When You Can't Sleep

This sleep meditation will give you great results when you can’t sleep and you need some help. This Yoga Nidra will take you through a process of preparation for sleep that will wind down your nervous system and you can follow along step-by-step right now! Whether you’re tired and can’t sleep or not tired (but you know that you need rest), this is for you.

Transcript

If you can't sleep and you want something to do that will help you sleep now,

Stick around because I'm going to guide you through a sleep meditation that will actually help you sleep.

Whether you're tired and you can't sleep or you're not tired but you know that you need the rest,

True rest can be difficult to get sometimes,

Especially when there's something going on in your life.

There is a simple way to get the rest that you need without using pills,

Without having to leave your bed and without getting too frustrated.

Let's practice.

The first step is to prepare yourself for sleep.

So take a look around the room that you're in.

Make sure that the lights are off.

Everything is set up.

Make sure that you're minimizing sound to the best of your ability as the true benefit of this practice happens in the moments of silence.

So make any more adjustments or arrangements and go ahead and get into your bed.

You can grab a light piece of material or an eye pillow,

A covering for over your eyes,

Especially if there's light in the room.

This will help you turn your senses inward and become more in tune with your quiet,

Still center.

Lie on your back and position your legs so they are stretched long,

Your heels just a little wider than your hips and then draw your shoulder blades down your back.

You can position your arms so they're stretched long along your sides,

Palms facing upward.

It's okay to take up a little space.

If it's more comfortable,

Bend your elbows,

Place your hands over your abdomen.

Ensure that your head,

Neck are supported.

Close your eyes.

As you close your eyes,

Tell yourself that this will be a process.

In your own way,

Have the intention to allow your body and your mind to rest.

Now be aware of sound.

Please observe sound off in the distance.

Nothing to do about it,

Just awareness and sound.

Be aware of the many layers or textures of sound,

The more subtle ones or undertones.

If there is silence,

Be aware of that.

Mind tries to objectify or make meaning of this.

Nothing to do,

Moving from reaction to awareness.

Now become aware of sounds closer to your body resting so you can perceive the sound just around your body.

You're drawing your attention from out there to in here.

Move your awareness or your attention even closer.

Feel your skin.

Move your attention now beneath your skin.

Beware of your body and your mind,

Thoughts happening like inner sounds.

Observing the sounds,

Thinking just like a plane flying overhead off in the distance.

Become aware of your body,

Your whole body,

All sensation.

Please become aware of the unique sensation of tightness,

Contraction or holding.

Soften all contraction,

All holding.

Soften the muscles of your forehead.

The corners of your eyes,

Your upper cheek muscles beneath your eyes.

Soften your inner cheeks,

Your mouth.

Soften where the base of your skull joins your neck.

Soften where your shoulders join your body from the inside.

Soften deep inside your abdomen.

As though your organs are unfurling,

Becoming more spacious.

Soften inside your pelvis,

Muscles that make up your pelvic floor in there,

Down there,

Somewhere.

Imagine a softening,

Unfurling creases of your hips.

Now become aware of your whole body.

Notice your body breathing,

The effortless rising and falling of your abdomen.

Nothing to do,

Just awareness of breathing.

Have the intention that on each breath out,

You'll soften your abdomen a little more from the inside.

Every time the breath goes out,

Abdomen softens.

Letting go into sleep is a lot like watching the sun set on the day,

Letting go of the waking day.

This process is gradual,

Deliberate,

And natural.

Now you're going to begin to shape your breath,

Abdominal breathing.

Chest remains relatively still.

Accentuate the flow of breath in your abdomen.

As you breathe in,

It expands,

Fills from the inside.

As you breathe out,

It continues to soften.

Continue to shape your breath in,

Abdomen fills,

Out,

It empties.

You're shaping your breath into a smooth,

Slow rhythm.

Please continue.

It's natural that you would find moments of rushing in your breath,

Holding tightness.

You're smoothing those out with your intention,

Breathing on an even and slow current.

Please continue and if possible for the count or the beat of five,

In for one,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

And out one,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

Please continue.

Every time the breath goes out,

Abdomen softens.

Body lets go a little more.

Breath in,

Your shaping space in your abdomen.

Breath out,

You're sinking and relaxing into that space.

A few more rounds like this.

