with great curiosity and delight the following three-part experiment was undertaken from thursday the 28th of april 2011 until today, friday the 13th of may 2011.

the first part of my experiment was aligning my sleep schedule with the natural cycle of day and night. my goal was to be in bed at least eight hours before the sunrise in order to support deep, healthy sleep. having spent the last four years on a very noisy street corner, i felt consistent sleeping habits may be an easy place to experience a notable difference in my energy levels and perception of wellbeing.

this goal proved to be very difficult to achieve. in order to be asleep at least eight hours before sunrise, i would have to be in bed by 9 pm. the challenging part was that in addition to the regular oddities of life that keep us up later than we expect, each tuesday, wednesday and thursday evening classes, make-up classes and practice sessions were scheduled until 9 pm every week. occasionally, some went later, even as late as 9:45 pm. as i now commute 45 minutes one way from lafayette, this made my regular bedtime closer to 11 pm on most nights. regardless, i seem to wake about 15 – 30 minutes before the sun rises, which varied from 6:11 am to 5:52 am during the course of the experiment. i soon realized the vanity of trying to stick to my goal of sleeping a full eight hours per night every night by going to bed early. i tried to stay asleep longer by blacking out my extremely large bedroom windows first with dark blankets. the blankets proved too translucent, allowing enough light to easily wake me as soon as morning tiptoed over the horizon. next, i made giant cardboard cut outs (they are reeeeeeally large windows) and both nailed and duct-taped them up. exact fitting proved difficult and light streamed through the sides and seams of my corrugated franken-blind, though it did block much more light than the blankets. now, after the end of the official experiment, i am going to put up aluminum foil. it should be much easier to fit the odd a-frame shape, is much easier to attach than heavy card board, and blocks light much more effectively than blankets or cardboard.

even with my sleep schedule regularly disrupted, most nights i averaged around 7 hours of much higher quality sleep than i have had for years. before moving into the apartment on downing i could easily sleep 9 hours at time. while living in the apartment it was rare for me to sleep more than 6 hours a night. now in lafayette, the quiet and lovely surroundings make going to sleep much easier. waking up also is much easier and has not been accompanied by the sharp aching around my eyes and temples that has characterized my mornings for the last several years. i plan on continuing my cultivation of healthy sleep as it appears to be the single most effective variable i have found to change my experience of consciousness from challenging to vibrant. i am committed to rising early enough to complete sadhana and meditation practice during the sunrise. there does seem to be some energetic benefit, at least in my experience so far, to practicing during twilight.

the last part of my experiment was to spend time outside in nature. i now live near a wildlife refuge north of lake waneka. its about 45 min. to one hour at a brisk clip to walk around the lake and back to home. sometimes i sit and listen to the songbirds or watch the pelicans land gracefully on the water. this part was the easiest to maintain as i find i am super-highly motivated to be outside, watching animals, plants, clouds, anything without a silicone circuit, and simply enjoying it…the rain was such a gift the last few days!! how fresh and lovely she poured her gifts out in abundance over all the land!

being outside, away from synthetic structures, surrounded by the patterns, rhythms, cycles, impressions and details of an unselfconscious wilderness, this has always been a blessing, and feels like a gift to me. while i am still surrounded by suburbia here in lafayette, there is a bumper, a bit of space around it. any day i missed walking waneka felt very much like missing pranayama practice, or asana practice. i felt hard, sharp, ‘activated’. the days i walked, i found it was easier to spot and release a destructive thought pattern and easier to engage in new perspectives or ways of approaching challenges. in general, i am less grumpy when outside. i also realized that while i do practice self-massage in general, it is not the quality of massage that would counter the flighty effects of a vata constitution. i have not spent the time or energy on my own self as i would for another person. this was under my nose, but until now, not directly in my sight, so to speak.

My daily journaling involved food consumption, essential oil application, nightly bathing (shower or Epsom salt bath), waking hour and self massage.  Not to be over looked I added fresh limes, room temperature water (not chilled) and a healthy dose of turmeric, cumin, curry and cinnamon to my daily diet.  As per Beth’s suggestion I did attend two restorative yoga classes during the self study/experiment.  Additionally, I did not attempt to understand or get agitated by any specific situations I found myself involved when the situation seemed somewhat ‘out of control’ or disconnected (ie: line at the bank, line at the grocery store, or any service situation).  Remain calm, breathe deeply and just observe.

Days of specific interest:

May 4:             First extra session taught by Santosh:  Epsom salt bath, essential oils, self massage and reflection on the information (subtle body vayus).  Much deeper meditation (pratyhara) after the class and the evening ritual.

May 6:             Yoga class taught by Santosh: Work prior to and after yoga practice, Epsom salt bath (very hot), essential oils, self massage.  Very hot and unable to cool off after the bath/oils.  Restless evening of sleep.  Not the typical result after the daily routine. No deep meditation.

May 11 and 12:           No caffeine (usually have an AM non-fat latte).  Decided to eliminate my token daily treat (one latte).  No real adverse effects.  No headaches, shakes, abnormal bowel movements or any other noticeable differences (perhaps a little sluggish).  Will decide if I eliminate coffee on a regular basis—stay tuned.  Just need to exercise moderation.

May 13:           Plan on attending Santosh’s 6PM yoga class.  No Epsom salt bath.  Will apply essential oils.  Will work prior to and after the 6 PM yoga class.  Will take note of the differences between today’s routine and last Friday’s evening experience.

The doTerra (www.doterra.com) essential oils used in my daily routine: Peppermint, Wild Orange, Lavender, Melaleuca, Balance (spruce, rosewood, frankincense, blue tansy), Aroma Touch (basil, grapefruit, cypress, marjoram, peppermint, lavender), On Guard (wild orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary), Deep Blue (wintergreen, camphor, peppermint, blue tansy, german chamomile, helichrysum, osmanthus) and Citrus Blend (wild orange, lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, bergamot, tangerine, Clementine, vanilla).

Once again, this has been a very interesting component of the Axis Yoga Teacher Training program.

As an aside, prior to the Axis YTT program I did complete my certification in the Aroma Touch essential oil massage technique (certified by doTerra, www.doterra.com).