sleep.
Usually within a minute,
That is about eight to ten times moving the fingers upward,
You will become sleepy.
Your heart will relax.
And there might be an itchy,
Tingly sensation inside of your nose.
Your eyes might start to water and you might begin yawning.
This technique works for most people.
If you wake up in the middle of the night and find that you are having trouble falling back to sleep,
Repeat this technique again.
For a short daytime nap,
Especially when you want to feel energized and be more productive,
The opening of the heavenly gate technique might put you in a deeper sleep than you desire for a quick nap.
Instead,
I'm going to teach you the clearing the ridge,
And that is perfect for a nap during the day.
By using two fingers or a knuckle on each hand to massage the meridian points along the ridge just above the eyebrows,
From the head of the eyebrows all the way to your temples.
This is the clearing the ridge.
Repeat clearing the ridge for two to three minutes.
Among other health benefits,
These techniques will help you get better rest.
For those of us who have struggled with insomnia,
Myself included,
I found these ancient self-care techniques very helpful.
Pay close attention to your breath.
When you wake up in the middle of the night,
Your breath might become rapid and your heartbeat faster.
That is because you are anxious to get back to sleep.
In most cases with insomnia,
The mind becomes stressed over worrying about not being able to fall back to sleep.
And now,
Practice both opening the heavenly gate and clearing the ridge.
Do it so very tenderly.
Let your fingers lightly glide over your skin as if you are touching the wings of a butterfly.
Gently and lovingly give yourself some love.
Have compassion for yourself.
Say it to yourself quietly.
I am relaxing.
I am calm.
I am resting.
I am nurturing myself.
When applying these practices,
Even if it doesn't put you right back into a deep sleep,
They will give you non-sleep deep rest or NSDR.
An acronym has been coined by neurologist and professor Huberman from Stanford University.
The deep yawning this self-massage induced will put your body and mind into a deeper state of relaxation.
When you yawn,
You breathe more deeply.
The oxygen levels in the blood goes up.
The same time,
The waste carbon dioxide levels are reduced.
Research in recent years has indicated that yawning stimulates the release of dopamine,
Which activates oxytocin,
The pleasure and relationship bonding chemicals in the brain.
Yawning rewires your neuromuscular system,
Which resets the body's internal clock.
It is the process that helps the body to renew and recover.
It is necessary for survival.
So practice these ancient techniques to help your body to renew and recover.
The best medicine is in our body.
Let's tap into it.
