Dreamless

Summary

The author discusses their lack of dream recall, the benefits of yoga and meditation on sleep quality, and the increased importance of these practices during stressful times, while also reflecting on their past experiences as a nurse and the role of intuition and anxiety in their life.

Abstract

The article titled "Dreamless" delves into the author's personal experiences with sleep and dream recall. The author rarely remembers dreams but has found that a consistent routine of yoga and meditation before bedtime significantly improves their sleep quality. This routine has become even more crucial amidst the stress of contemporary life. Despite a history of working various demanding shifts as a nurse, which required a flexible sleep schedule, the author maintained the ability to achieve deep sleep without vivid dream recall. The author suggests that improved daytime intuition may have reduced the need for subconscious guidance through dreams. Anxiety has been a long-standing challenge, manifesting in real-life scenarios rather than dreams, but the author's nightly practices and trust in the universe provide a sense of control and peace.

Opinions

The author believes that yoga and meditation are essential for better sleep and overall wellbeing.
Regular nightly practices are seen as a vital part of the author's routine, especially during times of high stress.
The author posits that their improved intuition during waking hours may have diminished the need for dream recall.
Anxiety has historically been a significant factor in the author's life, but it is managed through rest and a reset of mental states.
There is a strong conviction that despite life's chaos, there is an underlying order to the universe, which the author has come to trust.

Dreamless

Into The Void

I have never been one to remember my dreams. Oh, on the rare occasion, I will have some deja vu in my waking hours and can grasp a snippet or two of the dream I was reminded of. But that is not the norm for me. Also, there have been nightmares — so real — that even the alarm clock was a welcome portal out of that hell and back into My Life.

I have noticed that I sleep better, deeper, longer — if I do a short yoga practice and meditate right before bedtime. It’s such a sure bet — that I rarely miss my nightly practices. They are part of a calming, bedtime routine.

The stress of These Days has only made my nightly rituals more vital to my emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical wellbeing.

As a nurse who worked swing shifts, double shifts, nights, weekends, call, and holidays — I found I could bend my circadian rhythm and twist it into a pretzel. But still, get some deep sleep. Perhaps this is one reason why I have never remembered my dreams upon waking. There simply was no time for any kind of recall and reflection. Eventually, the mind stopped entering them into my nearly full memory banks.

Or perhaps it’s because over the last twenty years or so, I’ve gotten better with listening to my intuition during my waking hours — it doesn’t need to come knocking on my subconscious to get my attention.

In truth, the anxiety that plagued me for as long as I can remember would invariably set up horrible, nightmarish scenarios in Real Life, in Real Time. My subconscious was the calmer voice of reason. Rest allowed a reset of anxiety’s buttons and a fresh day each morning.

In light of These Days — am I remembering my dreams more? Have there been significant upgrades to my early warning systems?

No.

But I can share that my yoga and meditation practices have taken me deeper in. My faith in a benevolent Universe has grown. I trust Life now. Even in chaotic times — I believe She is in control.

And I know — that I never was.

Namaste.

“A well-spent day brings happy sleep.” — Leonardo da Vinci

Our Nights: prompt

Dreamless