Back To Sleep: A Meditation For Waking In The Night

Awake when you'd really rather be asleep?

When you wake during the night, it's easy for frustration, worry and “I need to get back to sleep” to add another layer of wakefulness.

This gentle practice offers a different approach. Rather than making sleep something you have to achieve, you'll be invited to settle comfortably, reconnect with your body and breath, and give yourself permission simply to rest.

Thoughts don't need to disappear or stop. When the mind wanders into planning or worrying, we'll gently return to what's happening here and now.

You don't have to solve tomorrow in the middle of the night. For now, you can rest.

Transcript

Hey there. If you've woken up in the night, Please know this is a normal human experience. It's not one that any of us sign up for and it's certainly not your fault. And if it feels frustrating or disappointing or worrying, That's completely understandable. Many people wake up in the night from time to time. I found it really helpful to learn that sometimes this is simply when we reach the end of one sleep cycle and it's the space in between before the next cycle begins. Sometimes we wake up and go back to sleep between these cycles without even noticing, But sometimes we do notice and sometimes there are gaps in between those sleep cycles. So although we can't control sleep, Sleep and we can't force it, We can choose how we meet this moment. So instead of getting fixed or focused on trying to sleep, It's much more helpful to focus on resting well, Getting good quality rest. Rest is almost as helpful for your body and mind as sleep. And resting can help to create the conditions for sleep to return more easily. So although this might not be the moment that you've chosen, You can still choose how you respond to it. So this practice is here to help you create the conditions for rest. And it can also be a time to ground and care for yourself. We're going to anchor awareness into the body and the breath. To help facilitate good quality rest. And if thoughts are busy in the mind, That's okay. Don't need to stop them. You might simply note them or label them as thinking. This helps us to step out of the thought rather than being stuck in it. And you can also gently remind your mind that for now, Rest is best. So before we go any further, Just noticing whether anything needs adjusting to help you feel even more comfortable right now. Finding a position for your body that feels easy and restful. Adjusting your pillow. Maybe the cool side of the pillow would be helpful right now. And adjusting your covers so the temperature feels right for wherever you're at in this moment. So doing whatever you need to do to get more comfortable. Taking your time to make these adjustments. And when you're ready, Allowing your body to settle into stillness again. Your body knows how to rest. And your body knows how to sleep. So all we're going to do here is create more space. And little more ease. And allow your system to do what it already knows how to do in its own time. And you don't need to figure out the whole night right now. You can simply be present, Just resting in this present moment. And resting awareness with the breath, Just this breath. Anytime the mind wants to get involved with planning or worrying or checking, That's okay. Our minds are often trying to help even when they're not being very helpful. So maybe just reminding the mind, Saying, Thank you mind, Not now, We're resting now. And then gently coming back. Anchoring awareness to the movement of the breath. And noticing where you feel the movement of breath most easily in your body. This might be the coolness of the in-breath in the nostrils. The slightly warmer air as you breathe out. Maybe it's the gentle movement of the chest expanding a little as you breathe in and softening as you breathe out. Or maybe you feel the breath in the belly. Feeling the belly rising on the in-breath. And releasing on the out breath. So just letting awareness rest wherever you feel the breath most easily. And seeing if you can follow the whole length of the in-breath from the beginning all the way through to the end. And following the whole length of the out-breath. From beginning to the end. And noticing the way the breath transitions from the in-breath to the out-breath. And wear the out breath. Becomes the in-breath. And if it feels comfortable, We're going to settle the nervous system with some gentle breathing. Just breathing all the way down into the belly. And then allowing the out-breath to be a little bit longer than the in-breath. This helps to down regulate the nervous system. So taking a few breaths like this now, Just in an easy, Relaxing way. Breathing in all the way down to the belly. And breathing out. Lengthening the exhale just a little bit longer than the inhale. And again, Breathing in. All the way down to the belly. And breathing out. Allowing the exhale. To lengthen a little longer than the in-breath. And just taking a few more breaths like this in your own time. And then gently letting the breath return to its own natural rhythm. Just letting the breath breathe itself. And from here, We're going to ground awareness into the body through the breath. So first of all. Having a little scan through your body and if you become aware of any areas of tension in your face, Your body. Almost imagine as if you can take the breath into those areas of tension and as you breathe out, Noticing how the body gently releases on the exhale. So just taking your time. Scanning through to any areas of obvious tension. Imagine you can breathe right into those muscles. And then feeling how the body gently releases on the out-breath. This natural tendency for the body to soften on the exhale. And from here, We're going to rotate awareness through the body parts. So bringing awareness to the muscles of the face. Noticing how the forehead feels. And as you breathe in, Bringing awareness to all of those muscles of the forehead. And as you exhale, Inviting those muscles to soften and smooth out. I'm just taking a few more breaths here. Now shifting awareness to the muscles around the eyes. Breathing in, Becoming aware of the eyes and all the muscles surrounding them. And as you breathe out. Feeling these muscles softening, Allowing the eyes to rest back and down. And just taking a few more breaths like this. And then bringing awareness down into the muscles of the mouth, The cheeks, The jaw. Noticing how these muscles feel as you breathe in. And allowing them to loosen and soften as you breathe out. Now turning awareness toward the neck and the shoulders. Breathing in, Becoming aware of any sensations here, Any tension. Areas of ease. And as you breathe out, Allowing the neck and the shoulders to soften, Releasing and relaxing. Taking a few more breaths here. And now moving awareness into the arms and the hands. Breathing in, Noticing how the arms and hands feel. And breathing out allowing the arms to grow heavier. Feeling the hands softening. And now becoming aware of the chest. Sensing the way the chest is expanding on the inhale. And releasing on the exhale. Resting here. For a few breaths. And shifting awareness down to the belly. Breathing in, Noticing the feeling of the belly rising. And breathing out, Allowing the belly to soften and release. Just letting the breath move the body in its own natural way, Its own natural rhythm. And then gently moving awareness to the back of the body. Breathing in and feeling the weight of the body meeting the bed. And breathing out, Allowing the weight of the body to sink even deeper into the support of the bed. Now shifting awareness towards the hips and the pelvis. Breathing in, Noticing any sensations here. Breathing out, Allowing that whole area to settle and release. And then moving awareness down into the legs. Breathing in, Becoming aware of the legs and how they feel. Breathing out, Allowing the legs to soften, Growing heavier. And settling more deeply into the support of the bed. And then shifting awareness into the feet. Breathing in, Noticing any sensations in the feet. Breathing out, Allowing the feet to rest. And if any thoughts arise, That's okay. You might simply label them as thinking. And then gently bringing awareness back, Resting into the breath. The body. And this present moment. Feeling the weight of the body being supported by the bed. So from here, Gently expanding awareness to include the whole body. Feeling the sensations of the whole body supported by the bed. The sensations of the covers, How comfortable they might feel. And that wave-like movement of the breath. And again, Noticing where you feel the movement of breath most easily in your body. And as you become aware of that wave-like movement of the breath, The expansion of the in-breath, And the release of the out-breath. Exploring the echo of that movement through the whole body. Almost feeling as if the whole body is breathing in. And the whole body is breathing out. Just resting awareness here. Resting the body as you breathe in. Resting the body as you breathe out. Allowing awareness to drift with this gentle rhythm. As you continue to rest in your own time.