The Mindful Way to a Good Night's Sleep: Discover How to Use Dreamwork, Meditation, and Journaling to Sleep Deeply and Wake Up Well

Tzivia is a wonderful writer. She researches not only into scientific sources, she renders us with her own stories and intricacies of sleep.As a result, I have begun making my bed every morning, spreading out my hand-made quilt and relishing visually the spiritual space to which I will return later that night. And I have begun remembering my dreams again. I love the set aside quotes printed in a lovely shade of aqua and the sidebars sprinkled throughout the pages like evening stars. Lots to love about this book.

I love this book! One of the things I love about it is that it is so comprehensive and integrative – from outer actions to inner work. Gover explores both practical yet mindful approaches one can take for improving sleep, such as creating a physically comfortable sleep environment, listening to music and sacred words before bed, adjusting one’s bedtime routine, and engaging in meditation and specific yoga postures, to name a few. She also outlines a very simple yet effective structure for working with dreams which I like, and eloquently explains how deepening your relationship with your dreams enhances your overall wellness. I am planning to use some of these sleep ideas myself, and I am also excited to share them with my clients!

Tzivia Gover has taken something we all do and don't think or talk much about — sleep and dream — and made it interesting, relevant, and full of possibility. I enjoyed reflecting a little more deeply about how I approach this aspect of life and creating small new habits to make it more special and intentional. I particularly like the "beditations" and the whole section on working with our dreams (vs. interpreting them). The ideas are well-presented and the book is very well-written. A nice self-care investment and a great gift.

The author Tzivia Gover made some very good insights into getting a good night's sleep something i have had trouble with, the book is fantastic and I have other books by her as well, keep up the great work. I purchased many books to give to friends for the holiday and they all loved the book.

Tzivia is such a great creative writer and she makes sleep and dreams interesting. You are certainly not going to fall asleep reading her book, but you will sleep better when you put it down. Many easy and sensible ways to fall asleep and stay asleep. I recommend it for all, even if you already sleep like a baby. You will enjoy and get lots of great suggestions for living life well, waking and sleeping.

This book provides great tips for getting yourself to sleep.

Drawing on the insights of the experts such as Carl Jung and the Zen Masters, Tzivia Gover integrates dream theory with a remarkably simple and effective guide to one of our basic needs = getting a good night's sleep. I'd highly recommend it to anyone!

I forget when it started. One night I realized that I had not been sleeping well for sometime, for many nights. The winter before, my hot tub outside froze and broke a pipe. I had used it as a sleepytime aid for many years, and now I didn't have that available. Part of the problem was a hip pain from falling off the horse, still there even after all that time. I tried some "PM" pills, but unless I took them right as I got into bed, they often kept me more wide awake. The Dr. recommended Advil, but that proved to create problems of its own. The best solution I found was to not sweat it and allow myself to sleep like a cat, a couple of sessions at night, a nap during the day. I was getting by, but I realized that at my age, a good night's sleep was essential. I'd read a bunch of stuff on the Internet, like not to drink coffee or coke too late in the day, not to exercise too late in the day.One thing was missing--sleeping like a baby requires a clear conscience! I was keenly aware of that, because, on many a sleepless night I'd be confronted by all that haunted me. Why didn't I think of fun things when awake at night, why the bad stuff, the scary stuff, the stuff that had me worried, feeling guilty, and so on. No one seemed to talk abou that aspect. Yes, the mental connection with bedtime--like not reading in bed--and stuff like that, but not about where your head is at--ready to be relieved by sleep or a time of dreaded introspection. Then a new book crossed my path that took a very different approach.The Mindful Way to a Good Night's Sleep, Tzivia Gover, doesn't look at sleeping out of context of the entire wakefulness/sleep cycle of the day. But the daytime approach is not simply focused on caffeine abstention and proper exercise, it looks at how we feel during the day, and how we process our experiences. I wondered from the title how dreamwork would fit into a good night's sleep, that is, beyond the obvious that if you don't sleep you can't dream! But the author looks more deeply into the relationship between what's in our dreams at night and what's in our head during the day. In a nutshell, the idea is, if you'll harvest your dreams, you'll learn what's really on your mind, and if you'll spend time in mindfulness meditation, you can allow some of that stuff to get processed, and then your night will be more peaceful, you'll have less to worry about. I don't think I've ever seen a book on sleep that takes such a holistic approach.You can tell that this book is different, just by the look of it. It has a creative design, both in terms of layout and typography (which has a lot to do with keeping you interested and wanting to explore) and in terms of the wide ranging topics that are presented. The author is Director of the Institute for Dream Studies, so it is no surprise that the book presents a lot of knowledgeable information about dreams. Yet, in order for us to stay relaxed, the attitude is playful, accepting, and not ambitious. Sure, we can learn the art of dream interpretation, but, then again, we can simply enjoy our dreams and allow our natural stream of thought to weave in and out of them, spilling out all kinds of ideas. And for those whose sleep might be postponed by fear of nightmares, relax, they are for our benefit as well, and there are ways to turn lemons into lemonade, ways that can even help with sleep.I did one experiment, based on an idea I got in between the lines of this entertaining, educational and enlightening gem of a book. One day I tried to complete all the little chores, etc. that I'd been procrastinating on for a long time. Dumb stuff like putting away my laundry, and bigger stuff like delivering those sacks of manure to a nabor. And at the end of the day, I had a such a feeling of accomplishment. I can still remember the feeling of smiling in bed and, the next thing I knew, it was morning!

I love the writing prompts and the inspiration to contemplate dreams from a different perspective. There are several practical excersices that are very helpful.