Water The Root

If a farmer waters the root of the tree he is rewarded with fruit for his efforts. But he must not forget about watering the root while he enjoys eating the fruit.
- Maharishi Mahesh 

It’s an art, finding the perfect balance between rest and productivity. Ive been reminded of this lately. Jet lag and then back into life with 3 young children has got me beat. I have a tendency to stay up until around midnight catching up on work. I meditate after the kids are asleep which gives me a huge second wind to accomplish my tasks late into the evening but after a few days of 4-5 hours sleep the reality of sleep deprivation kicks into gear.  

There is no sleep-ins in this house; one of the 3 kids is always up in the dark squawking for food, and having our 10 month old, who is by far the worst sleeper of the 3, makes it certain that you never quite reach that deep restorative sleep zone. Sacrificing hours of sleep in the evening is not the most sustainable practice but I’m yet to find an alternative. Luckily my work load allows for a reprieve and some early nights but as its increasing lately with extra study I’m on the look out for where I can change things up and catch more zz’s 

Meditation is how I water the root, somedays I have to fight to make sure my tree gets its nourishment but if I didn’t fight for this time my fresh fruit stash would have been consumed a long time ago, mostly by the ravenous rat pack of mine.
The meditative state is not a replacement for horizontal sleep but its a lot more effective at achieving a deep hypo-metabolic state of rest. A study by Wallace and Kieth in 1972 found this state to be 2-5 deeper than deep sleep when it comes to the bodies ability to rest and rejuvenate. 

I water the root so my family can enjoy the fruit ;)