21–30 of 63 posts
I will lie in bed, awake, forever thinking and rethinking whatever happens to be on my mind at the time. That was me until I got some earphones and went to bed listening to podcasts every time. Having another voice chattering away (which I can ignore) stops my inner voice (which I can't ignore) chattering away. Works a treat.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It may have started as guided meditation, I'm not arguing against that. However, I now nap without any soundtrack, and without even an alarm clock, so whatever it was that I was doing at the beginning, I think it's fair to call what I'm doing now napping.
I teach meditation, and in my opinion, what you're doing is definitely a form of meditation. You have an intentional practice of relaxation that doesn't involve falling asleep. That's meditation. Specifically, paragraphs like this can be found in hundreds of books on meditation: The best way I can describe the feeling of napping is that you lie down or sit somewhere, and first focus on relaxing. Relax your muscle gro…
You may be right... but if I derive all the typical benefits of napping (increased alertness, ability to go for extended periods of a few weeks with a lot less sleep, etc), is it not fair to call it napping? After all, if it quacks like a duck...
Also, it does happen, though probably no more than 1 out of 5 times, that I actually drift into a dream state while napping, which I would consider equivalent to being asleep.
I will lie in bed, awake, forever thinking and rethinking whatever happens to be on my mind at the time. That was me until I got some earphones and went to bed listening to podcasts every time. Having another voice chattering away (which I can ignore) stops my inner voice (which I can't ignore) chattering away. Works a treat.
You're lucky that you can do that! I've never been able to sleep with a voice speaking nearby. I don't think I've ever fallen asleep while watching a movie, ever, for example. Even after a big night out, exhausted, wanting to sleep, I had to go and switch off the TV to be able to fall asleep.
Hold a coffee spoon (or something else—use your imagination) in your hand.
Sit and relax on a comfy couch or chair with your arm hanging.
When you go into deep sleep (after about 20-30 minutes) your hand will relax and release the spoon, and the sound of the spoon falling will wake you up.
That is the perfect timing for the best nap ever."
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/08/from-the-tips-box-coffe...
Did anyone else try the pzizz example tracks after reading this? I was suprised at how quickly I started sinking into wooziness! $40 is kind of a lot for napping software, but I may have to check out some of the free binaural beat apps.
The samples for DeepSleep are actually pretty nice, especially "Silky Ambient." But for $90(!) I hope it's potent. This is some serious stuff for some people.
I will lie in bed, awake, forever thinking and rethinking whatever happens to be on my mind at the time. That was me until I got some earphones and went to bed listening to podcasts every time. Having another voice chattering away (which I can ignore) stops my inner voice (which I can't ignore) chattering away. Works a treat.
You're lucky that you can do that! I've never been able to sleep with a voice speaking nearby. I don't think I've ever fallen asleep while watching a movie, ever, for example. Even after a big night out, exhausted, wanting to sleep, I had to go and switch off the TV to be able to fall asleep.
Interestingly that trait may not be very heritable, or at least the effect of training/environment may be quite high. My anecdote for that is that my mother always falls asleep at audio books.
I taught myself to nap almost anytime anywhere with one little secret: a Mindfold relaxation mask. http://www.mindfold.com/ The only thing I've ever found that provides total darkness in any condition with my eyes wide open. Combine it with a neck pillow and the right track on my ipod and I have a poor man's sensory deprivation chamber. A couple of deep breaths and the next thing you know, it's 20 minutes later.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I teach meditation, and in my opinion, what you're doing is definitely a form of meditation. You have an intentional practice of relaxation that doesn't involve falling asleep. That's meditation. Specifically, paragraphs like this can be found in hundreds of books on meditation: The best way I can describe the feeling of napping is that you lie down or sit somewhere, and first focus on relaxing. Relax your muscle gro…
Interesting. You may be right... but if I derive all the typical benefits of napping (increased alertness, ability to go for extended periods of a few weeks with a lot less sleep, etc), is it not fair to call it napping? After all, if it quacks like a duck... Also, it does happen, though probably no more than 1 out of 5 times, that I actually drift into a dream state while napping, which I would consider equivalent t…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I teach meditation, and in my opinion, what you're doing is definitely a form of meditation. You have an intentional practice of relaxation that doesn't involve falling asleep. That's meditation. Specifically, paragraphs like this can be found in hundreds of books on meditation: The best way I can describe the feeling of napping is that you lie down or sit somewhere, and first focus on relaxing. Relax your muscle gro…
Interesting. You may be right... but if I derive all the typical benefits of napping (increased alertness, ability to go for extended periods of a few weeks with a lot less sleep, etc), is it not fair to call it napping? After all, if it quacks like a duck... Also, it does happen, though probably no more than 1 out of 5 times, that I actually drift into a dream state while napping, which I would consider equivalent t…
I'm willing to overlook that every dictionary I've checked includes sleep as an essential part of what defines napping, since they all suck at defining meditation. To my mind, if we take successfully falling asleep out of the definition, a nap would still mean lying down, closing your eyes, and not engaging in a specific mental practice, but rather letting the sense of sleepiness overcome you. You might fall asleep, or you might just lie there, consumed in sleepiness for 20 minutes.
As soon as you start an exercise to control what your mind/attention does or does not do, however, you're getting into meditation territory: directing your attention to specific parts of your body and willing them to relax, directing your mind to relaxing thoughts, directing your mind away from distressing thoughts, and trying to culture a state where your mind drifts freely all qualify as meditation techniques to me.
I think intentions also matter. If you goal is to fall asleep for a while, then you probably napped, even if you didn't manage to fall asleep. If your goal is to let your mind and body relax and refresh, without preference to whether sleep happens or not, then that's meditation to me.
My method: first, only works if sleepy, or if conscious that sleep is really necessary. Second, obviously, avoid stimulants pre-nap. Third, get in a position where your head won't flop around if when you fall asleep. Then, with eyes closed, imagine your consciousness as a sphere - sort of like the world of wakeful attention. And then mentally, push that sphere away, distancing oneself from conscious thought. Finally: wake up 20 minutes later.
I have no idea if that will actually help anyone, but it works for me every time, with no gadgets, masks, whatever. I think the key is the ability to mentally distance oneself from conscious attention. If you can let the world slip away, you will fall asleep.