Converting sleep into meditation

[Justin Passing]

They say practice makes perfect, but too often the reverse is true for sleeping. Most people get worse at sleeping as they grow older.

As a teenager, when I couldn't sleep my mom would tell me that I should at least lay there quietly. That way my body would get some rest.

In my late teens I tried to get good at sleeping. I wanted to be able to sleep anywhere, anytime. Never did manage that. I tried other things too. Like working for a few hours, then sleeping for a few, then working, then sleeping, etc. Did that for three weeks and loved it. I also spent a semester or two living 30 hour days, which gives you 6 days in a week. I liked that too. At this point I tend to eat when I'm hungry and sleep when I'm tired, so the hours I'm awake are fairly random. I do have a preference for being awake all night though. That's always been true.

Honestly, our bodies are fairly flexible. They need sleep, but they're usually willing to adapt as long as we respect their needs. Many people are happiest with a routine - a schedule - and get in trouble when that routine gets messed up. Regular meditation can reduce our need for sleep. In fact, that was one of the popular "selling points" when I learned to meditate. You still need to sleep though - it's just the amount of sleep you need that gets reduced.

@RedEmbers - I expect your "8 hours in a meditative state" is getting you what you need. My question is does that happen because you can't fall asleep? Because, if you can remember some of your dreams, I might have a trick that could help with that. As you're trying to go to sleep, focus on remembering as much of the dream as you can. Immerse yourself in those dream memories. For me, doing that sends me straight to sleep.

[JustBe]

Originally Posted by Justin Passing

Many people experience being "tired" when they get "too much sleep". I've always dismissed that as sleep debt, but I'm sure there are other reasons as well, like the ones you've pointed out.
As you become more aware of dreaming waking up can become a problem. What I've found that works is focusing on "allowing" rather than "controlling" imo.

Yes, I see what your saying.

I’m wondering if the dream type determines the depth of sleep. As an example a processing dream where your involved in something awake, could well deem a restless night where deeper sleep is lacking. I’m so awake in my dreams, it’s like I need to turn the off switch off to them.. lol

I’m in a place I trust my dreamer can do what it needs, without too much attention in my part, but I’m just so aware and awake in those dreams it’s ridiculous lol.


Last night I dreamed, what felt like, all night. I was too aware of too much.

I want to be sleeping deeper than the awareness space of my dreamer..how to develop that?

[Justin Passing]

Originally Posted by JustBe

I want to be sleeping deeper than the awareness space of my dreamer..how to develop that?

Sounds like you'd rather just sleep - be less aware - and you can certainly do that. I've found that most of the navigation in dreams happens via attention and memory. Focus your attention on your dream. Sink into the memories of this dream (or another one - doesn't matter) - and your awareness will typically diminish as you get caught up in the "story". In other words, fall further asleep. Let go.

Honestly, it's analogous to focusing on something when you're awake. If you're bored you find something to do, like working in the garden or reading a book. You shift your attention - your focus - into that activity. You let that activity fill your attention and you sink into it. In sleep the "activities" are a bit different, but it's essentially the same thing.

[Still_Waters]

Originally Posted by Justin Passing

@Still_Waters - I'm sure that yogi was taking good care of himself. I've no doubt that can be done without sleeping in the traditional sense. It's all about balancing after all, and there are lots of ways to balance, repair, rejuvenate, energize, etc. But doing that isn't trivial. For most of us, sleep is essential, and we'll literally die without it.

That is precisely why I gravitate towards exceptional beings whenever possible.

What this yogi did is certainly not trivial, as you duly noted.

[Still_Waters]

QUOTE 30 EXCERPT:

Originally Posted by RedEmbers

Recently I heard that some forms of meditation rest the brain to the same degree that a good sleep can.

I'm not sure of the exact scientific thinking on this but I did notice that my own relationship to being in a concious awake and meditative state became more relaxed and restful after I heard this information.

Since I have personally seen a yogi who does not sleep in the traditional supine unconscious position, I know for a fact that "some forms of meditation rest the brain to the same degree that a good sleep can".

The key principle is that, when one can remain continuously thought-free for extended periods of time, that state is essentially very similar to the very-restful deep sleep state with the main difference being that one is not unconscious and can function quite well in that thought-free state.

