In considering any meditation related to sleep,
Recognize that there's nothing to force and nothing to make happen.
Since striving makes sleep more challenging,
Set out to practice without specific expectations or goals.
We cannot make ourselves sleep,
But perhaps by aiming to stay settled and getting less caught up in our thoughts,
We fall asleep anyway.
For the meditation that follows,
There will be no ending bell or instruction.
At the end,
Continue to practice if you like or hopefully enjoy a good night's rest instead.
Start while lying down,
Allowing your legs to rest in a comfortable posture,
Hip-width apart.
Let your feet fall open to the side.
You can place your arms by your side or your hands on your belly.
Begin by noticing your breath.
Pay attention as best as you're able to the physical movement related to breathing,
Such as your belly rising and falling.
Or if you prefer,
Focus your attention more closely on the air moving in and out of your nose and mouth.
It's normal,
Expected even,
To have thoughts,
Lots of them.
Your mind rehashes the day or gets caught up in worrying about tomorrow.
Recognize those habits and then practice letting them be.
Label whatever grabs your attention thought and come back again,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Notice if you get caught up in effort or frustration or fear with compassion for yourself.
Catch thoughts of self-criticism or frustration and come back to just one breath one more time.
Thoughts are only thoughts.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
There's nothing you need to fix or change right now in this moment.
Notice where your thoughts go and label them thoughts.
And then come back to just one next breath over and over again.
And now if you like,
Shift your attention to sensations in your body.
Start by moving your awareness to physical sensations in your feet.
You don't need to wiggle your toes or move your feet.
Just notice them.
Temperature or the pressure of your heel against the blanket or your mat beneath you.
And then from your feet,
Moving your attention into your lower legs.
Noticing whatever there is to see.
Letting go of any sense of effort or needing to make anything happen.
And then from your lower legs,
Through your knees and into your upper legs.
If you feel any sense of stress or tension,
Aiming to relax and let go,
And then through your buttocks and pelvis.
And into your belly and abdomen.
You might notice a sense of your breath moving up and down or physical sensations.
Or sometimes even the reflection of emotion.
And as you move from your belly and now into your chest.
Noting each time your mind gets caught up in thoughts or discomfort or distraction.
And then gently and with patience guiding it back one more time.
And then moving around into your back.
Certainly a place many of us hold tension in different ways.
Relaxing your muscles as best as you're able.
Lowering your shoulders from your ears.
If you feel a need to make an adjustment,
Allowing that to happen with intention.
Pausing and choosing your next action.
And then moving your attention into your hands and lower arms.
Again,
Without actively needing to move or change anything.
Observing and letting go.
And then into your upper arms and shoulders.
And then moving through your neck.
And into the muscles and organs of your face.
Perhaps noticing any locations of tightness,
Tension.
Noting your facial expression.
And then with gentleness as best as you're able.
Relaxing those muscles.
And then the entirety of your head.
And then for a few moments,
A general awareness of physical sensations throughout your body.
And now,
If you're still awake,
Bring your attention back to the breath each time your mind wanders into the past or into the future or wherever it chooses to go.
If it's a useful anchor for your attention,
You can count breaths.
Breathing in one.
Breathing out one.
Breathing in two.
Breathing out two.
Breathing in three.
Breathing out four.
Breathing in five.
Breathing out six.
Breathing in seven.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
If counting becomes a distraction,
Simply stay with the sensation of breathing.
Note wherever you feel the breath entering and leaving your body.
Or the rising and falling of your belly and chest.
And continuing on your own now,
Counting breaths up to 10,
Patiently returning your attention whenever you become distracted.
For more information,
Visit www.
Mooji.
Org.
If you lose track of counting,
That's fine.
It happens.
Start over wherever you last remember.
Ется you you
