Ayurvedic Wisdom For Peaceful Sleep

Welcome to the course! This first session settles you into the course with a short introduction to Ayurveda, and some time to reflect on your current sleep patterns and what you most hope to receive from the course.

In this session, we'll explore the Ayurvedic concept of the three doshas. The doshas are the biological forces responsible for the functioning of the body and mind. We'll look at what they are, how they work, and at the unique and individual combination of doshas that each one of us has, called the prakruti. We'll be expecially focusing on how the doshas affect our sleep, looking at the sleep patterns and problems that each dosha is responsible for, and you'll be able to identify which of the doshas are most significantly influencing your sleep.

This session explores the Ayurvedic cycle of the day. Throughout the day, and throughout the night, each dosha has phases when it is naturally higher in our bodies. We'll look at how sleeping and waking at certain times can be more beneficial to us than others, and how to align ourselves to the cycle for the best quality sleep at night, and to awaken with the most energy in the mornings.

This session explores the environment you sleep in. We'll look at how different factors in the bedroom can affect the doshas and at how an untidy or cluttered bedroom can affect the quality of your sleep. We'll look at the potential problems caused by working in the same room that you sleep in, and at how climate and environmental factors can affect the doshas and cause difficulty sleeping. Many suggestions are given for ways to make your bedroom into a peaceful space that supports your sleep.

This session introduces the importance of the final two hours of the day, and how the activities of the final two hours can affect the quality of sleep. We'll then look at the nature of making changes, and at the different challenges that people with different Ayurvedic constitutions may face, and you will learn the best approach to take for making successful and long-lasting changes to your routines.

In this session, we'll look at how excessive mental stimulation can impact our sleep, and at the affects of bright lights and screens on the doshas and our minds. Suggestions are given for ways to reduce excess stimulation and create an environment that allows the mind to calm down and become quiet before going to sleep.

This session looks at the digestive system from the perspective of Ayurveda. We'll return to the cycle of the day, looking at how the quantity of food we are able to digest varies throughout the day, and at when and how much to eat for the best quality of sleep, and for better overall energy levels.

Often, when we find ourselves unable to sleep, it's the mind and emotions that are keeping us awake. This session looks at the importance of keeping the final two hours of the day calm and peaceful, and explores some ways to release and let go of thoughts and worries from the day, bringing the mind into a quiet and calm state for sleep.

Today we'll look at what we drink in the day, and in the night, and at how this can influence the quality of our sleep. We'll explore coffee from the perspective of Ayurveda, looking the times and ways of consuming coffee that have a greater, or a lesser, affect on sleep. And we'll look at some warm drinks for the evening that can help to soothe the mind and the body, and promote peaceful sleep.

This session contains a walk-through of a simple foot massage that can be done each night to calm the body and the mind before sleep. We'll look at the benefits of oil massage and at the best oils for each of the doshas. If you would like to do the massage along with the recording, have a bottle of massage oil ready with you (preferably warm, if possible).

In this session we'll look at the benefits of meditating in the evenings, and we will especially explore yoga nidra as a powerful way to relax before sleep, or as an aid to falling asleep. A yoga nidra practice is included at the end of the session, with the option for you to fall asleep at the end if you want to, and if you find the practice useful in helping you get to sleep, the same track without the talk-out at the end is available as a stand-alone plus track titled 'Yoga Nidra To Fall Asleep.'

This final session brings together what we've learnt in the course and gives you some time to reflect on what you would most like to change about your sleep habits, on which changes you would like to focus on making first, and on how you want to progress into the future.