Sunlight, Exercise, and Insomnia

Both exercise and sunlight have a direct impact on your sleep system and your body temperature rhythm. If you don’t get sufficient exercise and sunlight, you increase daytime drowsiness because you inhibit the daily rise and fall of body temperature.

When feeling drowsy and lacking energy during the day most people quickly jump to the conclusion that it is because they didn’t get enough sleep. For this very reason, they rest more and decrease their activity level based on the theory that “I’m feeling tired, so obviously I didn’t get enough sleep last night and I should probably get some rest.”

This is a faulty theory and exactly the sort of behavior that will only create additional sleep problems for you! It is counterproductive because by being inactive and staying indoors you are flattening your body temperature curve so you will feel more tired when in fact you are supposed to be feeling awake. You can easily get caught in a vicious cycle: the more fatigue you encounter, the more you are likely to stay inactive (and consequently the less restorative your sleep will be at night). You are also more likely to stay indoors and thereby limit your exposure to sunlight.

Also, keep in mind you can perform on less sleep than you think! In addition, for a brief period you can perform with less sleep than you need, so discard that particular worry for now. Although you may get less sleep than you need on occasion, the proper way to combat this reality is by being physically active and staying outdoors in order to receive exposure to natural light! Go get up, get out and get active!

When you’re feeling tired, fatigued and lacking in energy you are likely to try to compensate for this by getting to bed early. Unfortunately, this only weakens your sleep system by decreasing your prior wakefulness, which decreases your “sleep drive.”

You will also tend to decrease activity levels and your exposure to natural light by going to bed early. Remember the goal is just the opposite: you want to increase prior wakefulness to create a deeper, restorative sleep. By doing the opposite you will only encourage lighter and less rejuvenating sleep which leaves you feeling drowsy and without energy during the day. This, in turn leaves you with a tendency to be inactive and stay indoors, and the vicious cycle continues!

Remember! Even if you did in fact get too little sleep, the best way to counter a sense of tiredness, fatigue and lack of energy is by getting sunlight and exercise and not by staying inactive and resting. This will only trap you further in this cycle!

No matter how little you sleep or how little you think you have slept or how drowsy you feel - get out and get active! This is the best way to turn this vicious cycle around: incorporate an element of daily outdoor activity into your life!

Removing the Mask

In modern society, we have learned to hide ourselves behind social masks of what we consider to be correct behaviour. We constantly ignore what we are feeling or thinking in order to receive the approval of those around us.

We pretend all the time in order to be accepted by others, but the irony is that we all do exactly the same thing, everyone else is pretending too. We think we are doing a great job of convincing everyone that “I really like you, you’re great” while at the same time we are thinking, “I hate her so much! I never want to see her again!” In reality, we’re not fooling anyone, they can all see through our act because they play the same roles themselves

It takes courage to put down your masks, but surprisingly, when you finally do so, you will receive more approval than ever before, because you will be approving of yourself.

One of the pitfalls on the path of self-realization is the adoption of a “spiritual” mask that replaces the old masks we have learned from society. We get caught up in the intellectual idea of how a spiritual person is meant to look, and we create a spiritual ego. Then, because of our outer appearance, our eating habits, our long hours of practice, or our many followers, we consider ourselves to be in a place of enlightenment, when in fact we are not. We create a new box of ideas and rules about how we are supposed to behave, based on the very teachings that were designed to break our boxes!

Absolute completion, or enlightenment, doesn’t have a box. It is unlimited totality, it just keeps expanding and expanding, eternally.

Our masks make us feel safe and comfortable, but comfort is one of the greatest causes of our discontent. We think our masks and the comfort they bring make us happy, but in reality they cause us to stop growing as individuals, leaving us stifled and dissatisfied. Our masks make us rigid and static. They suck the spontaneity, flexibility, and growth out of life. The greatest aspect of the human experience is evolution, to become more, more excellence and ultimately more love. Until we cast off our masks, we cannot truly evolve.

Self Healing with Universal Energy

As many of you realise from reading my blog, my spiritual path has been somewhat disrupted. However, now it seems that the path is a little clearer and I am beginning to flow back into the flow.

Being a Usui and Tibetan Reiki Master for over 25 years, I have had the honour of attuning and guiding many people into the Universal Energy of Reiki. But in recent years I have not been so involved and I have neglected my own spiritual awareness and progression.

Having now undertaken a shift in many factors in my life, it seems the energies are also shifting with me and it is time for more self healing.

Giving yourself healing is a very important aspect of Reiki. And I always recommend to my students that they perform self healing regularly, preferably daily in the beginning. This is one aspect which I have neglected quite significantly.

As well as improving your health, Self healing will balance and centre your mind/ body/ spirit system, thereby allowing for a dramatically increased flow of Reiki energy during healing sessions. Most importantly, it will definitely increase your inner guidance, helping you to pilot everyday situations more successfully, and provide guidance for your growth when appropriate. 

Although you can give yourself a healing by simply relaxing with your hands in one position on your body, such as one on the Anahata (Heart) Chakra and the other on Svansihthana (Sacral) Chakra, many people use different hand positions. You can give yourself a self healing whilst in a chair or laying on a couch or bed.

So here are some basic self treatment hand positions:

1. Hands overlapping on the top of the head

2. One hand on the forehead, the other hand on the back of the head midway between the crown of the head and the base of the skull

3. Hands resting on the eyes

4. Hands resting on the ears

5. One hand on the upper chest and the other on the solar plexus (where the ribs come together)

6. Hands on the hip area

Relax in each position 2-5 minutes. Practice these positions until they are familiar and you have some confidence. Gradually let your hands be guided by your intuition. As you practice and have a little patience you will gain experience and begin to trust your inner guidance. You cannot really make a mistake. Your healing sessions are always watched over by the Divine to ensure that your efforts will always be rewarded.

Begin a self-treatment with the same respect and reverence you would when giving Reiki to someone else. Bring your hands into "Namaste" Position at the heart and bow gently. Silently ask for the Reiki to Flow into and through you. You may also ask for your Reiki Guides, and Reiki Angels to direct the Reiki treatment.