Codex · Mind
Established evidence · well-replicated human evidence
Santosha — Trained Contentment
A brief daily gratitude practice reliably raises baseline mood and improves sleep quality within weeks.
How it works
Deliberately attending to what is good re-weights attentional bias away from threat-scanning; practiced at night, it lowers pre-sleep arousal. Yoga's Santosha frames this not as denial but as a trainable orientation.
The practice
Before sleep, write or silently name three specific things from today you're glad happened, and one thing about your body that served you.
The tradition
Yoga Niyamas; positive-psychology trials
Related in the Codex
Bhramari — Humming-Bee Breath
Humming on the exhale in small trials reduces anxiety scores and slows heart rate.
The 4-7-8 & Extended-Exhale Breath
Breath patterns with exhales longer than inhales down-shift arousal in most people who try it and prepare the body for sleep.
Ashwagandha — The Steadying Root
Ashwagandha meaningfully lowers perceived stress and cortisol and improves sleep quality in randomized trials.
Inversions & The Circulation Glow
Gentle inversions (legs-up-the-wall, downward dog) briefly boost facial circulation and deeply relax the nervous system.
General wellness information for educational purposes — not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Evidence grades are Cheerayu's honest reading of the literature at the time of writing. Speak with a qualified clinician about your own situation, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a condition. Terms.