Eight Minutes To Fall Asleep

This is a simple exercise to help you totally relax, and be guided to fall asleep. It's a very accessible meditation, a cut-down version of the full 61 point meditation from Yoga Nidra, and it seems to work very well for many people. Some use it earlier in the evening to relax after work, while others use it in bed, to help them get to sleep (or get back to sleep if they wake in the night).

Transcript

Hello,

This is Clive.

This is a simple technique that I use sometimes to help get to sleep.

It's based on the 61 point meditation in Pranayama.

But it's simplified because I can never remember all 61 points.

When we do this meditation we want to be completely relaxed,

So that usually means lying down.

You can lie down on your back or on your front,

Whatever's most comfortable.

I usually find this meditation easiest to do on my back.

So I lie on my back in what the yogis call the corpse position.

Arms down by my side,

Head on a pillow,

Calm and relaxed somewhere quiet.

I suggest you try something like that,

But if that doesn't work for you then whatever works for you best is the way to go with it.

There are no rules here.

Let's start with the face.

The face is key to our emotions and to slowing them all down.

So start by closing your eyes and breathing slowly and deeply.

Relax all the muscles in your face.

Just feel them one by one,

Turning off and letting go.

Close your eyes gently.

Relax your cheeks.

Relax the jaw.

Let your tongue go loose in your mouth.

Let your eyeballs relax.

They might want to roll up or roll down,

That's absolutely fine.

Just let them relax until your whole face is completely relaxed.

Now let's move down to our shoulders,

Relaxing the neck and the throat as we go.

Start with your right arm.

Relax the top of the arm,

The shoulder.

Let go of the bicep.

Let any tension go out of your upper arm.

Let your forearm go loose.

If you're holding anything in there or whatever,

Just let it go.

Let your forearm go loose.

If you're holding anything in there and want to let it go,

Just wiggle your fingers maybe.

Let your forearm go relaxed.

And now your hand.

Your fingers one at a time.

Uncurl them.

Let them go.

Your little finger,

Your ring finger,

Your middle and index fingers and your thumb.

Your hand should be completely open.

Now on to the other arm.

With your shoulder and your bicep,

Again feel the cool warmth of sleep wash over them.

Down into your forearm and your wrist and your fingers on that left hand.

Let each finger go one at a time.

Now your thumb,

Let that go too.

Move back to your chest.

You should be breathing shallow but easy.

Relax your shoulder blades.

Relax your back.

Now let your hands go.

Relax your shoulder blades.

Relax your back.

Feel any knots in your stomach,

Unknot.

Let go of any tension in your belly.

Now down to your hips.

Let your hips relax.

Let your buttocks relax.

Working down one leg.

Let your thigh relax.

Let go of anything in your knee.

Feel the coolness wash down over your calf and down through your ankle into your foot.

Just let it go completely.

Now let your hands go.

Let your hands go.

Feel the coolness wash down over your calf and down through your ankle into your foot.

Just let it go completely.

Now down the other leg.

Feel that leg relax.

The thigh first and now the knee and the calf and the ankle and the toes.

So now your leg should be completely relaxed.

Gravity should just be pulling them as loose and floppy as they can be.

Same with your belly and your hips and your chest and your arms.

They should all be completely relaxed.

Your throat and your neck should be completely relaxed.

Feel the coolness wash down over your face and your face should just be completely pulled down.

And finally let's calm down what's inside our head.

You can imagine yourself in a scene in nature if that's what you find relaxing.

In a scene in nature if that's what you find relaxing.

In a scene in nature if that's what you find relaxing.

Feel the coolness wash down over your face and your neck.

Feel yourself in a scene in nature if that's what you find relaxing.

In a forest clearing or on a beach.

Feel the cool breeze.

Hear the birds in the trees or the leaves rustling or the waves lapping on the shore.

Or you can just think to yourself just think calm,

Calm,

Calm.

Just repeat that to yourself.

If the monkey mind is chattering away then just turn the volume down on that.

Just turn it down.

It's hard to shut off completely but let it be a background verbal.

Just let it be a background verbal.

Just let it be a background verbal.

Just let it be a background verbal.

Just let it be a background verbal.

And just visualise yourself in the scene wherever you find totally relaxing.

Or say to yourself gently in your mind calm,

Calm,

Calm.

Your whole body relaxed.

Your arms and your chest and your legs just relaxed.

Your thoughts quietened and let yourself drift off slowly into sleep.

Just let it be a background verbal.

Just let it be a background verbal.

Just let

Reviews

Thanks for sharing. What a lovely voice you have for guided meditations. I'll be looking up more 🙏🏻

Listen to this almost every night with my kids. Have been doing this for years. First prayers and then Clive. Thank you!

Very relaxing guided meditation. Perfect to fall asleep 🌛

Perfect quick (but not rushed!) wind down to sleep. Thank you.

Thank you for this. My teenage fell asleep before it was over after a long day.

A good quick meditation to relax before sleep thankyou

Might have been nicer with subtle background noise like music, but the voice was very soothing and the instructions worked very well for me

Lovely and soothing voice. Easy to drift into calm as this meditation took me through relaxing my entire body, thoughts & emotions.

All I can say is WOW! I was in SO MUCH pain prior to doing this meditation and I was trying to find something to help me relax bc I knew my body was tense. I found this and when I tell you I went from a 7 to a 4 pain level, it happened so quickly! I am so thankful bc the pain was really bad! I know this is not a pain relief meditation, but it helped me with my stress and anxiety which also helped aliveate the pain too! Thank you SO MUCH again! I normally skip past short meditations when getting ready for bed bc I want something to help me fall asleep and I know it takes me a while to drift off to sleep, but I’m SO GLAD I didn’t skip over this! 🙌🏾🙌🏾👊🏽🥰💜👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Marking this five stars because I don't remember the ending!! Effective ^_^

Beautifully spoken. Perfect content. Short and sweet meditation for bedtime that worked for my grass-hopper brain. Thank you 🙏🏻 x

I didn't listen to much. I fell asleep almost straight away

Clive, the pace, your lovely relaxed style and cadence of your voice are just great. I've used your meditation many times and it's helped me get back to sleep. Thank you for sharing such beautiful energy. May you be healthy, May you be happy. May you have peace.

I listen to this almost every night. Thank you for the peace 💜

Abolutely amazing preparation for sleep. Thank you 🙏🏻

Fewer scenery visuals - just beach or just forest, not referring to both because the image created in my mind’s eye becomes confused/mixed.

Thank you Clive! Enjoyed the sound and energy of your voice, and your guidance. Short, sweet, unhurried.

Brilliant, it worked thank you. Liked that it did not wake me up at the end

8 mins of full body relaxation that put me right to sleep

Very calming voice to a very relaxing meditation…thank you