Health, Yoga, and Healing: What Does Sleep Have to Do With Them? with Sarasvati Hewitt

Do you frequently work late at night? Do you like to party with your buddies till morning? Or do you have a child that always keeps you up? If yes, there's a high chance that you don't get enough sleep. 

Hustle culture tells us that sleep is for the weak. But, on the contrary, sleep is essential. Sleep and mental health are inextricably connected. Unfortunately, due to work, family, and other responsibilities, many of us do not get the needed seven or eight hours of sleep. It's all too easy to get into the habit of drinking another cup of coffee to get us through the day. However, by doing this, we are also sacrificing our physical and mental health. 

In this episode, Sarasvati Hewitt joins us to talk about the science of sleep. She also shares the connection between sleep, mental health, and gut health and how Yin is at the centre of all of it. Finally, as a PTSD survivor herself, Sarasvati explains why we should not avoid nightmares but rather confront them.

If you're looking for ways to get more restful sleep, this episode is for you!

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode: 

  1. Understand the importance of sleep. 

  2. Unravel the connection between mental health, gut health, and sleep.

  3. Discover why dreaming can help people with PTSD. 

Resources

    Episode Highlights

    [01:38] Sarasvati’s Background

    • Sarasvati was a dancer and athlete as a child. 

    • She began practising yoga at the age of 22 and has been teaching it for the past 17 years.

    • Her experiences with trauma and mental illnesses spurred her interest in neurobiology.

    • Yoga and meditation can help people with addiction and mental illness.

    [02:42] Sleep Science and Yin Yoga 

    • Yin yoga helps improve sleep quality. 

    • Mental health, gut health, and sleep form a triangle connection, with Yin at the centre.

    • Sleep is essential, and each person has a different sleep schedule or pattern that fits them. Listen to the full episode to learn about the different stages of sleep. 

    [05:42] Purpose of REM 

    • REM fosters creativity, muscular relaxation, and emotional processing. 

    • Insomnia occurs when we process information that should have been processed during the day. Tune in to know why boredom is essential to avoid insomnia. 

    • Yin allows the body to remove inflammation and stress, allowing you to get a restful sleep. This exercise helps in the treatment of sleeplessness.

    [09:15] Sleeping and Gut Health 

    • People's gut health suffers when they don't get enough sleep.

    • Certain gut microorganisms are required to avoid anxiety. 

    • Practising yoga targets different areas of health, including the gut. Many people who practise Yin have improved their gut conditions. 

    [11:20] Similarities of Neurobiology and Yoga 

    • Neurobiology and ancient yoga communicate in different languages but emphasize the significance of sleep.

    • When we dream, our brains become more active. Ancient yogic literature recognized long before neuroscience that dreams enhance creativity. 

    • Sleeping, like yoga, allows us to be more creative and test the limits of what is possible.

    [15:54] PTSD, Alcohol, and Sleep

    • People with PTSD and sleep deprivation both have trouble with perception. 

    • Nightmares have a bad connotation. But in truth, they help us make sense of our issues and trauma.

    • THC and alcohol block dreams and make it difficult to handle trauma. Tune in to find out how you can enjoy drinking and other leisure activities without compromising your sleep.

    • Each individual has their unique way to find quality sleep. Give yourself some time to discover what works.

    [23:22] Practicing Yin Yoga

    • Yin, which originated from Kung Fu, can be practised at any moment.

    • It's important to discover your chronotype to know the best time to practice Yin yoga.

    • Whatever you do, make sure that it helps you get a good night's rest.

    [26:15] Embodying The Divine Feminine

    • The more we pay attention to ourselves, the more we learn about our intuition.

    • A healthy gut keeps us connected to our surroundings and safe from harm.

    • People, especially women, can smell and sense the intentions of others.

    • Yoga enables us to process our thoughts, feelings, and actions. As a result, we develop a more keen perception.

    5 Powerful Quotes 

    [04:27] “We really saw the effects of Yin before we understood how it worked, which I kind of love. It was like, we didn't know how it was working. We just knew that it worked.”  - Click Here to Tweet This

    [12:31] “When we dream, all of the rules are broken. You can fly, you can see colors and things that we don't have words for because the brain is making us more creative. But yoga has not only known that for a long time, but the ancient texts also…” - Click Here to Tweet This

    [12:49] “Tibetan Book of the Dead, and some of the ancient texts, they emphasize learning how to lucid dream, because nothing could be more profound than to wake up in your dreams and to have control of the dream realm, in a space where all the rules are broken.” - Click Here to Tweet This

    [22:46] “Nothing happens in a vacuum. Each person is working on finding healing in their own way. So just being very patient with the self.” - Click Here to Tweet This

    [25:09] “And so with all of our practices, whether it's weights yoga, running, whatever we do, I say, whatever you're doing, make sure that it's helping you sleep. If it's not helping you sleep, we have to think about why we do it, and when, and if there's a better way to sort of schedule it.” - Click Here to Tweet This

    About Sarasvati 

    Sarasvati is a mental health advocate and a Yin yoga instructor. At 19, she attended her first yoga session and developed a passion for it. She's been teaching yoga for more than two decades now. 

    Sarasvati is also fascinated with neuroscience. She was drawn to the field to figure out the root of her stress and trauma. She opted to pursue Interpersonal Neurobiology at Portland State University. She studied the neuroscience of yoga and trauma with Harvard Psychologist Dr Jim Hopper as her interest in neurobiology grew.

    She has been working on mental health, gut health, sleep, and their connections to yoga and meditation since she finished her studies.

    She presently teaches regular classes in Portland and facilitates workshops, TT sections, and international retreats on sleep, neurobiology, anxiety and depression, PTSD, Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, the Chakras, and others. 

    Sarasvati is a loving mother of two and co-owns a bustling studio in Portland. 

    You can reach her through her official website or social media accounts: Facebook,  Instagram, and Youtube.

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    To feeling radically loved,

    Rosie

    Rosie AcostaYoga, Yoga Teacher, Yoga Instructor, Meditation Teacher, Hispanic Meditation Teacher