Hey Reader, yes, I said it. There's no such thing as sleep debt according to Ayurveda.
The way we think of sleep has been bound to a linear timeline where we assume we could repay our week-long stretch of late nights by sleeping 12 hours on a Saturday. It is not as simple as a late payment of the hours we had forgone in rest in exchange for churning out work.
Ayurveda–the traditional healing system of India–sees time as a cyclical rhythm, marked by ongoing cycles of birth, death, and rebirth. Every time we sleep, we enter a temporary dissolution to allow the mind and body to repair and rejuvenate while we minimise all sensory inputs.
As such, not sleeping well is viewed as a systemic imbalance of our mind-body complex, rather than a time deficit that one could simply repay when they decide to visit the Sleep Bank.
When we accumulate sleep loss over time, we witness physiological shifts such as:
- Vata aggravation: racing mind, anxiety, joint stiffness, irregular digestion.
- Pitta disruption: severe irritability, anger, and inflammation.
- Ojas depletion: feeling physically weak and emotionally exhausted
- Shrama: chronic, deep fatigue
Recovery requires active stabilisation of the nervous system through fixed routines that are accountable to a person's unique constitution, reflecting seasonal rhythms, and implementing grounding rituals.
If you'd like to understand sleep hygiene through the lens of Ayurveda, explore the purpose of Yoga Nidra, and learn how to cultivate rest in a world of hustle, the upcoming Soul Shine Study Club invites us to build our toolbox of resources for true wellbeing.
I hope you can join me on September 26th, and if this note resonates with you, I would be so grateful if you could share it with a friend too.
Before I get to the rest of the September schedule, I'd like to share a personal note.
September is a special month for me, as it is my birthday month. It holds even more significance because Ganesh Chaturthi often falls during this time, and I like to think there are no coincidences in this constellation of events. This month also marks the one-year anniversary of Yoga Sangha Singapore.
There is a lot to celebrate, to be joyful and grateful for, alongside some grief that I am moving through as I come closer each time to befriending my younger self, setting the tone for how I'd like to show up in this next sun cycle ahead.
It has also been rather quiet in the Yogaverse lately, with fewer class registrations and the exit of studios. While the sentiment out there is that yoga is a "dying trade," true to cyclical rhythms, I think of it more as an upcoming resurgence. Something is waiting to sprout, and it is not far from the horizon.
For too long, we have reduced Yoga to simply a movement practice. Yoga teachers, too, play a huge part in the language we infuse when we think and speak about Yoga, reducing it to just the physical practice and selling more services and products than students truly need. We find ourselves afraid that Yoga is a dying trade only because we have placed it alongside fitness culture and wellness commodities. Yoga has so much more depth than that. In the same vein, Ayurveda upholds timeless wisdom of the Self, which (in my opinion) has yet to be known to the masses here in Singapore.
So, my plea to us is to not lose faith. Keep moving along with the tides, be resilient, and trust in the clarity we hold. In my own way, I am cultivating that for myself, too.
If you feel called to attend any of the upcoming classes or workshops, or simply want to meet beyond the studio setting for a cup of tea, drop me a message anytime.
September Schedule 🍂
Grounding Practice | 22 Sep, 7 PM
This is a 90-minute class to slow down and ground the self in the presence of peace. It's an asana (yoga postures), pranayama (breath regulation), and dhyana (meditation) practice rooted in the traditional view of Yoga's primary intention — to free oneself from physical bondage and find lightness and joy from within.
If you're looking for a practice that guides you toward a calmer mind and steadier breath, this is the right class for you. Unlike popular notions of yoga in the modern world, we're not here to chase bendy postures or inversions just to look good. The intention of a yoga practice is to steady the body, breath, and mind, cultivating an open field for a deep state of mental stillness.
Soul Shine Study Club | 26 Sep, 2 PM
This is a supportive group space for us to live, breathe, and study together, diving into the pillars of well-being that Ayurveda offers generously. We will focus on a particular theme each month, beginning with Food (Ahara), followed by Sleep (Nidra) in our second month, and closing with Energy Management (Brahmacharya).
A dynamic way of learning includes theory, collaborative inquiry, and body-based practices to anchor the learnings holistically. You will be supported by the Study Club with resources designed to help you move through daily rhythms with confidence, clarity, and harmony.
Soma Healing Circle | 29 Sep, 7 PM
This is a 90-minute somatic immersion supporting release, restoration, and embodied awareness through deep rest. In Vedic tradition, soma is the sacred drink of the gods, closely tied to immortality, and another name for the moon, whose cool light calms our nervous system.
In this small-group healing circle, we will explore the body through therapeutic postures, spinal awareness, and somatic language for a deeply felt sense of safety and ease.
Movement is minimal and responsive, gently warming the body while inviting us to listen for sensation, feedback, and patterning – supporting body, mind, and spirit in healing. No prior yoga or somatic experience is required. Arrive with an openness to listen to your body's wisdom.
