One of the tips that Dr.
Matthew Walker,
Sleep researcher,
Suggests in his TED talk,
Six Tips for Better Sleep,
Is darkness.
We need it in the evening to trigger the release of melatonin.
As you practice your wind down routine to relax the mind and the body,
Make sure your room is dark and your eyes are closed.
One technique I use is to wear a winter cap and pull it down so it covers my eyes and works like an eye shade you might get on an airplane.
We breathe in one of three ways.
Diaphragmatic breathing by extending the diaphragm downward.
Chest breathing by expanding the walls of the chest out.
Clavicular breathing by moving the shoulder area upward.
This is Suresh from Blossom Meditation.
We are going to practice diaphragmatic breathing to relax the body and the mind and to fall asleep.
This breathing also increases your breathing efficiency and starts to slow your breath as well.
Let's get started.
Lie on your back on the bed.
Remember to stay warm with the winter cap,
A sweater and maybe your sheets pulled up all the way to your face.
Let the legs fall to the side by their own weight.
Relax both hands.
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
I prefer the left hand on my chest and the right hand on my belly.
Close your eyes and start breathing through your nose.
Take a deep breath in and relax the belly muscle so that the belly starts to rise and fall with each breath.
And so your hand that's resting on the belly is also rising and falling.
While your other hand that's resting on your chest is still.
Start bringing awareness to the rise and fall of each breath in your belly.
Inhale.
The belly rises.
Exhale.
The belly falls.
Inhale.
The belly fills up.
Exhale.
The belly empties.
You can now remove the hands.
Place them to the side.
And keep breathing diaphragmatically and watching the rise and fall of each breath.
If you prefer,
You can use some words to go with it.
You can say inhale and exhale.
Or you can use the word full and empty.
Or rise and fall.
Or you can use one for the inhale,
Zero for the exhale.
Keep breathing diaphragmatically while watching the breath.
And you'll slowly drift away to sleep.
Good night.
