Health Fitness

A monk’s secret to better sleep

As with all advice, always check with your doctor before embarking on any regimen, especially one you haven’t tried before. Everyone’s body is different. Having said that, I would like to introduce you to the secrets I discovered about sleep while living as a Buddhist monk in the backwaters of the jungle of Thailand.

I never slept better than when I practiced the 227 rules of a Buddhist monk. The rules are designed to create a harmonious atmosphere for a community of monks so that they can live together in peace and practice meditation, but I quickly discovered that these rules not only allowed us to live together in agreement, but mystically enhanced all aspects of myself. life. life, including my physical and mental health.

The rules included only one meal a day and a lot of walking. We walked into the surrounding villages at dawn, usually a two to five mile hike, and collected that day’s food from the villagers. We were not allowed to store food, so we had to do our trek every day. The food consisted mostly of rice, miniature Thai bananas, leafy greens, and occasionally a bit of protein, such as dried fish, grasshoppers, chicken, all organic.

We ate our only meal a day in the meditation room, which was half a mile from my cabin, so I had to walk the half mile several times, day and night. This was in addition to the walk through the villages. The walk, combined with the type and quality of fresh food, and the fact that the digestive system had to work only once a day, promoted a good night’s sleep. The deciding factor, however, was the practice of meditation, which tends to relax the mind and resolve any pending conflicts, so that one can truly relax peacefully at night and experience an invigorating, dreamless sleep.

Now that I am back in America, I still sleep like a baby. My usual routine is an hour or two of brisk walking every day, lots of brown rice (most of my calories), very little fruit, maybe some blueberries, apples, or grapefruit, lots of veggies, beans, and olive oil. no sugar at all, no wheat, dairy, meat, etc. (small amounts of fish, eggs or chicken can be added), adequate salt and lots of vitamins, especially vitamin C. I meditate regularly when I have time and always before going to bed. Walking, meditating, and a diet close to the macrobiotic model seem to work magic.

If you are missing some or all of these areas – walking, vitamins, meditation, or diet – and you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, you might consider slowly incorporating this regimen into your lifestyle. It costs nothing, and in fact, your food bill will drop dramatically, unless you buy designer brown rice. (Does such a thing exist)? Another secondary benefit is that any health problems already active or soon to be activated will likely be reduced or eliminated without the need for invasive medications.

In general, your health and mental outlook will improve dramatically; A good night’s sleep is the best health insurance policy, and since all of the above is natural, there are no long-term side effects or dangers like you can experience with medications of any kind. The three key ingredients are meditation, diet, and exercise. The reason walking works so well is because it doesn’t increase your stress levels. You can do it at home, without the need to spend extra money to attend classes or engage in stressful and competitive workouts.

Meditation is also free. A beginner’s book on meditation will suffice, or there are free tips available on the Southwest Florida Insight Center website listed below. Since none of this should cost you additional money, your stress levels should be lowered, and with meditation practice, your stress levels should be drastically lowered. An added bonus is that meditation will, over time, reduce obsessive cravings and cravings, and this will help maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Sleep well!

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