Getting Back To Sleep

This meditation is specifically designed for those who wake up in the night and cannot get back to sleep - often due to stress-related thoughts that arise plus an emotional reaction in the body. Also, worry over not getting enough sleep may arise. This provides a specific kind of physical relaxation & massage, mindful release of tension, and a way to focus the mind to disengage the unhelpful thinking. There is a beginning & ending bell - the ending one is quite soft, in case you have gone to sleep - so it won't wake you. The voice is soft. And all silences are under 1 minute in length.

Transcript

This meditation is designed for those who have woken up after having gotten to sleep and maybe upon waking up the mind has begun thinking and maybe the body has an emotional response so that the body and mind start to activate and wake up,

Making it harder to go back to sleep.

So here you're going to do a specific kind of body-mind rest to help invite the natural sleep to resume.

First,

Let's help the body to release tension without energizing the body.

So I'm going to describe a gentle self-massage,

But if this movement feels like too much effort,

That's fine.

Simply lie on your pillow imagining that you are being massaged during this section,

Allowing the muscles to release.

So lying in your bed,

On your back if possible,

Take just a few moments to allow your fingertips to rest on the side of your head and gently press into and move the flesh around on your scalp,

Above your ears,

Behind the ears,

And even coming in front of them into your sideburns and possibly lightly into your temples.

Just find where feels good for you to do this.

This does not need to be vigorous or even wildly deep.

It's as if the fingers are lovingly talking to the muscles in the scalp and saying,

Release,

Let go,

The way you would to a loved one.

And to use the least possible effort,

You could maybe have your elbows pointing up to the ceiling so that the weight of your arm naturally creates a pressure and your fingers don't need to work.

Or if your shoulders allow this,

You can allow the elbows to rest out to the sides on the pillow and the fingers just lightly massage the side of your head,

Your scalp.

As you lie there,

You might even imagine that you are being massaged lightly with care.

Then,

With two or three fingers,

Gently massage your jaw muscle in a circular motion,

Lightly helping it release open.

You might even stroke from the cheekbone down toward the chin.

This may lead to the mouth opening and maybe you breathe through your mouth for a few moments.

That's fine.

And when you're ready,

Let your arms just drop down and rest at your side.

And feel the release of not having to use the hands or arms anymore.

Just feel them resting there,

Allowing the weight of them to drop into the bed.

You may feel some energy in the hands or forearms from having used them.

And if so,

Let that energy be a kind of vibratory massage as you just let gravity take your arms as they rest into the bed beside the resting body.

Total ease in the arms and hands,

Total ease in the body.

Feel the weight of the body sink into the bed.

Notice the jaw and on a breath out,

Let it drop open.

And if it was already open,

Let it drop a little further.

You may feel a release at the hinge joint.

Let it drop down and you may even feel like it's releasing open to the sides.

Let it melt open.

Maybe still feeling the kind,

Smooth massage that your fingers lovingly gave it.

Then take a nice deep breath into your belly and allow a long,

Slow,

Cool exhalation,

Somewhat elongated from your normal exhalation as if you're getting out a bit more air,

But it's all easy.

No pushing.

You're just allowing extra air to release.

And then when the body wants to breathe in again,

Let it and allow another long,

Easy exhale.

Do this for five to 10 breaths,

Allowing the body to just let go and sink down a bit more on each exhalation.

Good.

And maybe you can think of a word that describes this process of release or melting or letting go in the body for you.

And say the word to yourself a few times,

Maybe on the breath out,

Linking your label to this process of softening,

Of release,

Of letting go.

And every time you do this meditation,

You may have different words,

A different label.

That's fine.

Or maybe you find a word you like and every time you use that label,

It moves you more deeply into this experience of release.

This word,

This label is just to help your mind focus on this process of release,

Letting go,

Ease,

And allowing the body to soften.

Release.

Let go.

Allow.

Relax.

Soften.

You can use any of those labels at a pace like that or of your own choosing.

Now,

Notice if there are any remaining places,

However subtle,

Of tension or holding in the body,

In the torso,

Or the head or neck of a physical or emotional nature.

And if there is,

No matter how subtle,

Allow the next three to five longer exhales to blow warm softening air through and around any such sensations,

Helping them become fluid and flowing like a bubble.

