Day 20 - Ayurveda and the Goddess

This is a mixed bag of stuff. I have been waking up at 4:00 and can not get back to sleep. I found this which may be helpful.
also like the idea of oi on the body before practice. I had never heard of oil pulling but think it is worth a try.

Ayurvedic Sleep Aids
First diagnose the type of sleep problem you have, then treat it with remedies tailored to your specific imbalance.
By Nora Isaacs

Vata

A vata imbalance—where you wake up in the middle of the night (after 2 a.m.) and have trouble falling back to sleep—is the most common. Before going to bed, rub your head and feet with warm sesame oil or take a bath infused with fennel, orange, and tulsi oil. You can also drink tea made from brahmi, an Ayurvedic herb known as a nerve tonic. Or try hot almond milk with any or all of the following: chopped dates, coconut flakes, cardamom, ginger, or honey. (Find the herbs, oils, and teas at www.banyanbotanicals.com.)

For a vata imbalanced individual, either anxious or depressed, the goal of the yoga practice would be to reduce and stabilize the winds of disturbance which are blowing through their body/mind. According to Dr. Mark Halpern, founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda, and Lalita Devi, who withHalpern is a director of the Ayurvedic Yoga training program based in the Sivananda Yoga Centers, the basic prescription is to: oil the body with sesame oil before yoga practice; practice in a warm environment without wind; practice with moderate intensity, relaxing into postures; hold postures still for a long time, emphasizing the same sequence; include forward bends, sitting postures, spinal twists, standing poses, and any prone posture, with the belly to the floor.

Oil pulling is still a very new healing concept in the U.S. but has been practiced for a very long time in other countries, such as Europe, India and China. Oil pulling is an alternative health practice of swishing edible oil (such as sunflower oil) around in your mouth (without swallowing it), for about 20 minutes, then spitting it out. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Actually, not only is it very easy to do, it's a very powerful healing practice, offering many health benefits. Oil pulling detoxifies the body in a highly effective way.Yet another wonderful bonus of oil pulling is an increased metabolism. Eventually, you may notice you will lose weight, if your body needs to. Oil pulling will help restore your body to its normal weight.