The duality of sleeping patterns

Ever since I began to wake up at six each morning, I have been observing the subtleties of my own mind. And how the mind loves habits and patterns! This love for patterns has made my 'rise early' resolution both easy and difficult at the same time! Doesn't this duality in our sleeping patterns seems baffling to so many of us?

Why I say this is because, I have seen myself struggle a little in the past to wake up as soon as the alarm bell rings. While I have been trying to overcome the morning blues, I have seen how the habit of the past is putting up a resistance. This resistance is in the form of my body struggling to adapt to the new pattern of waking up at six each morning. On the other hand, my body is also beginning to show signs of slowing down as the time to sleep approaches. Now, this is something so welcome because I haven't had to struggle to fall asleep. That seems to have become internalized now such that it is beginning to aid my resolve of waking up early the next day.

So, this seems to be quite a balancing act which I am managing with increasingly satisfying levels.
One major learning from the past few weeks has been this: SLEEP ON TIME, NO MATTER WHAT!

Yes, as trivial it may seem, this seems to be of major consequence when we go to bed. Studies have showed that adults require anywhere between 6-8 hours of sleep each night. In the light of this, it becomes obvious that if one were to not get enough sleep at night, then waking up early becomes difficult. It is, therefore, vital that you find out the duration of sleep that you require each night to feel refreshed the next morning.

Often, we delay our sleeping times when we are wanting to finish the work at hand - maybe it is that assignment due the next day or that important mail that you have been trying to appropriately reply to. For most of us, the first bodily response is to slow down towards the end of the day. Until unless we introduce stimulants like caffeine, alcohol or even a over-filling dinner, we easily and effortlessly slip into our 'sleep modes'. We see that out productivity wanes by the end of the day and we are struggling to give our 100% to the work at hand. Hence, it would to be more productive to go to bed on time and wake up on time to work on it. Often, this produces a better output as the mind is so fresh after the night's sleep and working at its optimum.

As I am learning these beautiful things about my body, I hope that you are learning from my mistakes as well. I tell you, you need not do them all over again to be learning from them! ;)
Let me leave you with a quick revision of my learning in the past few weeks:

1. Sleep on time to wake up on time.
2. Help yourself ease into the night by staying away from stimulants late in the evening.
3. Notice your own sleeping patterns and determine your own 'healthy sleep duration'.

Happy rising early! ;)

(This post is a part of the 'Rising Early series'. You could read the rest of the posts in the series HERE. )

Pause for a moment, time is passing away..

A few weeks ago, I had this thought about the fleeting nature of time. This thought was inspired from my own observations of how the leaves were changing color quickly. From the range of reds that I saw to the fleeting greens; from the yearning yellows to the burnt out browns, they were all a delight to the eye! And how they contrasted against the blue of the all-encompassing sky! If I was not already in a mood for contemplation, these were enough stimuli for me to pause and look at the fleeting nature of life.

In the pursuit of success and in catching up with the rigors of the daily life, we often get caught up in a routine and begin to take life for granted. Contrary to common understanding, we seem to think of life as perpetual but life is lived in its moments. Looking back, you would only see that each moment was fleeting in its nature, 'Here today, gone tomorrow' seems to be a story of our lives.  

Walking around my apartment, as I took in these sights, I began to see how much there is to life. One need not take a walk, like I did, to come to this understanding. It could simply come to you this very moment! The moment that you realize that each moment is precious and filled with abundance you will truly begin to appreciate life in its entirety. 

Often, this though crosses my mind, 'What if this were my last day alive?'. 

I am not at all depressed by this thought. In fact, if you care to look at your own life with a certain sensitivity, you would see that it is this moment, here and now, that we have with us. The past and the future seem like a dream in this realization. This further leads me to understand that the moment that we truly acknowledge the impermanence of our own lives that we begin to live it fully! The mundane becomes charged with enthusiasm and the unnecessary falls out of lives instantly and naturally. That is how I have begun to Rise Early each morning. Priorities begin to prioritize themselves and naturally our experience of life becomes richer. This is a natural outcome of looking at life as fleeting and hence impermanent. I have seen that the least effort is required for one to come to this understanding and work from this space of ease.

Living with this feeling, I see that even stones come alive and seem to be embracing the sky!

The grass in its green is only awaiting your bare feet to tread on it, even as its bends humbly!

"Shama jali hai tere liye, tujhko kuch nahi karna hai!"

"The candle is lit for you, you don't have to do anything."

Pause for a moment, time is passing away..

The strength of a promise to oneself

One wonders what is so special about a ‘New year resolution’ that sets it apart from other commitments. While it seems to be working for a few, it has most often than not failed to keep company with the enthusiastic resolution-maker for the length of the year. It is therefore no wonder that we have the adage that ‘resolutions are meant to be broken! ‘But, what about the great resolve with which most of us take up resolutions and vow to stick on with for the rest of the year? It is an enigma for many as to how and why their resolve wanes.

It is important to probe into the nature of ‘resolutions’ before we could ask ourselves if they really work. Most of the resolutions that people take up are firm on an idea but weak on their time of implementation. When the deadline is not fixed in time, then it becomes very easy for one’s own mind to wriggle out of this new stranglehold. For instance, ‘I will not smoke’ or even ‘I will quit smoking’ sounds resolute enough to last long but simply comes apart. The trick lies in making a ‘time-bound’ commitment. A resolution works best when it is tied to a duration of small measurable units of time like a week, a fortnight or a month. Saying, ‘I will not smoke for the next one week’ has proven to work wonders as there is a sense of achievement at the end of the week.

This system of reward and reiteration also increases ones confidence in oneself as well as sets the ball rolling for the new commitment to bear fruits. Just as a pitcher can be filled by a steady flow of minute drops, resolutions can also be strengthened by small time-bound commitments, renewed regularly. Just like one doesn't require to light up the entire road from the beginning to the end for a night-journey but is suffices by the headlights of a car lighting up to a few feet ahead, one can go a long way just by defining short time-bound commitments.

The back-bone of any resolution is the need or urge to bring about a change and to free oneself from binding and energy-draining habits. Stronger the need for this change, stronger is one’s commitment and faster one’s independence from the vices. One may stumble once in a while or even many times on this path, one simply has to renew one’s commitment to one’s cause immediately.

With this much in mind, whatever one’s resolution may be, whenever one might decide to begin, one can very soon be independent of one’s habits and emerge out glowing and basking in the newly gained confidence. I know resolutions work, be it new or not!
Are you willing to resolve now?

(This post is a part of the 'Rising Early series'. You could read the rest of the posts in the series HERE. )