Welcome to this breath meditation for inducing deep sleep.
My name is Andrea Wilson and this session is brought to you by the Inner Alchemy School of Wellness here on Insight Timer.
This session will introduce a breathing pattern that will bring more calm and more clarity to the mind as well as bring the nervous system into the modes of both rest and sleep.
One of the keys to helping us fall asleep is to relax both the mind and the body.
The easiest way we can relax the body is to tap into our breath.
When we allow the breath to become lighter,
Slower,
And deeper we shift the body into a relaxed state bringing us into the modes of rest,
Recovery,
And deep sleep.
When we bring our awareness away from our thoughts and focus it on to the breath,
The body begins to relax even more deeply.
Before we begin,
Take a moment to get nice and comfy if you're preparing for sleep.
Get cozy under the blankets and find yourself in a comfortable laying position,
Preferably laying on the back with the shoulders away from the ears,
Shoulder blades relaxed,
Supporting the upper chest.
Begin to center your awareness on your breath,
Noticing where it is in this moment,
Witnessing the wave of breath as the breath enters the body and exits the body.
The focus of this session will be on a light,
Slow,
And deep breath.
For a moment,
Place your hands on your bottom side ribs.
As you breathe,
Allow these ribs to expand outward.
This is where we want to focus the base of our breath.
This is the widest area of our diaphragm,
So allowing these bottom ribs to fully expand.
The bottom ribs are also just about in line with our navel.
Breathing into this space and allowing it to expand comfortably.
Throughout this practice,
We will be continuously slowing the breath,
Allowing the nervous system to fully relax.
Our breath will follow the music,
And as the music slows down,
Our breath will as well.
Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.
Following the music,
Gently soften and slow down your breathing,
Slowing down to the point to where you eventually feel as if you aren't getting enough air.
In,
In,
Deeply in,
And out.
And in,
Slow down the speed of the air as it enters your nostrils.
Allow the breath out to be slow and relaxed.
In,
Out,
In,
Out.
The goal is to breathe so softly that about 30% less air enters your lungs than normal breathing.
In,
In,
Out.
If you feel as if you aren't getting quite enough air,
That's okay.
That is a sensation that we are looking for.
If at any point it's more than you like,
You can always return to a comfortable breathing pattern.
In,
Deeply in,
Out.
In,
In.
If you feel as if the need for air is too much,
Take rest for 15 seconds and start again.
In,
Out,
In.
Following the music,
Gently soften,
Gently slow down.
In and out,
Feeling that slight bit of air hunger.
In,
Slowing down the speed of the air as it enters the nostrils.
In,
Out,
Relaxing the body as you exhale.
In,
Out.
Allow the breath out to be slow and relaxed.
We're breathing in less air over time,
Allowing the body to shift into the resting mode,
The sleep mode.
In,
Out,
In,
Out.
And you can feel the body as it shifts into the rest mode,
Taking note of the sensation,
Just noticing again this new state of the body,
Of the mind.
And if you're ready to drift off to sleep,
Allow yourself to melt into the bed.
If you still need a little bit more of a shift into sleep mode,
You can start this session over and you'll be starting from a more relaxed mode,
Shifting deeper and deeper towards sleep.
