Fall Asleep Easily & Naturally

Recover your ability to fall asleep as naturally and effortlessly as a baby.

You can use this gentle, soothing meditation whenever you want to slip into a peaceful state of relaxation, or in order to learn how to mimic the natural processes that lead into deep sleep.

Transcript

Sleep,

As you probably know,

Is not something you can make happen.

However,

There are steps you can take that make sleep much more likely.

We'll take those steps now.

Firstly,

Let's adopt a breathing pattern conducive to sleep.

You could start by making your breath as smooth and as continuous as possible.

So instead of separating the breath into two distinct parts,

Let the in-breath and out-breath be one seamless movement.

You could imagine the breath moving through the body as the second hand moves around the face of a clock.

From 12 to 6 as you breathe out,

And from 6 back up to 12 as you breathe in,

With the second hand moving continuously.

So there's no pause following the exhalation,

And no pause following the inhalation.

It's just one steady respiratory flow.

But do this very gently,

Without any force.

Let the in-breath be driven from the diaphragm.

And let the out-breath be loose,

As though the breath is just falling from your body.

And remember,

You're not trying to fall asleep here.

You're just preparing the nervous system for rest and relaxation.

Again,

Let the exhalation be absolutely effortless.

Allow it to flow from your body like a breeze through the leaves of a tree,

Completely without friction.

The breath doesn't have to be deep or long.

Let the inhalation be natural,

Initiated from the diaphragm.

And let it be followed without pause by a soft flowing exhalation.

So a continuous,

Effortless,

Circular breath.

And keep that pattern going.

Adopt a playful attitude.

You don't have to get the rhythm perfect.

If it starts to feel forced or awkward,

Just back off a bit.

Don't try too hard.

See if you can let the breath be a bit more natural.

But as best you can,

Breathing in,

Easy,

Steady,

Full.

Breathing out,

Letting go,

Releasing.

Don't rush,

But keep the breath continuous.

Flowing,

Circular.

No gaps,

No pauses.

Let it be smooth,

Like flowing water.

If you can really relinquish control and let the out-breath just fall from the body,

You'll find that the in-breath happens almost automatically.

So you don't have to make the breath happen.

The body can breathe in for you without effort.

You can just let that happen,

And then just let the exhalation fall from the lungs.

And keep going.

Practice with patience.

Aiming to make the breath as smooth,

As natural,

And as continuous as you can.

The breath as smooth as silk.

You might imagine that there's a tiny piece of duck down resting on your upper lip,

And that it hardly moves as you breathe.

Do whatever you need to do to make the breath relaxing.

No force,

No effort.

And remember,

You can't make yourself go to sleep.

All you can do is set your body up in preparation.

We're doing that now,

Changing your physiology via the breath.

Let's see if you can just let the breath continue automatically.

You might just check in now and then to make sure that it's still smooth and continuous.

Now though,

Let's get the body in shape for sleep.

Do that by paying attention to all the points of contact between your body and the bed.

Where does your body rest most heavily?

Where are the areas of greatest pressure?

Where can you feel warmth?

Notice the weight of your eyelids.

And find the one finger that holds the most tension.

Straighten that finger a fraction.

Then let it relax.

And do that three or four times,

Very slowly,

Mindfully.

And feel the weight of the covers and the texture of your sheets.

And let your whole body rest down into the mattress,

As though with each out-breath you become a fraction heavier.

Remembering to let that breath remain soft and easy,

With no gaps between one breath and the next.

As you drift towards sleep,

Tension within the body tends to dissolve.

To help with this process,

You can let all your muscles soften.

The muscles in your face softening as though warm and relaxed.

The muscles of your arms limp and loose.

The muscles of the chest and belly,

Decontracting,

Becoming more and more elastic with each soft breath.

And the muscles of the legs,

Resting,

Inert.

All the muscles just switching off,

Going quiet.

And dripping from the body like water from a tap,

Drop by drop.

And let any remaining contraction or pain just be there.

No problem.

Focusing now simultaneously on the fingers of your right hand and the toes of your left foot,

As best you can.

Focusing on the base of the tongue and the base of the spine.

On the soles of your feet and the crown of your head.

On that place just behind the right ear and the inside of the left wrist.

Don't try too hard.

Just give it your best shot.

Focusing together on the eyes and the knees.

