Self-care is essential for all of us,
Particularly during these trying times.
Sleep is the most important self-care you can give yourself.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommends that adults aged 18 to 60 years sleep at least 7 hours each night to promote optimal health and well-being.
This is Suresh from Blossom Meditation.
Here is a meditation you can use to progressively relax the body and fall asleep or rest deeply.
I have used this when I woke up in the middle of the night and had trouble falling asleep.
I've used it in my yoga classes for deep rest and relaxation with young couples who are not getting enough sleep and with my own teenage daughter when she was having trouble falling asleep.
You can try this on your own or with your whole family.
Let's get started.
In this meditation we progressively relax each part of the body and get into a deep state of relaxation that is always available within us.
You can start by lying down on a bed or in a comfortable location that you will not be disturbed.
Make yourself comfortable,
Snuggle into your sheets or stay warm with a sweater.
Keep your hands relaxed,
Palm facing up and let the legs fall to the sides on their own weight.
This is also the posture that you might be familiar with during your final yoga.
It's called Shavasana.
Start by noticing your breath and take a deep inhale through the nose and let all the air out through the mouth and let the body relax.
Repeat this one more time and let your body sink deeper to the bed and prepare your body for rest.
Now bring your awareness to your left big toe,
Breathe into it and repeat the following.
I'm relaxing the left big toe.
The left big toe is relaxing,
The left big toe has relaxed.
Next move your awareness to the left little toe.
There's no need to move the toe and you can gently repeat yourself.
I'm relaxing the left little toe,
The left little toe is relaxing,
The left little toe has relaxed.
Finally move your awareness to all the toes in the middle on your left leg and repeat.
I'm relaxing all the toes in the middle,
All the toes in the middle are relaxing,
All the toes in the middle on the left leg have relaxed.
You can gently move the awareness to the sole of the left foot and repeat.
I'm relaxing the sole of the left foot,
The sole of the left foot is relaxing,
The sole of the left foot has relaxed.
Continue moving the awareness to the heel and ankle of the left feet and repeat.
I'm relaxing the heel and the ankle,
The heel and the ankle are relaxing,
The heel and the ankle have relaxed.
Next shift the awareness to the shin and the calf on the left side and repeat.
I'm relaxing the shin and the calf,
The shin and the calf are relaxing,
The shin and the calf have relaxed.
Continue to shift the awareness up through the leg to the left knee which is holding you up the whole day and repeat.
I'm relaxing the left knee,
The left knee is relaxing,
The left knee has relaxed.
Gently move the awareness to the quad and the thigh on the left leg and repeat silently again to yourself.
I'm relaxing the left quad and the left thigh,
The left quad and the left thigh are relaxing,
The left quad and the left thigh have relaxed.
And start by bringing your attention to the left abdomen and the belly area and start to relax it by repeating silently.
I'm relaxing the left abdomen and belly,
The left abdomen and belly are relaxing,
The left abdomen and belly have relaxed.
Start to notice the chest region on the left,
Notice the rib cages and bring your attention to the internal organs,
The heart,
The lungs and gently repeat.
I'm relaxing my left chest,
My left chest is relaxing and my left chest is relaxed.
Continue to move the awareness up the body to the left neck and the shoulder area and repeat.
I'm relaxing the left neck and the shoulder,
My left neck and shoulder are relaxing,
My left neck and shoulder have relaxed.
Bring your attention to the left arm and guide the awareness through the left elbow,
The left wrist and to all the fingers on the left arm and repeating.
I'm relaxing my left arm,
My left arm is relaxing and my left arm has relaxed.
Guide the awareness back up through the arm,
The shoulder and the neck and bring your awareness on the left part of the face.
Moving the awareness to each part starting from the chin,
The lips,
The nostrils,
The nose,
The cheek,
The eyes,
The eyebrows and the forehead and repeating.
I'm relaxing the left part of my face,
The left part of my face is relaxing,
The left part of my face is relaxed.
Move the awareness up to the top of the head on the left side and repeat.
I'm relaxing the top of the head,
The top of the head is relaxing,
The top of the head has relaxed.
At this point in time your entire left part of the body is in a deep state of relaxation.
Now we repeat the same process for the right part of the body starting first from the toes to the sole,
To the heel and the ankle and moving up through your leg,
Through the belly,
All the way to the top of the head.
I will go silent as you start to get the right part of the body fully relaxed.
Your subconscious might hear this if you have drifted off to sleep.
Thank you for joining me.
Let me end this practice with a Sanskrit shloka where we pay our respects to Goddess Nidra Devi.
Nidra in Sanskrit is sleep.
Nidra Devi who is present asleep in all living beings.
Nidra Devi Sarva Bhooteshu Nidra Rupena Samsthita.
Namastasmai,
Namastasmai,
Namastasmai,
Namonamaha.
Nidra Devi Sarva Bhooteshu Nidra Rupena Samsthita.
Namastasmai,
Namastasmai,
Namonamaha.
