Page:Hatha yoga - or the yogi philosophy of physical well-being, with numberous excercises.djvu/234

234 work and it is highly important that she be given this opportunity. We will not attempt to lay down any rules about sleeping, as different people have different needs, and this chapter is merely given as a slight suggestion. Generally speaking, however, about eight hours is the normal demand of nature for sleep.

Always sleep in a well ventilated room, for reasons given in our chapter on fresh air. Place upon yourself enough bed-clothing to keep you comfortable, but do not bury yourself under the mass of heavy bed-clothing that is common in so many families—this is largely a matter of habit, and you will be surprised at how much less bed-clothing you can get along with than you have been using. Never sleep in any garments that you have worn during the day—this practice is neither healthy nor cleanly. Do not pile up too many pillows under your head—one small one is enough. Relax every muscle in the body, and take the tension off of every nerve, and learn to "loaf" in bed, and to cultivate "that lazy feeling" when you get under the covers. Train yourself not to think of the affairs of the day after you retire—make this an invariable rule and you will soon learn to sleep like the healthy child. Watch a child sleep, and what it does after going to bed, and endeavor to follow its plan as nearly as possible. Be a child when you go to bed, and endeavor to live over again the sensations of childhood, and you will sleep like the child—this one piece of advice is worthy of being printed alone in a handsomely bound book, for if followed we would have a race of greatly improved people.