This is Sukha, my geriatric shiba inu with dementia. Sukha is a Sanskrit word that loosely translates to surrender. I believe the shiba inu breed is the canine version of an extremely introverted, highly sensitive, and significantly empathic being. In recent months, as her dementia has amplified, she has been teaching me how to surrender.
The last two nights, since the Pink Full SuperMoon in Scorpio, she has been testing my ability to surrender. She's gotten me up in the middle of the night to go out. This isn't uncommon for a dog nearing 15 years old. I get it, the need to pee in the middle of the night. So I happily get up and let her out. But then, she paces, and paces and paces...and then she barks at ghosts...and then the anxiety gets the best of her and she pants, and paces, and barks more. On Monday night, this went on for nearly two hours. Last night, it was 30 minutes.
I don't have a problem staying up with her, holding space while we wait for the CBD oil to work its magic. She has held space for me in far worse circumstances over the years. What I do have a problem with is finding a way to surrender BACK TO SLEEP after her episode subsides. . . because. . .well. . . FULL SUPER MOON!
This full moon was a doozie. I know personally because Sukha only gets up in the middle of the night when there is a significant astrological event, and because I haven't been able to sleep. I also know this full moon was a doozie because my clients are telling me so. And, well, every astrologer is touting its power in their blogs these days too.
My job isn't to tell you it was a doozie. My job here is to first help you realize your middle of the night weird sleeping patterns this week are actually normal for us energy sensitives, and second to give you a couple tips as to how to handle them.
Here's what I do when the full moon won't let me sleep.
Legs up the Wall Yoga Pose
Yoga Nidra
*when all else fails* get up a create
*for more detail on this "how to get back to sleep" formula, READ THIS MEMBERSHIP POST
Last night, and the night before, after Sukha settled down, I went back to bed. Except I turned myself around backwards on the bed and put my legs up on the headboard. Then, I found a Yoga Nidra on spotify and tucked in my headphones and did my deep focused breathing through the whole thing. Last night I made it through nearly 3 consecutive yoga nidra episodes before I was sleepy enough to find dreamworld again. The night before, I never did get back to sleep (despite even taking a microdose gummy). Instead, I got up and wrote...because when I can't sleep is usually when I get the best ideas.
Clinical studies have proven that 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra has a relaxing and calming effect on the body and nervous system that is equivalent to 2 hours of sleep. If you believe this (which I do), it can be even more beneficial because your brain is telling your body that it works. On those nights that I can't sleep, if I do a Yoga Nidra, I am not tired the next day like I would normally be. It's magic. Try it. But you have to believe it for it to work. That's just how the mind and nerves work.
If insomnia is one of your chronic sensitivities, it can be most disrupting to every day life. Book a Mentoring Appointment with me to discuss personalized prescriptions to help you sleep fully.