When you realize that most of your time is spent on the phone and that we don't have alot of time on this earth then time becomes precious.

I was struggling with sleeping well. I was going to bed later than I wanted and not able to fall asleep. I never wanted a TV in the bedroom because I felt it was disruptive, but then handheld devices took their place. My IPad and phone were distractions - so readily available to distract me with nonsense.

Recently I decided to take a break from technology. I started a new daily habit of turning off my phone at least 1 hour before going to bed and not looking at any devices. During the 3rd week of an Ayurveda immersion program that I participated in we focused on the ‘cycles of the day’. Certain hours of the day are optimal for doing certain things. Between the time of 6 – 10 pm is when we should start winding down the day after eating an early and light dinner. This is called the kapha time of day when the heavy quality of this time will help you drift off to sleep easily and naturally.

So I tried it. I put my phone down around 9 pm and started to settle in with the intention of going to bed at 10. I would read a few pages in a book, or even do restorative or yin yoga. At 10 pm I would go to bed and then turn off the lights. At the beginning it took a little time to drift off to sleep but now I start to get tired even before 10 and don’t have trouble falling asleep. I still struggle with staying asleep throughout the entire night but I’m working on it!

Turning the phone off earlier has allowed me to create a little more ‘space’ in my life. Space to just be with myself or with the family. Space to allow my mind and body to wind down and restore. It’s so important to not get caught up in what’s going on all the time around you. The texts, the emails, the news – it’s never ending. Constant stimulation of the eyes without resting them can create issues. In Chinese Medicine the eyes are connected to the liver meridian. Not allowing enough time for your eyes to rest before sleeping will delay the time it takes for your liver to process during the night (Ayurveda cycle time between 10 pm -2 am) and your health can suffer.

During the silent retreat that I am doing from home (we have periods of talking as well) we were encouraged to limit an 'habitual task' during our break times. I decided to continue limiting m phone time and have only checked it 5 times a day for a brief period. It's very liberating and I find that there hasn't been anything pressing. People wait for responses and I care less about emails from people I don't know at all who are looking for me to sign up for this and to buy that. When you realize that most of your time is spent on the phone and that we don't have alot of time on this earth then time becomes precious.

Light and Love,

Rose