A psychiatrist colleague once jokingly asked me if I had personally seen one of the well-documented cases of yogis who "don't sleep". When I answered in the affirmative, he asked if I understood the process. When I explained the process to him in detail, he stated that it was the only explanation that he had heard which made sense from a medical perspective.

[nandansahoo]

There is a specific technique called Shoonya meditation taught at Isha Yoga Centre.

Once you learn this technique, you can, while being awake, sleep and dream as well. Technically you are converging wakefullness, sleep and dream states consciously. This meditation is done for about 12–15 at a time, twice a day.

This not only aids converting sleep to meditation but also brings down the total sleep quota drastically.

I have been practising this and have hugely benefitted.

[inavalan]

Sit in comfortable position and focus your attention on top of the head - this is shoonya meditation --- Avadhoot Aanand

[johnpanther786]

Hell Everyone,

During Sleep time, I won't able to sleep continuously at the night, like sometimes waking up at midnight and then sleeping at noon time during working hours. it was quite difficult for me for focusing on work which impact my performance level. My elder brother suggested I do meditation during sleep time, but questioned how? He suggested one Meditation App called Nispand which helps me to do meditation at the night by using Meditation practices, Sleep Sounds which made my night peaceful. Thanks, Nispand This is all my experience. Definitely, you should try. Nispand.com

[Unseeking Seeker]

@ johnpanther ~ in my view, there is a difference between sleep meditation and getting a restful sleep. In the former, we being in everpresent meditation, slip into sleep with the same orientation whereas a restful sleep is enabled by slowing thoughts an hour or so before we retire to bed.

[OldChap]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

QUOTE 30 EXCERPT:



Since I have personally seen a yogi who does not sleep in the traditional supine unconscious position, I know for a fact that "some forms of meditation rest the brain to the same degree that a good sleep can".

The key principle is that, when one can remain continuously thought-free for extended periods of time, that state is essentially very similar to the very-restful deep sleep state with the main difference being that one is not unconscious and can function quite well in that thought-free state.

A psychiatrist colleague once jokingly asked me if I had personally seen one of the well-documented cases of yogis who "don't sleep". When I answered in the affirmative, he asked if I understood the process. When I explained the process to him in detail, he stated that it was the only explanation that he had heard which made sense from a medical perspective.

Perhaps that yogi went beyond meditation and became aware of and connected with his soul, which is the energy bridge between us in a low vibration state of energy and God/Source/Prime Creator (as God for brevity) in the highest vibration state of energy. It is what some say as being connected to their Higher Self, the higher vibration energy part of themselves.

We all have far more extra ordinary potential abilities than what we have been told or conditioned out of believing.

When we with pure intent and sincerity fill our hearts with love and in compasssion share that joy of love with those who neither have joy nor love yet through compassionate action, it triggers a cascade of benevolent enhancements to our body and mind, including raising the vibration of our DNA and all cellular structures.

Then we will become a bit more multi-dimensional and quantum, and our bodies will become less constrained by the norms in a 3d world.

Why pure love could do that? Because love is not simply just an emotion, love is the most powerful highest vibration multi-dimensional quantum energy in the universe. Our true nature is love, not the false nature that is the ego which knows not of love.

We are all expressions of God here for an amazing adventure to be in the human form to see if we could go from feeling separated from God and return to being in Oneness with God, when left alone with mininal divine intervention and free will to freely choose.

It's all about energies and physics. We are walking mobile multi-dimensional quantum energy receivers and transmitters. Who or what are we in communications with? Perhaps the vastly bigger rest of ourselves on the other side of the Veil of Forgetfulness.

As Nikola Tesla had uncovered, to know the secret to the universe think in terms of energy, vibration, and frequency.

Then is it any wonder that all spiritually advanced messengers here throughout the ages uniformly taught us a better way of living life that aligns with love.

Love has always been the solution to all our problems.

What an amazing adventure we passionately signed up for when in our true home on the other side of the Veil.

An extremly long adventure that will span many human lifetimes here. And having an expiration date on our corporeal bodies allows us to return in a new fresh body to continue our free will exploring and learning, trying different things or to improve on what we had done earlier.

So much grandness all around! Truly grateful to be alive experiencing all that this world has to offer. And when we do choose to embrace love and share that joy of love, we assist with transforming this young chaotic world to paradise. The expansion of love and light.