Student and Teacher

Together on the Path

Tenzin Rinpoche, Lama Kalsang and Geshe Denma Gyaltsen show their fitness devices.Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's passion about health and wellness has grown significantly over the past few years. He has shared with students and friends scientific research and facts that he has gathered from many experts on various ways to improve our health, and especially our sleep. During the recent retreat in Italy, Rinpoche shared why he recommends to those interested, getting a fitness tracking device as a way to help learn more about one's own state of health and sleep.

Student: Why do you suggest that I get a fitness tracking device?

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche: You all know that when you get a good sleep, you wake up fresh, you wake up clear, you wake up with a focus, you wake up wanting to give, you wake up willing to tackle challenges. That's how you want to wake up every morning. For those of you who are open and willing to try a fitness tracking device, I would recommend it. I'll explain why. When you are getting the data from your device every morning, then you can know to some extent what's going on in your body. And it's not 100% accurate, but accurate enough to help you. It's like having healthcare technicians and services observing your heart and breath all night, and in the morning when you wake up, you're given a nice report. I am not saying you should be conditioned by it, but be willing to know what it is telling you about yourself.

I've been encouraging some friends to get one of these devices, and it's very interesting the range of reactions and responses that I've gotten from them. Sometimes I see fear. They don't even want the possibility of being able to know more about their health. It's interesting how ignorance works. It's willing to destroy itself, and in the process, it doesn't want to know how it's destroying itself.

I would rather know and be aware of a problem. For me, it is fun to be in the West with its easy access to so many gadgets. I'm having fun, lately, being obsessed about it. I want to go to the extreme and get everything perfect. Then, I want to be able to back off slowly, letting go of regulating each aspect of my current regimen, one at a time, to eventually come back to everything being imperfect. And yet, still find the same quality of sleep! That's called integration.

At the same time, I also know that in the end it does not matter. Look at those in India, for example, where it is 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and people are outside on the highway with all of its pollution and smoke, and still many are able to have wonderful sleep.

That said, it is also very important to pay attention before it becomes too late. I'm sure that if you sleep more, you will be more productive in your life, than if you sleep less. And you will be a nicer person and much more kind if you sleep more. So, pay attention. And then for us practitioners, we also have the practices of Sleep Yoga. So not only do we have sleep as a means for our good health, we also have sleep as a means for our enlightenment.

(Rinpoche has been posting some of his Whoop results, good days and bad, on Facebook and wanted to also make it clear that he has no business or financial relationship with the Whoop or Oura Ring companies. His intention is purely to bring more awareness to sleep health, especially within our own sangha community.)