Gradually,

We'll progress to the next stage of the practice.

This is to slow down your out breath.

Continue breathing in for approximately five.

Breathe out now for approximately 10.

Keeping your out breath to be twice as long.

Take your time.

Adjust the counting so that you're not struggling or striving too hard.

You are using this breathing to send a clear signal to your nervous system,

To wind down into deep ease and rest.

For about one more minute,

In for five and out for 10.

Slow,

Smooth,

Relaxed breathing.

Take a deep breath.

Become aware of the unique effect of this breathing.

You are becoming more present.

Present moment awareness is the gateway to deep rest.

Stick with the practice.

Now relax.

No more control over your breathing.

As you watch your breathing now,

Be aware of it settling into its own rhythm.

It is ideal for rest in this moment.

You are not making breathing happen.

You are observing your body breathing.

Tell yourself in your own way that you'll let go of all responsibilities,

All issues,

All rules,

All obligations.

There is nothing more to do today.

Now you begin to rest.

Please become aware of a point in your midbrain,

This general area between ears and behind eyes.

Feel a concentrated awareness in that space.

As your attention gathers,

Relax.

Feel,

See,

Or sense a soft glowing light in that space.

Do the same in your throat center.

Become aware of concentrated presence.

Relax.

A soft glowing light.

Right shoulder joint,

Same.

Right elbow joint,

Be effortless.

Soft glowing light,

Right wrist joint.

Tip of your right thumb,

Keep awareness rotating.

Tip of your pointer finger,

A soft glowing light.

Middle finger tip,

Ring finger tip,

Body at ease and letting go.

Little finger tip,

Just let awareness do the practice.

Wrist,

Elbow,

Shoulder,

Throat center,

Left shoulder joint,

Soft glowing light.

Feel it,

See it,

Or imagine it.

Left elbow joint,

Left wrist,

Tip of your left thumb,

Tip of your pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Left wrist,

Elbow joint,

Shoulder,

Throat center,

A soft glowing light,

Nurturing presence,

Heart center,

Deep inside your body,

A soft glowing light.

Relax.

Left chest or breast,

Deeply embedded in your body,

Heart center,

Right chest or breast,

Heart center,

Abdomen center,

Close to the spine,

Deep inside,

Glowing light,

Nurturing presence in that space,

Center of pelvis,

Right hip joint,

Nothing to do,

Just awareness,

Right knee,

Right ankle,

A nurturing presence,

Always there,

Let go.

Tip of right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

As though your mind itself is there in your fourth toe.

Fifth,

Ankle,

Knee,

Hip joint,

Pelvis center,

Left hip joint,

Knee,

Left ankle,

Awareness remains aware,

Tip of your left big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Body and mind can rest,

Awareness does the practice,

Fourth,

Fifth,

Ankle,

Knee,

Hip joint,

Center of your pelvis,

Relax,

Center of your abdomen,

Heart center,

Throat center,

Midbrain,

Gently become aware of all these points at once,

All these points of soft glowing light,

You are these points of light and you are the spaciousness between them,

Sense these points of light spreading,

The light is diffusing,

Streaming into all the space until your body is filled with this light,

Your body filled with soft glowing light and made of light,

Gently become aware of your entire body as light-filled,

Spacious,

Limits or boundaries are dissolving,

You are spacious awareness,

Your body can sleep,

Your mind can sleep,

Awareness will remain aware as you watch the current of breathing moving through pure space.

As you happen to breathe in,

Allow awareness to move through a central channel within your body which you can feel,

Perhaps see and this breath will travel like a wave down to the soles of your feet,

Breath in,

Awareness moves,

Crown of your head,

The soles of your feet,

When your body breathes out it moves from the soles of your feet back up to the crown of your head,

Do this more or less 10 times,

Filling and renewing on each breath in,

This nourishing wave flows out,

Emptying,

Letting go.

Continue with an almost effortless effort,

Softly moving awareness like a nourishing wave,

Next time your body happens to breathe in,

Awareness moves from crown down to ankles,

Breath out rises from ankles through the legs and spine to culminate at the crown of your head,

Allow the practice to guide you to complete ease and effortlessness.

Gradually transition to the next stage.

