Welcome to Relaxing the Body for Sleep Meditation.
Our active mind is the primary source of our sleep problems.
And it's true.
Have you ever noticed how uncanny it is that on days that are busy or stressful,
As soon as our head hits the pillow,
Our mind begins to whirl,
No matter how tired we are.
The reason is that at the end of the day,
When distractions finally cease and we're alone with our thoughts,
We're faced with just how busy our mind actually is.
And because the mind and body are so connected,
If we have a busy mind,
We will inevitably have a restless body.
If we're able to check in with how we're feeling through the day,
We're able to put a break on stress before it escalates.
And if we can relax during our waking hours,
We'll be far better able to wind down at night.
Body scans allow us to tune into what's going on in our mind and body that may help us relax tensions.
We're better able to let go of the pressure we place on ourselves to fall asleep.
And that's when sleep inevitably happens.
Find a comfortable position and rest your hands gently on top of your knees,
Keeping your upper body nice and tall.
To help you settle in,
Take a few deep breaths.
Let go of any tension you may be holding on to.
Now we'll start to scan the body.
Start by bringing your attention at the top of the head.
Feeling what is happening in this area.
You might be feeling tingling,
Soft vibrations.
There may be strong sensations.
You might not feel much at all.
Whatever you feel is perfectly fine.
Start to feel your breath travel up through your tailbone,
Vertebrae by vertebrae.
Feel the breath come up and through the back of your heart.
Feel the breath completely surround your rib cage,
Your thoracic spine,
Climbing through each and every inner costal muscle in the rib cage.
Now feel the breath come up and through the center bone on your chest,
Your sternum.
Feel it split apart at the collarbones.
And then circulate each and every small bone in the back of your neck,
Your cervical spine.
And then finally up and through the crown of your head.
Come and direct your attention to the upper and lower back.
There may be some intensity.
This is an area where we commonly hold stresses.
If you notice any tensions or discomfort,
Just observe with each breath you take.
Soften up a little bit more.
Now take a moment to notice how the entire body feels.
The state of mind during the day leads into the state of mind at night.
Just because we've jumped into bed,
It doesn't mean our mind is going to instantly shut down when we want it to.
So we deepen in awareness and we're able to better tune into how we feel during the day.
This can support a more natural transition between the day and the night.
So it's easier to fall into a restful sleep.
Another way to offer support is to create an evening bedtime routine.
If it's possible each night before bed.
Try and enjoy some quiet nurturing activities that relax you and help you disengage from the events of the day.
You can try things like taking a warm bath or doing some yoga.
Part of your routine might involve shutting down your computer an hour or so before bed.
This creates a buffer zone that moves you away from your workday.
An active self can be a relaxed self.
Other things you might try reading,
Listening to music,
A calm hobby like driving,
And last but not least,
Meditation.
Now gently come back to the physical body.
Whenever you're ready,
Open your eyes.
I wish you a restful evening.
