The need of switching off from the rest of the world is hardly realised, though it’s a concept well-researched. The importance of rest, as defined by the world’s most renowned spiritual leader, Sadhguru, lies in the simplicity of yoga. Sadhguru, who has been practicing yoga, since the age of 12, has many times listed the benefits of yoga and how bringing it into practice can alter the way of life. Sadhguru defines Yoga as a subjective tool to explore the inner dimension of a human being. In a conversation with a western Daily, the Yoga Guru has shared some more insights.
What is Yoga?
While Yoga has commonly been attributed to exercises and a set of definitive postures, the Sanskrit meaning of Yoga is ‘union’. In the words of Sadhguru, “No matter what you are doing – maybe just jogging or watching the ocean – if you use it as a processor to reach your higher nature, that is Yoga.”
Sadguru’s approach to sleep
In order to sleep like a baby, Sadhguru advises the intake of fruits and vegetables in their daily diet.
“If you eat a certain amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, you will notice immediately that your sleep quota will come down. In the Yogic culture, the simple understanding is that if you cook something, you must consume it within a maximum of ninety minutes. After that, inertia will start setting in,” he says.
How much sleep do we need?
When asked how much sleep a human needs, Sadhguru said that it’s not sleep but restfulness that the body craves. “The body does not need sleep – it needs restfulness. In most people’s experience, sleep is the deepest form of restfulness they know, so they talk about sleep.”
“When you perform lots of activity, a residue of physical stress will build up in the body. So at some point, the body wants to fall asleep. There are so-called experts who are promoting sleep but I think there is no need to promote sleep – people fall asleep when they are tired. But people are talking in terms of putting everyone to sleep for eight to ten hours a day. Suppose you live for a hundred years – if you followed the prescription of sleeping eight hours a day, you would have slept for over thirty-three years.”
Yogic teachings for better rest
Sadhguru has suggested yogic teachings such as Shmbhavi Mahamudra Kriya for restful sleep. He says if you bring this yogic practice in daily life, you will see it in your pulse rate. “Within 12 to 18 months of practice, you can bring your pulse rate down to around fifty or sixty per minute in a restful state,” he said.
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