I have always been an odd sleeper. I was born as the sun rose out of the sea and perhaps that marked me as someone who wants to grasp the day and chase the light? Apparently, I rarely seemed to sleep as a baby, but would happily lie in my cot and smile every time my parents sneaked in to see if I was asleep yet. Throughout childhood I had bouts of sleepwalking, and experienced nightmares that I can still remember. However, I was also very happy occupying that space in between sleep and wakefulness – it was such a ripe place for my imagination to roam.

I discovered in adulthood that I can easily awaken from the slightest noise of a leaf rustling on the porch but can sleep through a raging storm and a party next door. I can happily “social nap” at a party, festival or in a park, and have weeks of delicious deep sleep. But when Perimenopause gate crashed earlier into my life than expected, things had to change. It was the ultimate thief of my sleep and the bringer of anxiety and truth serum dreams. This was when I knuckled down and finally learned the art of sleep and how to tend this garden of rest. What is this mysterious place where we scoot off to for a defrag and reboot? Why does it feel so deathly if we miss out on enough sleep? How can we ensure that we get better and deeper sleep for our health and sense of wholeness? 

Sleep is my Friend is a 4-week yoga therapy module to explore Rest and Sleep, because examining Rest is a vital key to discovering good Sleep. We learn how we can unwind from the colonisation of our natural sleep cycles and reframe our sleep habits. We appreciate how we need to woo ourselves for a good sleep with little cues throughout the day – we cannot simply DEMAND sleep at the end of a stressful day.

This course uses the tools of breathwork, restorative yoga, yoga nidra and adopting the practice of night journaling for deeper appreciation of what is actually happening with your sleep and night adventures. We discuss partners and pets, dealing with snoring and getting real about “sleep divorce”. We also explore Chi cycles and Moon cycles as a way of framing our life to make space for Being as well as Doing. We also learn some simple dream awareness techniques so we can appreciate this liminal world as a place of insight. Bedtime becomes a place to look forward to and an opportunity to nurture yourself even on those nights where sleep is elusive. Stop dreaming about getting good sleep and wake up to finding the tools to help you get there!

This four-week module starts on Wed May 15th 7-8.30pm. You are welcome to attend in person, on zoom or simply receive a recording.