The Sacred Pause: Exhaling to Assimilate Life’s Vital Energy
The complexities of the human body are mind-boggling. Every moment, we perform innumerable actions without even realizing them. In this magnificently orchestrated life symphony, vital aspects like sleep and relaxation often get overlooked in the frantic pace of life. And yet, remarkably, it is these seemingly passive processes that play a mammoth role in our overall well-being and growth.
To fully understand the profound confluence of sleep, meditation, and the absorption of life-force, or prana as it is referred to in yogic philosophy, we first need to examine the seemingly mundane process that makes life possible – breathing. Breathing has two primary stages, inhalation and exhalation. When we inhale, we assimilate prana into our system. However, it is worth noting that this assimilation process is not complete until we relax and let this life force into each and every muscle, fibre and cell of our body. In a couple of breaths you can quickly figure out that , just like breathing, relaxation is an entirely seperate mechanism, by further exploration we can also learn that it only happen at the time of exhalation. with a bit of practice we can learn to relax deeply and let the prana, this life force into the entire body by understanding our body and do away with bandhas (blockages) that we are holding on to either consiously or sub-consiously.
To illustrate this, consider the metaphor of tides in the ocean. Think of inhalation as the high tide, the swell in sea-water and all pent energy. Meanwhile, think of exhalation as low tide, a moment of wenting, in action where the absorbed energy is dispersed, utilized, and processed. This principle holds true for learning as well. Despite the common belief that our brains are absorbing information while we are actively studying or engaging, the true assimilation of knowledge paradoxically happens when we are at rest or asleep.
Sleep and meditation serve as the fertile ground where seeds of learning germinate and flourish. Ther are scientific studies that have demonstrated this, where the participants were taught a complex task, and those who were allowed to sleep after learning mastered the task remarkably better than those who were tested immediately after. This rests on the premise that sleep provides our brain the opportunity to reprocess, cement and reorganize information we have acquired during our waking hours.
At a deeper level, the restorative power of sleep extends right down to our molecular level. Here, it serves an essential housekeeping role that removes toxins in your brain that build up while you are awake. This maintenance work within your body is conducted primarily during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stages of sleep, characterized by slower, more synchronised brain wave activity. This underscores the significance of establishing a consistent sleep schedule that allows for ample time to cycle through the necessary stages of sleep.
In a similar manner, but not limited to just physical and cognitive repair, regular meditations cater to our emotional wellbeing and can bolster our emotional resilience, enabling us to navigate life’s challenges with grace and equanimity. This reminds us to prioritize rest and introspection as vital components of our journey, nurturing our intrinsic nature and enabling us to resonate with the wisdom of the universe.
To conclude, sleep and meditation play a pivotal role in our overall health, wellbeing, and personal growth. Sleep and meditation are not retreats from life but deep dives into its very essence, ensuring we don’t just endure but thrive. They provide a well-needed space for our systems – physical, mental, and emotional, to repair, recover, and rejuvenate, while serving as a powerful incubator for learning, growth, and emotional resilience. This is a handy reminder for us to reevaluate our sleep patterns and meditation practices, and accord them the priority they demand and deserve in our lives.