Welcome!
Thank you for joining me today for this mindful practice.
In this exercise,
I'm going to share a useful technique to sleep longer with more ease and less anxiety or worry.
For many people in the US,
It can be very difficult falling asleep.
Repeating thoughts won't seem to stop.
Memories of what happened that day keep coming up.
Plans,
Fantasies,
And worries about tomorrow continue resurfacing.
Energy in the body keeps you tossing and turning.
All the while,
Frustrations around not sleeping fuel the worry and restless energy in the mind,
Ironically preventing you from feeling relaxed,
Calm,
And peaceful.
This is more common than you may think.
We live in a society filled with expectations,
Pressures,
And stresses.
It's no wonder that our minds are filled with media images,
News stories,
Financial stressors,
Worries about our loved ones.
The list goes on and on.
Hearing me talk about these things probably creates a physical reaction in you of tightness,
Tension,
Or heat.
Can you feel that?
Well,
It's very understandable,
And very,
Very common,
That our minds would be filled with one or more of these stressors on a consistent basis,
Preventing us from getting as much rest as we would like.
I get it.
Fortunately,
There are many ways to address this,
Some of which we cover in the other exercises of this path,
Such as getting to know the bodily sensations of worry,
Anxiety,
And trauma,
Wherever it feels most predominant,
Without feeding the energy with thoughts.
But there are other methods,
Particularly useful,
When it's time for sleep and rest,
The rest that is so important for your body and mind,
To function at its best.
First,
Try to adjust the temperature in your bedroom to be around 68 degrees,
The ideal temperature for sleeping.
You can do this with fans,
Windows,
Heaters,
Whatever works for you.
If that feels too cold,
Please put an extra blanket over you,
Which will not interfere too much with the benefits of having the air around 68 degrees.
Next,
In the hours before going to sleep or taking a nap,
Try to avoid upsetting music,
Worrying news reports,
Or anything that tends to trigger your mind into worry,
Stress,
Or discomfort.
Also,
It's important to sleep in a room that is as dark as possible,
Without any TV,
Tablet,
Or mobile screens around,
Indicating to your eyes and brain that it's time for rest.
Then,
When you lay down,
Try to lay flat on your back,
If that's comfortable to you.
And keep your legs uncrossed.
See if you can feel the sheets or bed underneath you.
Feel the weight of your body pressing against the fabric of the cloth of the bed.
What does that feel like?
Notice the felt sensations of the body lying down.
Take some deep breaths.
And relax the body as you notice what it feels like.
Simply to be lying down,
Allowing yourself to simply be there.
Enjoying the relaxation and rest that you're offering your tired,
Weary mind and body.
Then,
It's important to enjoy noticing the sensations of the body.
Consciously releasing any tightness or tension from each body part to the next.
Noticing and releasing.
Noticing and releasing.
All with a sense of calm,
Curious kindness.
Gifting yourself the spaciousness and embodiment that you so deserve.
You continue doing this throughout the body.
Wrapping it up with an exercise of wishing yourself and others a genuine sense of care.
And a lightly held wish for peaceful sleep,
Sweet dreams,
And a refreshed body.
It's really quite simple.
Let's try it together now.
You can position yourself lying down now.
Or if that's not possible,
You can sit and do the majority of this exercise in a chair.
How do you feel?
More relaxed?
At ease?
More peaceful than before?
I recommend using this technique each night so that you will get better and better.
At learning how to prepare the body for a full night's rest.
It may not work 100% of the time.
But with practice,
You'll notice that if you bring a genuine sense of care and some effort to soften the sensations in the body,
You will gradually taste the fruits of reducing worry,
Anxiety and stress,
And increasing calm,
Relaxation and a sense of embodied ease.
So to recap,
Remember,
It's perfectly normal and understandable to feel frustrated by a mind that is filled with stress.
It's common and it makes sense,
Given everything on our plate sometimes.
Try to sleep in a dark room that is around 68 degrees without screens around.
When you lie down,
Feel the bed,
Feel your weight,
Feel areas of tightness or tension in the body,
And continually soften and loosen different areas of the body as you breathe naturally and calmly.
I hope that these tips and this exercise will be useful for you.
Thank you for your mindfulness.
