Quality Sleep is Foundational to Energetic Wellbeing
Jared from Effortless Qigong
When I was younger I used to think I could get away with not sleeping enough. I thought I was smart for studying long into the night, or cramming in time for social media as a way to unwind.
But, as I aged and matured I began to see an issue.
My Qigong practice that was supposed to help me boost energy sometimes actually made me want to take a nap. It wasn’t until I started following the work of longevity athlete Bryan Johnson that I realized that it was because I lacked a consistent habit of regular high quality sleep that my Qigong practice wasn’t giving me the results I wanted. The goal of Qigong is to help restore balance. So in my case, feeling sleeping after qigong practice was a signal for me.
I began to think more deeply and I realized that Qigong is not just a movement practice but a way of understanding life that says: “Our habits either build or destroy the quantity and quality of our energy.”
Our energy management determines so much…. Without managing our energy properly we find ourselves stressed, burnout out, lacking focus, making mistakes and/or struggling to regulate our emotions. Energy management and Qigong are foundational to living a good life because they help us manage the very thing running the show… our energy,
So, I invested in an Oura Ring to start measuring my sleep score. I wanted to see how I slept, hold myself accountable to getting good sleep and see what habits positively or negatively affected my sleep.
As my sleep improved so did my Qigong practice. I finish my practices now feeling balanced, energized and filled with inner peace… not looking to nap. (Though napping can be really good for you too).
You can not Yoga, Qigong, caffeine or creatine yourself out of the need of sleeping well.
Sleep is the highest leverage health, longevity and high performance tool we have. And it’s free and effortless.
One of the Qigong techniques that helps sleep is “Pulling Down the Sky”. It’s slow deep breathing, gentle flowing hand movements promote a lowered heart rate, cultivate calm and centred mind and help prime the body for rest.
You can a watch a short guided 5 minute Pulling Down the Sky Qigong routine for evening serenity here:
Until next week I wish you a regular habit of high quality sleep so you can enjoy the vitality and wellbeing it promotes.
Jared
