Good evening.
Welcome to the military method for maximum sleep.
This method for getting to sleep was developed during World War II to help soldiers combat sleep deprivation.
The generals understood the importance of rest and the dangers of not getting enough sleep.
It was also claimed to be able to put people to sleep in just 90 seconds.
Now I'm not too sure about that so I'm gonna give us a little more time.
I hope you don't mind.
I'll put a little twist on it too.
We're gonna do it for five rounds.
I want you just to try relax each round but make sure each round you're going into that deeper level of relaxation.
So it's a little challenge here.
Each round a level deeper.
There are seven steps to this military method.
You'll get an idea from the first round as I explain what to do in detail but the next four rounds I'll just mention the name of the step and you can initiate the process yourself.
That way you don't have me just speaking in your ears the whole time.
You can actually focus on the relaxation and the steps.
Sound good?
Alright great.
Let's go.
If you're not already get yourself into a nice lying down position.
Ideally on your back.
Bring the eyes to close and just begin to breathe in and out through the nostrils.
Just so we start afresh I want you to take a deep inhale through the nostrils and exhale through the mouth.
Just wiping the slate clean of whatever's been today and just start afresh right now.
Step one.
I want you to relax your entire face.
Feel as if the skin and the meat of your face is just hanging heavy.
It's as if you've aged a hundred,
A thousand years and your face is drooping.
Feel that softness,
That heaviness to your face.
The lack of needing to hold on to tension anyway.
Let your bottom jaw come away from your top jaw.
Check that your eyes aren't squeezing too tightly together and let that head fall back all the way into the pillow.
So your neck isn't doing any work whatsoever.
Your face should feel heavy here.
Think of the cartoon character droopy.
You know how his face droops down.
That's what you're going for.
Don't worry it's not gonna stick and it's not even gonna change how your face looks but it will help you feel relaxed.
Good job.
Okay you have that nice heavy droopy face.
Step two.
Drop your shoulders.
Imagine your shoulders falling back all the way into the bed underneath you.
Feel how heavy your arms are and just let them be.
Imagine someone's filled your arms with cement and you just let them go.
Unable to carry their weight any longer.
Each breath you feel them get heavier.
Each breath you let them go a little bit more.
Step three.
Let your hands go.
Pay attention now to your hands and just let them fall into whatever position feels right.
The arms are still heavy.
The face is still droopy.
Step four.
Relax the entire torso.
Use the next inhale to bring some awareness to the torso,
Your chest,
Your abdomen,
Your lower back,
Your upper back.
Just become aware of the belly rising and falling here and see if you can use that exhale to sink the torso into the bed underneath you just a bit.
Your torso is heavy but relaxed.
The only thing moving here is your belly up as you inhale and your belly down as you exhale.
Step five.
Relax your legs,
Your thighs and your calves as you focus on your lower half now.
Pay attention to the weight here and just as you did with your shoulders and arms,
Imagine that cement or some heavy material being poured down your legs.
Now with each breath the limbs get a bit heavier as you start to relax them a bit more.
The weight of the legs now from your hips all the way down to your feet.
Step six.
I want you to breathe with me and just notice how your breath feels.
Focus on the joy of breathing.
Notice where you feel the breath and how you feel the breath.
Nothing else.
So wherever you are in your breath cycle now,
Breathe out fully and carry on with this rhythm throughout the practice.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
Carry on with that breath cycle.
Step seven.
Connect the words don't and think with your in and out breath.
As you inhale you think the words don't and as you exhale you think the words think.
Don't think.
Don't think.
Don't think.
Don't think.
Don't think.
Carry on with that breath cycle.
Take a moment notice how you feel and let's do another round.
Step one.
Relax your entire face.
Step two.
Drop those shoulders.
Make the arms heavy.
Step three.
Let your hands go.
Step four.
Relax your entire torso.
Notice your belly rise and fall.
Step five.
Relax your legs,
Thighs and calves.
Step six.
Focus on your breath.
Step seven.
Don't.
Notice now how much calmer you feel.
How you've gone to a next level of relaxation.
Relax your entire face.
Drop your shoulders.
Let your hands go.
Relax your torso.
Relax your legs,
Thighs and calves.
Focus on your breath.
You're now feeling even more relaxed than before.
Give in to this feeling of rest.
Relax your entire face.
Drop your shoulders.
Let your hands go.
Relax your torso.
Relax your legs.
Focus on your breath.
Don't.
Think.
Feeling even more relaxed than before.
Slowly slipping into sleep.
Enjoying this position.
Enjoying this total relaxation.
Relax your entire face.
Drop your shoulders.
Let your hands go.
Relax your torso.
Relax your legs.
Focus on your breath.
Step seven.
Don't.
Think.
Completely relaxed now.
Ready for sleep.
Sleep well.
