Care for Insomnia
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People with insomnia have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Disruptive sleep patterns symptomatic of insomnia include lying awake for long periods of time before falling asleep, waking up too early, sleeping for short periods and lying awake much of the night. Insomnia causes disrup-tions in a person's waking life as they generally experience tiredness, lack of concentration and focus and in some cases, difficulty staying awake during the daytime hours.
STEPS TO BE FOLLOWED
- SHALABHA ASANA
- UDDEEYAANA BANDHA
- STEPS 1 AND 2 COMBINED
1. SHALABHA ASANA GHERANDA SAMHITA, UPADESHA 2, VERSE: 38
॥ अथ शलभासनम् ॥
अध्यास्यः शेते कर-युग्मम् वक्षो भूमिमवष्ट य करयोस्तला याम्।
पादौ च शून्ये च वितस्ति चोर्ध्वं वदन्ति पीठं शभसभपभत्र मुनीन्द्राः॥
Adhyaasyaha shete kara-yugmam vaksho
Bhoomim avashtabhya karayoho talaabhyaam |
Paadau cha shoonye cha vithasti
Chordhvam vadanti peetam shalabham muneendraaha ||
2.38 ||
(See Figure 11 p.116)
TRANSLATION
Keep your palms on the floor; lie down on the floor such that the chest portion is resting on the palm. Without bending the knees raise the leg to a height of 18-22 inch-es. This is also called the grasshopper asana.
TECHNIQUE
- Lie face down on the floor; keep the palms of the hand on the floor
- Lie such that the chest is resting on the palms
- Inhale and retain the breath inside
- At the same time without bending at the knees raise the leg from the thighs up to the toes about 18-22 inches above the ground. Keep both the legs to gether
- Throughout rest your chin on the floor
- Remain in this pose for about 11 seconds 7. Then relax
Do this for 11 times.
2. NEXT-
LYING UDDEEYAANA BANDHA
GHERANDA SAMHITA, UPADESHA-3, VERSE: 10
॥ अथ उड्डीयान-बन्धः ॥
उदरे पश्चिमं तानं नाभेरुर्ध्वं तु कारयेत् ।
उड्डानं कुरुते यस्माद्विश्रान्तं महाखगः।
उड्डीयानं त्वसौ बन्धो मृत्यु-मातङ्ग-केसरी ॥
Udare pashchimam taanam Naabheroordhvam tu
kaarayet |
Uddaanam kurute yasmat Avishraantam mahaakhagaha |
Uddeeyaanam tvasau bandhao Mrutyu-Maatanga-
Kesaree || 3.10 ||
TRANSLATION
One should contract the bowels above and below the navel so that the abdominal organs touch the back. The one who practices this uddeeyaana bandha continuously becomes a conqueror of death. The great bird (Kundalini) flies up in the Sushumna and flies there itself constantly.
TECHNIQUE
- Lye down on same asana but no need to lift the legs. Keep the spine straight and eyes open.
- Take a deep breath in and exhale completely, but do not be forceful
- After exhaling, perform jaalandhara bandha by moving the chin down to the chest
- Pull the abdominal muscles inward so that the or gans of the abdomen touch the back muscles
- Hold as long as you can
- When you can’t hold anymore, before inhaling, relax the stomach and abdomen, release jaalandhara bandha by raising the chin
- Then inhale through the nostrils slowly
- Before repeating another round, breathe normally for a minute or two
- Initially start with 3 times and gradually increase up to 10 times
NEXT-
STEPS 1 AND 2 COMBINED
TECHNIQUE
- Lie on the ground with face downwards, with palms facing the ground
- Chest should be on the palms above hands
- Legs should be straight on the ground
- Take a deep breath in and exhale completely, but do not be forceful
- After exhaling, perform jaalandhara bandha by moving the chin down to the chest 6. Pull the abdominal muscles inward and upwards, so that the organs of the abdomen touch the back muscles
- At the same time without bending at the knees raise the leg from the thighs upto the toes about 18-22 inches above the ground. Keep both the legs together
- Hold as long as you can
- When you can’t hold anymore, before inhaling, relax the stomach and abdomen, release jaalandhara by raising the chin and relax your legs
- Then exhale through the nostrils
- Before repeating another round, breathe normally for a minute or two
- Initially start with 3 times and gradually increase up to 10 times
END OF KRIYA