Keeping that breath so soft and easy.

A lovely continuous flowing breath.

Just floating through the body,

Washing tension away.

And imagining that the breath is flowing through every single cell from head to foot.

Breath flowing through the muscles.

Breath flowing through the bones.

Breath flowing through the whole body,

Like a breeze through the leaves of a tree.

Cooling,

Easing,

Relaxing.

Whole body infused with breath.

And as you remain aware of the body in contact with the bed.

And the breath flowing easily and continuously,

Without pause.

Just notice what's going on in your head.

Are there thoughts?

Memories,

Images?

Patterns,

Shapes or colours?

Darkness?

Quiet?

Just watch and wait for each new arrival.

Unconcerned with what visits.

Observing with a playful disinterest.

Wondering what will appear next,

But not being bothered.

Not really caring what you think or what you think about.

Just allowing the stream of consciousness to flow by easily.

Just as the breath continues to flow easily by.

Let your thoughts come and go.

Positive or negative?

Doesn't matter.

Mundane or profound?

Doesn't matter.

Just letting everything that your mind produces float by.

When you notice a thought,

Welcome it into your mind.

Let it be there,

And look forward to the next one.

Allow thoughts to move through your mind as the breath moves through the body.

Easily.

Gently.

Continuously.

A flow of thoughts.

Don't worry what they're about or what they mean.

Just notice them come and go.

Be curious about what your brain will produce next.

Thoughts and impressions appearing like magic,

One after another.

You can just allow,

Accept and welcome each and every one,

No matter what it is.

Letting things come,

Letting things go.

Ready for the next thought.

Allowing thoughts to flow as the breath flows through your body,

Smooth and continuous.

Feeling the entire back surface of your body resting on the bed.

The entire front surface of your body cocooned by the sheets and covers.

The whole body inside and out,

A network of fine sensations.

Remembering to let the breath continue to flow smoothly and continuously.

Allowing everything to come and go.

The breath flowing in and out without pause.

The body resting.

Vision gradually dissolving.

Thoughts rising and falling.

Just as they do when you're asleep.

And perhaps your thoughts start to seem a bit dreamy.

Random images and memories may start to appear.

What is it that you can see and hear within your mind?

Are there shapes and colours?

Patterns or impressions?

What do you feel and sense?

Let yourself enter the world of imagination.

You might find yourself transported into another place,

As though immersed in a movie.

You can just lay back and enjoy the experience.

You might see yourself lying comfortably just after dusk,

As the stars begin to appear in the night sky above.

And you're warm and comfortable.

And your breath becomes a little quieter,

Still flowing easily and continuously without pause.

And you might find yourself lying down,

Feeling so restful and content in this dream space.

The body breathes for you,

Just as it has since you were a baby in the womb.

And you can feel the body slipping away,

As it does just before you fall asleep.

Just as though it's dissolving.

And your thoughts become more and more fragmented and dreamlike.

Seeming almost as distant as stars roaming across the sky.

And it's as though you can't really tell whether you're awake or dreaming.

And you might pretend,

Just for fun,

That you're just a child lying in bed,

Safe and warm and cosy.

Your breath so smooth and easy,

That you can't tell whether it's going in or out.

Your body so comfortable and relaxed,

That you can't tell where you end and the bed begins.

Your thoughts so fanciful and free,

That you can't tell whether you're dreaming or not.

Imagine you play a little game with yourself,

Imagining that you were actually asleep.

And how it would feel to be dreaming.

And how it would feel to be sound asleep.

Are you asleep?

If not,

Never mind.

Rest patiently.

Be kind to yourself.

Good night.

Reviews

My takeaway: The playing the lungs clock breathing game as effortly as possible is a game changer.... it's replicating unconscious breathing a bit earlier to see the auto expand and collapse . I fell asleep before part 2. 🦜 Thanks [KEY: 5=Insightful, 4=Interesting, 3=Okay, 2=Not For Me, 1=Irritating]

The breathing circle & Matthew's gentle guidance put me right to sleep. 😊 🙏

Love the circle or infinity symbols for breath work. Fell asleep quickly. Thanks

Dear Matthew. At the moment this meditation works for me. Every night. Thank you. Gonnie

I really love the circle breathing used here. It's easier to keep up than any form that requires counting, and it's so soothing.