The CyberSangha Podcast

Episode 70 · Series 4 — 2024 CyberSangha Dialogues

With Ed O’Malley, Ph.D., and Geshe Tenzin Wangyal

How do the light of day and darkness of night impact our experience as human beings, including the quality of our sleep? What is light, from the perspectives of both modern science and ancient Tibetan wisdom? Ed O’Malley and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche explore the implications not only of sunlight, but also of the clear light of awareness and the five pure lights described in the dzogchen teachings of Tibet. Join us for a fascinating inquiry into our universe of light and dark.

Related: “Sleeping, Dreaming & Well-Being: a Scientific & Spiritual Exploration of Sleep, Part 1” with Danny Lewin, Ph.D., and host Geshe Tenzin Wangyal. Learn more & view recording.

Post-broadcast summary: Ed O’Malley discussed the importance of circadian rhythms and light on human sleep patterns, emphasizing the negative effects of light pollution and the benefits of natural daylight. He underscored the role of healthy sleep patterns for overall health and longevity, citing recent research to support this claim. Lastly, he and Rinpoche explored the interconnection between inner and outer light, traditional practices that integrate the two, and the cultural significance of circadian rhythms.

Episode 69 · Series 4 — 2024 CyberSangha Dialogues

With Danny Lewin, Ph.D., and Geshe Tenzin Wangyal.

How do modern science and ancient Tibetan wisdom define the different states of sleep? What is the best advice for improving sleep and circadian health and being more aware while dreaming? What can researchers learn from the ancient practices of dream and sleep yoga? Psychologist Danny Lewin, Ph.D., former director of Clinical Sleep Medicine at the National Center on Sleep Research, joins Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche in an in-depth discussion of the health implications of sleeping and dreaming of the deities.

Episode 68 · Series 4 — 2024 CyberSangha Dialogues

With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Sleep is very important for our health on all levels, physically, mentally and spiritually. In an online talk, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche discusses 11 key points we can all follow to sleep better each night.

The 11 points are:

Go to sleep and wake up around the same time every day. A regular sleep schedule is key to sleeping well at night.

Get regular morning exercise, at least half an hour per session. Even better is to combine exercise with sun exposure, such as taking a brisk morning walk, to set your circadian clock. Morning exercise plus sunlight is one of the two primary keys to sleeping better.

Dim the lights in the evening. Just as morning sunlight received indirectly by our eyes is a wakeup cue, less light and lower light exposure in the evening prepare us for sleep.

Reduce evening exposure to blue light from screens. Try putting your phone away and turning off the TV, or wearing blue light-blocker glasses 90 minutes to 2 hours before retiring.

Avoid caffeine after midday, and alcohol in the evening. Both can affect our sleep quality.

Skip dinner or eat a lighter dinner no later than about 3 hours before bedtime.

Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature based on your physical needs. Our body temperature normally lowers as we fall asleep and rises as we awake. At night it’s generally recommended to keep the room quieter, darker, and cooler, around 65F/18C.

Short power naps of 20 minutes or less can be good for our health. But longer naps can have a negative affect on our nighttime sleep. If you have problems falling asleep or staying asleep, avoid napping and see if that helps.

A regular sauna and cold shower or cold plunge are said to have a lot of benefits for both our health and our sleep. What works or doesn’t may depend on your physical condition.

Meditate to help to calm your mind, balance your breath, and reduce stress and anxiety. Anxiety is the main cause of sleep problems, so meditation may help you to enter into deeper sleep and remain asleep.

Choose delicious healthy meals rich in melatonin and having other sleep-promoting properties, such as a dessert of cooked rice, milk, goji berries, banana, pistachios, and jaggery.

Whatever steps you take to improve your sleep, be sure to apply them according to your own physical condition and to consult in advance with a medical professional.

Episode 67 · Series 4 — 2024 CyberSangha Dialogues

With Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D.; Alison Jefferies; and Alejandro Chaoul, Ph.D

Discover how yoga, tai chi, massage therapy, and other mind-body practices can contribute to your health and wellbeing well beyond the simple relaxation response. Cohen and Jefferies, co-authors of Anticancer Living: Transform Your Life and Health with the Mix of Six, will discuss the latest scientific findings along with practical advice for expanding these practices into six key areas of your life.

The more profound results, for example, come when the physical, energetic, and mental effects of mind-body practices start filtering into our sleeping and eating habits or our social consciousness. Lifestyle improvements have a way of influencing all aspects of brain function and biological processes. They have increasingly been recognized for their role in preventing and treating cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases, cognitive disorders, and most other non-communicable diseases.

Episode 66 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind

With Mark Siegert, Harvey Aronson, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

This video begins with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s sweet offering, “I Am No One.” For some this may be enjoyed as a poem, a creative expression; others may recognize it as a pointing out instruction which can be experienced as well as understood.

Rinpoche and his guests then discuss their sometimes similar and sometimes differing views on identity as well as the processes for dealing with painful identity. This group speak as therapists, practitioners, teachers. All agree that spaciousness is desirable for goals of both Buddhist practitioners and patients of psychotherapy, regardless of the ultimate goal.

When pain and inner struggle are engrained and become so familiar, they are not necessarily even experienced as pain but rather are simply experienced as “me.” How do we find the path back to natural mind or even to ability to enjoy life? What are the obstacles to being able to host our pain with self-compassion? While the goals of psychotherapy and dzogchen meditation may be very different, just how do the approaches differ? Can they complement one another? How can the psychotherapist’s view allow for the possibility of spontaneous recognition?