When You Have Trouble Sleeping

For some people, losing sleep is not a choice. You want to sleep, but you can't. If this sounds like you, you’re not alone: one study found that an astounding 85 percent of US workers lose sleep because of work-related stress. Whether you have trouble sleeping because of stress or simply want to up-level your sleep game, this practice can help.

Transcript

This is Justin Michael Williams and welcome to your practice. This practice will help you relax and sleep. And in this practice, There will be some instruction followed by long moments of silence. And in those moments, Just allow yourself to coast. During the beginning of the practice, You may notice your mind starts to wander. It may even start to ramp up and pick up speed a little bit. And if that happens, Don't worry. It's normal. Just allow it. As the practice progresses, You'll start to relax more and more. And if you fall asleep while I'm speaking, Even that's totally fine too. I'm ending this recording with a long moment of silence so that you can just allow yourself to coast and drift off into a peaceful rest when it's over. So I'd like you to set yourself up now so that you can relax and keep resting or sleeping when this recording stops playing. The best way to do this is to just lie down on your back and get as comfortable as possible. And if for some reason you can't lie on your back, That's okay too. Just make sure you're comfortable. The instructions that I'm going to give are for people who are lying down on their backs. So if you need to do something a little bit different, It'll be just fine. Don't worry. So wherever you're laying down now, I want you to adjust your clothing or your blanket and your body so that you can do this practice to the best of your ability without moving much. If you're ready, Go ahead and keep your feet apart, Relax your ankles and let your feet just flop out to the sides. If you're on your back, Have your arms just slightly away from you, Just slightly away from the sides of the body with your palms turned up towards the sky. And now I invite you to close your eyes now and keep them closed. And say to yourself, I am allowed to let go. I am allowed to let go. I am allowed to let go. I am allowed. Allow your body to just become calm and relaxed. You have permission right now to relax. You're allowed to let go. You can think about all of it tomorrow. Right now, You're allowed. Take a deep breath in. And as you inhale, I want you to imagine calm, Peaceful energy flowing through your body. Go ahead and inhale deeply. And as you breathe out, Say to yourself mentally, I'm allowed to let go. Again, Take a deep breath in, Imagining calm, Peaceful energy easily flowing through your entire body and energy field. When you breathe out, Say to yourself, I'm allowed to let go. I'm allowed to let go. Bring awareness to your body lying down. Notice all the places your body meets the surface that you're laying on right now. And feel the support of that surface. You are supported. You are supported. Sink into the surface. Try to see if you can soften even 2% more. Softening just a little bit more. Even just a little more counts. Softening a little more. Now bring awareness to the natural flow of your breath. Notice the natural flow and rhythm of your breath. You don't have to concentrate on this at all. Just relax and listen to my voice. And just notice while I'm talking that you're breathing. Without trying to change anything, Just notice that you're breathing and relax. Just notice that you're breathing and relax. As you breathe, Say to yourself mentally right now, I am allowed to let go. I will sleep. I am allowed to let go. I will sleep. Keep repeating that to yourself silently. I'm allowed to let go. I will sleep. I will sleep. I will sleep. I'm going to guide you through a process called the breathing body scan. And through this process, You'll hear me name different body parts. And your job is simple. As quickly as possible, Just let your awareness jump from body part to body part following the sound of my voice. The breathing body scan always begins with the right thumb, Pointer finger, Middle finger, Fourth finger, Fifth finger, Palm of the hand, Back of the hand, Wrist, Lower arm, Elbow, Upper arm, Shoulder, Armpit, Right rib cage, Right waist, Right hip, Right thigh, Knee, Calf muscle, Shin, Ankle, Heel of the right foot, Sole of the right foot, Top of the right foot, Right big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Pinky toe, Left big toe, Left second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Pinky toe, Top of the foot, Sole of the foot, Heel of the left foot, Left ankle, Shin, Calf muscle, Knee, Left thigh, Left waist, Left rib cage, Armpit, Left shoulder, Upper arm, Elbow, Lower arm, Wrist, Back of the hand, Palm of the hand, Left thumb, Pointer finger, Middle finger, Fourth finger, Fifth finger, Left shoulder, Right shoulder, Left shoulder blade, Right shoulder blade, Left buttocks, Right buttocks, Lower back, Middle back, Upper back, Your spine, Your entire back together, Top of your head, Forehead, Right eyebrow, Left eyebrow, Right eyelid, Left eyelid, Right eye, Left eye, Right ear, Left ear, Right nostril, Left nostril, The entire nose together, Right cheek, Left cheek, Upper lip, Lower lip, Chin, Jaw, Tongue, Throat, Back of the throat, Front of the neck, Back of the neck, Right collarbone, Left collarbone, Right chest, Left chest, Middle of the chest, Navel, Abdomen, Your entire right arm, Your entire left arm, Both arms together, Your entire right leg, Entire left leg, Both legs together, Your entire back, Entire front, Entire head together, Arms, Legs, Back, Front together, Your entire body together, Your entire body together, Your entire body together, And soften just two percent more, Soften two percent more, Soften two percent more. Now become aware of how your body meets the surface that you're laying on, Aware of your entire body, Just notice how it meets the surface that you're laying on, Your head and the surface, Your shoulder blades and the surface, Your elbows and the surface, The backs of your hands and the surface, Your legs and the surface, Become aware of every single meeting point of your body and the surface at the same time, And allow your body to melt just two percent more, Melt more deeply, You have permission to let go, Rest more, You have more, You have permission to let go, And now go to the breath, Notice the natural rhythm of your inhale and exhale, There's no need to force anything here, Just feel your chest rise with each inhale and fall with each exhale, Feel it rising and falling, Rising and falling, And just be aware that you're breathing, And at the same time I want you to start counting your breaths backwards, I am breathing in 25, I am breathing out 25, I am breathing in 24, I am breathing out 24, I am breathing in 23, I am breathing out 23, Continue this way all the way from 22 to 1, Counting your mind silently, Just following the natural rise and fall of your breath on your own time, Soften more with each breath, Slow and relaxed, Please continue counting now.

Reviews

Great track, thank you. Bookmarked for middle of the night insomnia!

I’ve always found comfort in his meditations. This is another! Thank you

Effective! Thank you ❤️

So relaxing! Wonderful guidance, and such a pleasant voice and clear diction—beautiful to listen to. Didn’t quite make it to the end… maybe next time? Thanks for this lovely contribution!

Justin’s voice is serene and if I wasn’t already wide awake I most likely would have fallen asleep . I relaxed throughout his meditation and look forward to listening again .