Repeating your word or label can help you really tune into this and let everything else be in the background.

There is just the breath and release in the body.

Good.

Now we're going to move to your visual experience.

And you can either just park your awareness in the natural darkness behind your closed eyes,

Which may have blobs or shapes,

Or you can visualize a soothing scene for you,

Like an ocean or clouds or being underwater or whatever image for you does not take any effort to create.

Sometimes an image that you can still remember from a dream right before you woke up can be helpful.

Find an easy kind of default soothing image,

Or you always have that floating darkness that is naturally there whenever you close your eyes.

It's what you actually see.

You can just let your attention rest in this view,

Whether it's an image or what you physically see.

Now think of a word or two that for you best names whatever you are visually looking at.

It could be words like blank,

Sea,

Clouds,

Blue,

Darkness,

Light.

Just find a label that for you matches where you've chosen to park your visual awareness.

And then in a soft,

Gentle voice,

Maybe silently,

Maybe out loud in a semi whisper that softens into saying it to yourself in your head.

Repeat that label like a mantra every moment or so with a gentle rhythm like this.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

And every time you say the label,

It reminds you to just rest in that visual experience.

Just park there.

The label is linked to that resting visual experience.

And if your mind goes into thinking,

Notice that thinking is just images and internal talk and allow yourself to replace those with this resting image and the label of this resting image.

And maybe every once in a while,

You remember the label for the letting go in the body and say that feeling the body release.

And then return to that visual resting place.

Use whatever label you've created.

I'll just say see to give you a feeling of a rhythm and style that might work for you,

But find your own rhythm.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

Sea.

If you start to drift off,

Images may come in from the dreamscape,

Which are different from thinking images.

And you'll know because they'll want to sweep you up and you will leave any awareness of being here.

Let yourself be carried there if that happens.

In my words will simply be sounds happening in the world that are just there in the background,

Like birds or waves.

And if you're aware of being here now,

You can then soak even more deeply into that resting view,

Saying your word or label for it.

And sometimes you can remember your word for the melting release in the body,

Always with the option of a gentle exhalation that acts as a wave of release.

And you can move gently back and forth between this visual rest or the bodily rest,

Allowing a very deep release and letting go.

And allowing yourself to fall into what you see and feel.

Let yourself be carried there if that happens.

Reviews

I wake up frequently at night. This is a simple 20 minute meditation that knocks me out and I wake up refreshed . I have used this practice regularly for about a week. Every time it works like a charm

Though it didn’t make me fall back to sleep. I did find the meditation calming.

A lovely meditation. I’m a 3 a.m. awakener. My only concern is this may prove a little intellectual for 3 a.m.

Thank you so much! This meditation helped me get right back to sleep after being woken up in the middle of the night. I appreciated this so much!!

Nice silent background with No music makes this worth trying again. Didn’t fall asleep this time but drifted.
1/29/24

I fell back to sleep in no time, & had a great night's rest
Thank you, 🙏🏼

I really liked the style of this sleep meditation with the focus on repeating words/mantras. I fell asleep before the end. Thank you.

I listen to your message many times a night to go back to sleep.

I found this to be really good. I often wake in the night and this sent me back to sleep and calmed my very active mind.

Worked beautifully when I awoke at 3 am. Thank you!

This one finally worked! Why did I never think of a little self massage to help in the middle of the night. Definitely going to favourites…Thank you.

Excellent and not what I expected. I don't care for body scans, and this doesn't have that. Gentle self massage and then guidance and words for letting go of tension and thoughts. I didn't fall asleep during, but soon after.

Very good. Different than typical sleep meditation.

Always works to calm down my anxiety in my mind and body and get me to doze off again. 😴😴😴

Wonderful, thank you! A perfect meditation for the middle of the night.

Excellent meditation 🧘‍♂️ thank you for this soothing meditation. Will listen again. ❤️

Great sleep meditation. Thoughtful, calm, perfect voice.

Wow,I don't know what or how to help But I need to be OK. Thank you.

Love this one it always focuses me on getting sleep. Definitely recommend

Great instruction and I will use these tools again. I didn’t fall asleep during the session because I was focused on following the instructions, but they definitely helped me relax and get to sleep afterwards.