In this session,
We'll use a unified mindfulness technique called Feel Rest to help you fall asleep.
You can use this when you're going to bed,
Or if you wake up in the night and need to get back to sleep.
First,
Get in a comfortable position where you can be still.
Even when lying down,
It can help concentration to lengthen your spine a bit.
Just imagine the string pulling on the top of your head.
Once you've found a comfortable position,
We'll start the technique.
To the best of your ability,
Stay completely motionless during this practice.
This way your body is getting rest,
Even if you don't fall asleep right away.
You don't have to be anxious about how long it takes you to fall asleep,
Because as you lay still,
You're getting valuable rest,
Even if you don't go unconscious.
One option is to find or create relaxation in your body.
Consciously relax your muscles and bring your attention to the relaxed feeling.
When you notice an area of relaxation,
Say a gentle label in your mind,
Rest.
Then,
Deeply focus on the relaxation,
Getting absorbed into it as completely as possible.
After a few moments in concentration,
Let your attention go from that spot,
And either find or create relaxation somewhere else,
Or come back to the same spot again.
Again,
Label it rest,
And soak your attention into it.
Feel what relaxation is like in the body.
Get interested in it.
One readily available sensation of relaxation for many people is the out-breath,
The exhale.
As you exhale,
Feel how your chest and muscles around your lungs let go and relax.
The air effortlessly flows out.
Your focus is on the relaxing of the muscles.
Label that sensation as rest,
And track it with your attention.
Repeat as many times as you like.
Another option is to focus on an area of the body of relative neutrality.
This means a place where there's less sensory activation.
So you might find a spot on your body where there doesn't seem to be much or any sensation.
You can label that spot as rest,
And focus on that neutral space.
Whether you pick neutrality or relaxation,
Focus all your attention on each instance of it,
And remember to do your best to stay as still as you can.
Of course,
If you have an itch and you can't ignore it,
It's okay to scratch it.
But you might try waiting a beat or two,
Seeing if it goes away on its own first before you move.
As you focus on rest in one area of the body,
You might see if it spreads over a larger area.
If so,
Allow that to happen,
And track it with your attention.
And as you concentrate on relaxation,
The experience of that rest may deepen.
That may help deepen your concentration further,
Taking you into a virtuous cycle.
The rest promotes concentration,
And the concentration leads to deeper rest.
If thoughts are coming up,
Simply let them be in the background.
There's no need to try to stop them,
But there's no need to have your attention pulled to them either.
Anytime you notice your attention pulled away from relaxation or neutrality,
Just gently notice that and bring it back again,
Finding another spot of neutrality,
Little or no sensation,
Or relaxation.
If you notice any tension,
See if you can relax it.
And then soak your attention into that relaxed feeling.
Let it spread and deepen even more.
Now we'll end this guidance session,
But feel free to continue practicing this technique as long as you like,
Or listen to the guidance again.
Enjoy your rest.
