We Are Divine
Sleep well, with intent and a secure a legacy of love
Dear Honest Men and Bonnie Lassies,
For months, I’ve been practicing a Taoist guided meditation called “Soft Butter” on the Waking Up app. It involves visualizing a lump of soft butter on the top of your head, melting and spreading warmth throughout your body. It may sound sh173, or strange. I suppose it is [strange] but allowing the sub-conscious to remove any conceptual attachment, the deep relaxation and sleep it induces is truly remarkable1.
Recently, I also discovered a video by Dr. Andrew Huberman discussing Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR), where he shares resources2 and even released a few sample NSDR practice videos3.
While there are similarities between the Soft Butter and Yoga Nidra practices, they stem from different traditions. However, NSDR is often used synonymously with Yoga Nidra and the practice allows the body and mind to reset, leading some experts to claim that 30 minutes of practice can provide rest comparable to several hours of regular sleep (Artofliving.org and Footnote 2).
Yoga Nidra, or “yogic sleep,” is a guided meditation that induces deep relaxation and conscious awareness, allowing practitioners to hover between wakefulness and sleep (often in higher brain frequency states). It involves lying comfortably while being guided through instructions for physical, mental, and emotional relaxation which can be profound.
Some benefits of Yoga Nidra include:
Improving sleep quality and duration
Reducing stress, anxiety, and tension
Relieving chronic pain and inflammation
Increasing self-awareness and emotional regulation
Boosting the immune system
Enhancing creativity and problem-solving skills
Improving focus and concentration
Reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
I also found a lovely YouTube channel with many Yoga Nidra sessions by Ally Boothroyd, where she introduced me to the word sankalpa.
In Sanskrit, “san” means “a connection with the highest truth” and “kalpa” means “vow.” Thus, sankalpa translates to an affirming resolve or intention to achieve something spiritual, often set during meditation or Yoga Nidra to align with one’s deepest desires and highest truth.
For those interested in more details and how to create a sankalpa, please check out Yogainternational.com. You are, of course, most welcome to build on the one I created (below) which is based on the Value Life mission statement4 and insights on energy centers / chakras.
This post was inspired by the transformative yoga nidra practices and the insightful host of the Daily Stoic podcast, whose wisdom also shines through in gems shared in the Daily Dad newsletter.
A recent Daily Dad newsletter highlighted a tragic story from 1948, where a man named Cecil Harris was trapped under his tractor. In his final moments, he carved a simple will for his wife with a pocket knife:
“In case I die in this mess, I leave all to the wife. Cecil Geo Harris.”
His final efforts directed his legacy as it was later accepted by the court.
The essence of this story prompts consideration for what one would say to loved ones if we had only moments left.
Brevity is indeed a virtue in such dire situations and not a choice. All trivial concerns may fade away, leaving - one would hope - only heartfelt messages of love and wisdom.
Here are a couple of poignant examples from the same Daily Dad newsletter too:
Brian Sweney, calling from a hijacked plane on 9/11 said, “I just want you to know I absolutely love you. I want you to do good, go have good times. Same to my parents and everybody, and I just totally love you, and I’ll see you when you get there.”
Leonidas to his wife on the eve of his stand at Thermopylae: “Marry a good man who will treat you well, bear him children, and live a good life.”
The message encourages us to express our feelings and thoughts now - while we still have the chance.
If aligned with the concept of a sankalpa, which emphasizes intention and commitment to our true desires and values in life, perhaps a legacy of love would resonate and reverberate resoundingly, inspiring others to embrace their own truths and nurture connections enduring beyond time.
And so, to conclude, here’s a sankalpa I whipped up (which could use refinement):
I understand the Divine love’s breathing life into me. I feel grateful for love, being aware of the bliss in each moment, laughter, fun, and the beauty of nature.
My trapped-under-the-tractor message was originally:
Everything is intrinsically linked. If anything is real, it is right now, and now is everything. Experiencing anything is a miracle. We are divine—so be It.
Then, I realised I was bleeding out and there was not enough surface area, so carved:
We are Divine—so be It
Further distilling 🤔:
Aum
Or(?):
In the silence of the mind, the heart’s truth can be heard. Is your heart singing into a storm?
Love
💙
I intend on sharing an overview of my meditation journey in more detail downstream.
Andrew Huberman on NSDR (15mins)
Personally, I enjoy Ally Boothroyde’s Yoga Nidra videos more, but Andrew Huberman NSDR practice 10 minute practice and the 20 minute practice are worth exploring too.
To reiterate, the VL mission statement, in part is to: facilitate causes to unite humanity and leave a safer, cleaner and epic heritage for the children and posterity. The intent is to create an initiative to unite humanity under a banner of trust and celebrate commonality and inspirations.