NUBIAN WELLNESS: Shifting With Our Dreams

Shifting With Our Dreams

BY TIFFANY MAYES EHOLOR

I have a relationship with the ocean. 
She comes to me in my dreams.
She communicates thru visual riddles.
It’s time that I come clean.
Her waves wash over my body while sun glistens clarity.
Last night I was picking specific pebbles from her sand as well as feathers too.
I promise to continue sharing all with you.

Shifts are in our midst. We have the shift of seasons from winter to spring. The warmth of the sun is drawing near as the cold rotates afar. We have the shift of time adjusting with the one hour spring forward.

As the days become brighter and the nights shorter, how do our sleep patterns play a role in our everyday dreaming? We are taught as children to dream big. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is celebrated globally as an inspirational motto to always push forward with respect and dignity for the human race.

I can’t help but notice that we are, as a nation, standing at a time in history when the American Dream is reshaping itself on a collective platform right before our very eyes. But where does that leave us on our individual dream level? When we sleep, are we allowing ourselves to fall into our natural dream state? Are we sleeping as much as we should in order to renew our physical bodies, hormonal regulation and brain growth? When we dream, are we remembering our dreams in the morning after we have awakened from our sleep? Are we giving our dreams a chance to teach and guide us to our next steps of action?

You see, when you rest your head at night and fall fast asleep, you are actually living your life just as well as when you are awake. Is it possible to train ourselves to be “woke” in our dreaming states both consciously and subconsciously? Yes, I believe it is possible. I believe that not only do answers come to us in our “woke” state, but answers come to us also in our “dreaming” state.

I also believe that some of the most brilliant leaders in the world maneuver their dream states with loyalty and respect. In a world that wants you to believe that there simply isn’t enough hours in the day to complete everything on your to-do list, I believe there is more than enough time to accomplish what is important for minds, bodies and souls. I also believe it is time to re-prioritize our to-do lists.

It is important for us to reprogram ourselves and schedule natural sleep to maintain the peace we need in order to receive the answers to the questions we seek. Let us not totally disengage with media, but let us at least turn off all electronics for sufficient time to sleep.

If you have a hard time falling asleep because of thoughts whirling around in your head causing you chaos, not peace, remember to release those feelings and regain your control in how you self-speak.

The relationship you have within is the most important relationship you have been assigned in this experience we call life. The way we communicate within our minds is an absolute reflection of our experiences and relationships outside of ourselves.

So if you haven’t yet set up a sleeping ritual for yourself, celebrate the spring by creating something new for yourself.

At night when you lay down to sleep, place your hand on your heart and the other hand on your belly button. Turn off all electronics and lights. And listen to your surroundings. Focus on your breath, as you hear your breath fill in and fall out of your body all on its own. The sound of your breath can be likened to the ebb and flow of the ocean. Any thoughts, conversations, to-do lists, doubts, fears, disappointments or worries that come into your mind, release them without question, without resolution, without judgment. I release them to the stars in the galaxy, all while focusing on the sound of my breath.

This is when you begin to give thanks for all of the good in your life, your world. This is where you give thanks to your higher source, which resides inside your heart, mind, and body. Giving thanks for yesterday, today and tomorrow. This is when you give thanks for good health, good family and friends, home, food, and shelter. This is when you ask yourself to rest your mind your body and your soul while remembering why you are here.

They say practice makes perfect. Bringing it back to the basics when it comes to dealing with global shifts is paramount in grounding oneself in gratitude and love. Love is the universal language of survival. Be the quiet within the storm one night at a time. The answers that will come to you may shock you with their clarity.