Meditation/Energy Practices to Reduce Sleep

[Ish]

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Edited March 5, 2017 by Ish

[mewtwo]

well i have heard that if one can enter into a trance state one does not need sleep for a while like days but i have only heard about this second hand. For me i dont knowtice a difference with energy practices and sleep.

 

I still sleep my 12-15 hours in a 24 hours period. yes i am being serious i have a condition called narcolepsy where i fall asleep fast and sleep alot. i look at it as the fact that in this life time i am ment to do practices like lucid dream and such. As i was typeing that a thought entered into my mind what if in a past life i did not sleep very much and this life is makeing up for it.

[.broken.]

So what about short term? Some kind of shen/energy arts specifically for this purpose?

Comments, experiences, theories and suggestions all welcome .

 

Sleep is a bodily 'need', such as food and water. If you have ever fasted then you will know that it is about application of will power. The same is true for sleep. It's a case of 'mind' (for want of a better word!) over body.

 

So, how do you increase will power?

 

Like a muscle, it requires regular exercise. Will power is often linked to the third chakra... So working from the bottom, you need a strong foundation with a healthy first and second chakra so you can transmute the energy into the third chakra (and, ultimately, beyond). Furthermore, to apply the will power you need to have a clear mind that isn't prone to using your energy to fulfil desires or fuel fears - rather one that has a level of concentration that gives you the freedom to apply discpline to your self (self-discpline).

 

This is therefore a two-pronged approach. You need to cultivate your level of concentration, which many seated meditation practices address (focusing on breath, mantras etc.), and you also need to cultivate your sexual energy to give you the strength to pull it off.

 

I don't have much time as I could go into some depth, so I'll be brief. Build a good root: horse stance practices if you into martial arts, sexual practices, anything that brings you close to the earth e.g. gardening, etc. Build a strong second chakra: linked with adaptability so flowing movements, flexibility, etc.

 

The third chakra is of the fire element. The most effective practices of which, in my limited personal experience, work with breath retention.

 

I hope this is of some help.

 

Love,

James

[Non]

Uhm.. I think any good qigong can reduce sleep necessity.

 

I know the 5 tibetan rites do especially help with that.

 

yoga nidra might help too.

 

Also.. I tried to do the polyphasic sleep thing for a while and I noticed that when I came back to normal sleeping patterns my body seemed to want less sleep.

Edited August 26, 2011 by Non

[Bubbles]

Does anyone know any arts that reduce the need for sleep?

 

In my experience meditation and various energy practices haven't had a consistent effect of reducing sleep. Sometimes I don't need much sleep, other times I comfortably sleep for a while. However it is worth noting that OVERALL I sleep less than before i started practicing. I also notice that i don't ever really feel tired before i go to sleep.

Perhaps an aspect is an energy balancing act - too little or too much chi, the body needs to sleep to replenish or absorb.

 

I recall a few masters like Michael Lomax and Gary Clyman sleeping only a few hours per night. So i guess once you've been cultivating for a while, your shen & chi is at a much higher level, thus the need for sleep is less.

 

So what about short term? Some kind of shen/energy arts specifically for this purpose?

Comments, experiences, theories and suggestions all welcome .

 

Having a daily and sustained practice of any consistent system will adjust your sleeping needs to the optimum. I would just do that. Looking for short term results is looking for future imbalances.

[gendao]

When the Jing is full; one does not desire sex.

When the Qi is full; one does not feel hunger.

When the Shen is full; one does not need sleep.

If you take a bottoms-up approach, you would need to first fill your jing & qi up before you even get to filling your shen up. So, I think it may be possible at a high level of cultivation - but that could take awhile! Edited August 26, 2011 by vortex

[Friend]

Edited November 16, 2011 by Friend

[sifusufi]

Great topic!

 

My friend just insisted I watch The Machinist , well I had already seen Fight Club so I got the whole insomnia thing.

 

Like a thread I just read on live foods, to really be "ON" and with it in THIS world, some esoteric practices will just alienate us from the pack so to speak.

 

With travel times and the shifts I work I may only get 5-6 hrs sleep and have to function for 16hrs and be "ON" for the 3 day stretch, so I have to dig deep for energy as well as ways to shut down, and keep up the

"face" that I am alert, sharp and can make critical decisions.

 

Exhaustion has always made things fuzzy for me.

 

Diet is key!

 

Cats are an interesting study, lots of sleep, stretching, hunting and play!

 

Success in practice,

 

Rob

[Mal]

Does anyone know any arts that reduce the need for sleep?

 

Yes, KAP does this for me. I tended to be on the + side of needing at least 8 hours sleep. When practicing I'm happy with 6. (I'm a student of KAP not a teacher of it)

 

Another that I seem to like is if I've only got 3~4 hours to sleep I'll set my alarm 20 min before I have to get up, then just lie on my right hand side (Buddha's lion pose) and meditate on the feeling of the air entering and leaving my nostrils. 20 min of meditation seems equivalent to my 90min sleep cycle and I'll feel much more awake than if I just had a 20 min nap.

 

Many meditations/chi gungs seem to work like that for me. I'll usually do something for 20 min 1st thing in the morning. (chi gungs, gTumo, Damo's cave, standing, siting, lying whatever feel right) but this one is so easy, I don't even need to get out of bed!

All I have to do is switch on my timer, and I get a 20min nap if I fall asleep

 

win win

[Mal]

Currently

3 Hrs sleep Wednesday.

1.5 hrs sleep Thursday

and it's 2pm Saturday right now.

 

Might be time for a nap.

[Ish]

.

Edited March 5, 2017 by Ish