Modern-day humans have evolved to live their busy lives in the light of day, even adding man-made lighting to unnaturally extend their days well into the night, but in doing so they seem to have all but forgotten the healing power of the dark. It is on a night time that our bodies rest, allowing themselves to regenerate and heal from the stresses and strains of the day. Night is also the time when our minds are freed from the clutter of thoughts that plague us throughout our waking hours. The night frees our minds to process everything that we have experienced, from the smallest, most mundane task to highly emotive subjects. Many believe that our dreams are a product of this processing. 

What many people don’t know is that our bodies actually require the darkness of night in order to stay healthy too – as with most things, a careful balance is needed. There have been many studies done in which volunteers were deprived of darkness, while their bodies and brainwaves were closely monitored to note the effect that this had on them. Over time, there was a significant decrease inefficient body function, as well as a marked increase in stress on the mind. Sleep patterns were not as restful or restorative, and as the study progressed, the volunteers became ill. 

Since I was small, I have been scared of the dark. Both of my grandmothers died when I was only four, and as I was very close to them both, it left a mark – this is when my fear of the dark began. For years I slept with the light on, and over time I developed very bad insomnia. A few years ago, I read about these ‘light studies’ and decided to make a change. I stopped leaving the light on and added to my room a very low-level blue light so that if I woke, I wouldn’t panic and not remember where I was. The change was amazing. 

My insomnia halved almost instantly. I had more energy and got sick with colds and bronchitis far less often. My immune system began to recover. 

These days I’ve taken it one step further, and I now partake in what I call ‘night bathing.’ 

Night bathing, for me, is a form of meditation, but the soundtrack is the natural sounds in the area around my house. Last night I spent two hours ‘night bathing’ on the roof terrace. I heard four different types of night birds, six different dogs, a female fox and a herd of wild boar! Fantastic stuff! 

For night bathing, I lie down flat with my arms out to the sides and stare up at the stars. To clear my mind of all of the day’s baggage, I focus on separating out all of the different ambient sounds around me. I briefly identify each one and, by the time I’ve finished, I have identified an entire nocturnal orchestra. It’s the most amazing feeling and brings with it a level of calm that is near-on impossible to find in the daylight hours, with all of the distractions of life around us. So, next time the weather is good and the night sky is clear and full of stars, give night bathing a try and let me know what you think in the comments below. I’m interested to see if any of you get that same feeling of deep connection to the world spirit that I get.

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