Let the land hold you
The most important things to know about Sleep
July 2, 2026
I know it's summer, but I have to talk about sleep.
Sleep is the single most effective thing that we can do to reset our brain, body, and emotional health EVERY DAY!
Sleep has taken over. Not because I’m actually sleeping well, in fact, the opposite is true. For the first time in my life I’m not out like a light as soon as my head hits the pillow. Deep, dream-filled hours elude me. Because of this I’m making a concerted effort to restore what’s historically been one of my favorite times: bedtime.
First, the contributing factors—for whatever it’s worth, I have an over active sympathetic nervous system. Ha ha. Who’s with me!? Couple this with the fact that it’s been very, very hot and our AC unit, as decent as it is, can only drop the temperature in our house so much. Also, life is cumulative and I’m processing and releasing pain I’ve held for so long I feel as though my identity is shifting. It’s a welcome renewal yet, still, I’m restless.
Now a little bit about sleep. Every single study for the last 50 years says that the reason why people don’t sleep is because of an overactive sympathetic nervous system. Every. Single. Study. Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn is REAL and it’s taking its toll on rest. Stressors inform adaptations, protective characteristics, and response patterns so much so that when the sympathetic is firing we’re running on default. The remedy, however, is alarmingly straightforward. Do anything and everything possible to support the parasympathetic nervous system. You know all those things that expand peace: a hot bath, a cup of herbal tea, a form of spiritual practice, massage, a walk, a fabulous conversation. It’s anything that gets you out of your head and into your heart.
My favorites—I’m letting the land hold me. I literally lie on the ground as often as I can. Both inside and outside. I get up at dawn. Here it’s light at 5 am. Even before that the hue of blue noticeable changes and the birds begin. It’s so cool and fresh. I make sure that my face catches the morning rays. I’m grateful.
We are designed physiologically to live from our heart center and visit our brain. Not the other way around. The heart is the cognitive leader and our seat of consciousness. Sleep is about returning to the wisdom of our body (the parasympathetic) rather than just being a head walking around. Sleep well ;)
Yours, Erin
What I’m reading — The Heartmath Solution*. This is nothing new folks. Published back in the 1990s, it’s full of interesting studies and techniques surrounding the heart and the center of our very being. It got me pumped to revisit reading the pulse, a cornerstone in traditional Ayurvedic medicine assessment.
I want to give a shout out to Tammi Sweet, MS, LMT of Heartstone Center for Earth Essentials who, after taking a class with her, re-inspired and re-minded me about the power of sleep. A fantastic teacher, brilliant mind, and peaceful heart.
*affiliate link