Observe your body,

Breathe in and awareness moves from crown to your knees,

Rises from your knees through legs and spine to reach the crown of your head.

Awareness continues to move.

Willing awareness every moment designed for a shape of reality dawn,

Body sleeps.

Mind sleeps.

Awareness does the practice.

Gradually the next stage.

Body breathes in and awareness descends from crown to base of your spine.

Without base of your spine to crown.

Ya Next time you breathe in,

Awareness a nourishing wave,

Crown to abdomen center.

Center of abdomen to crown.

Sense how awareness and your breath are merging together,

Becoming one.

Gradually progress to the next stage,

Crown to heart.

Body breathes out,

Heart to crown.

Please continue.

Next stage.

Next stage,

Crown to throat center,

A nourishing wave throat center to crown.

Sense your breath becoming more subtle.

Next stage,

Crown to midbrain,

Midbrain to crown.

Almost no distance,

Almost no breath.

Bring awareness to the tip of your nose.

See the breath go from the tip of your nose to your midbrain.

Midbrain to tip of your nose.

Body in deep rest.

Now from a point just below the tip of your nose to midbrain.

Midbrain to the point just below the tip of your nose.

Next time you breathe in,

Awareness moves,

Crown to midbrain.

Midbrain to crown.

From crown to throat,

Throat to crown.

From crown to heart center,

Heart center to crown.

Crown to heart center,

Heart to crown.

Crown to abdomen center,

Abdomen to crown.

Crown to base of your spine,

Base of your spine to crown.

Knees.

Ankles.

Crown to soles of your feet,

Soles of your feet to crown.

Relax the practice.

Rest in effortlessness.

Spacious presence.

Please turn your attention to the dark or empty space in front of your closed eyes,

In your head,

Or six inches in front of your forehead.

This is the screen of the mind,

Where we learn to deeply decompress the psyche.

As you observe the screen of your mind,

Have the intention that all feelings,

Beliefs,

And thoughts will appear in the screen of the mind.

Nothing to do,

Trying will only get in the way.

Just relax and watch the darkness.

As your relaxation gradually becomes more complete,

You may observe colors,

Impressions,

Or shapes appearing on the screen of the mind.

Don't get involved or try to process anything you might observe.

Just relax.

Please return awareness to the present moment.

Imagine the decision that now you'll let go of all thinking.

Now imagine that your whole being is busy.

Create the feeling tone of busy.

Now the opposite.

Still.

Feel still and intensify that.

Now feel both at the same time busy and still.

Not about thinking.

Just feel your way.

Now create the feeling tone heavy.

As though your whole being is a giant boulder,

Sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Feel heavy.

Now feel light,

Weightless.

Sense that there is a space between your body and the surface on which it's resting.

That space is growing.

You become like a feather,

Drifting upward on the gentlest breeze.

See yourself continue to float weightlessly.

Looking down,

You observe your body resting peacefully.

Now see yourself above the building,

Above the city.

Look off into the horizon and see a stunning sunset.

The vast sky filled with clouds colored by the many hues of the setting sun.

You begin to pass through these clouds.

As you effortlessly float through each cloud,

You take on the color,

The form and the shape of that cloud.

Continue to pass through these clouds weightlessly floating,

Taking on the shape,

Merging with the form of each unique cloud.

You begin to pass through these clouds.

You begin to pass through these clouds.

The subtle attachment to form is the last layer of mind.

Continue to feel your form dissolving into,

Becoming each cloud.

You begin to feel your form dissolving into,

Becoming each cloud.

You begin to feel your form dissolving into,

Becoming each cloud.

You begin to feel your form dissolving into,

Becoming each cloud.

You begin to feel your form dissolving into,

Becoming each cloud.

Now feel yourself formless,

Boundless.

One with the vast endless sky.

Rest in that.

You begin to feel your form dissolving into,

Becoming each cloud.

You begin to feel your form dissolving into,

Becoming each cloud.

You begin to feel your form dissolving into,

Becoming each cloud.

You begin to feel your form dissolving into,

Becoming each cloud.

Reviews

This really helped me to get to sleep.

Wound me down for sleep🙏

That was very calming. Loved the breathwork. Will definitely do again

This was a perfect meditation for me to fall asleep to. I really liked the slow wind down. Thank you. 🙏🏻

Truly amazing.