Reverse Psychology Sleep Meditation: Deep Rest, No Effort

In this reverse psychology sleep meditation, we'll take all the pressure off of going to sleep and instead just explore the gradual unwinding process, allowing whatever happens to happen. From this space, a state of rest can arise and sleep can perhaps follow as a consequence.

Transcript

Hey,

It's Cyrus.

Welcome to this reverse psychology sleep meditation.

If you're having trouble getting to sleep,

Let's help you get to sleep by not even trying to get to sleep.

And if that sounds silly or confusing,

Don't worry,

It'll all make sense as we begin.

So go ahead and curate your space for sleep.

Do whatever it is you need to do to make your space quiet,

Cool and dark,

Or whatever your sleep preferences are.

Go ahead and lie down and get yourself as comfortable as possible.

And allow your arms to rest by your side in a comfortable way and allow your legs to be straight out so that your energy can flow smoothly through your body.

And go ahead and take the deepest breath you can while also breathing effortlessly.

And allow your body to sink into the support underneath you as you exhale.

Start by noticing the sounds in the room around you for a moment.

And notice how the mind might be thinking and just notice the mind doing its thinking stuff.

Notice any subtle reaction in your body to the thinking without reacting to the reaction.

Just notice it without judgment.

And notice how your mind is doing this cyclical thinking but allow it to just be stuff that's popping up in this bigger space that you're opening up.

Don't view your thoughts as confined within yourself,

Just allow them to arise like bubbles on the surface of the water.

Allow them to pop and to evaporate into the greater space for a moment.

And give yourself permission to not put too much importance on your thoughts from this point onward.

If you notice yourself getting carried away in your thoughts like a current,

Just let that go and allow yourself to return to the sound of the session.

And notice any intention or desire you might have to get to sleep now.

Notice any subtle tension in your body that might reflect this desire.

Let it be for a moment and observe it.

And now take a breath and let that tension melt away and out of you,

Evaporating.

Along with that,

Start to let go of the desire to sleep.

It's counterintuitive but often that causes tension that prevents us from smoothly going to sleep.

So just choose to let that go now as an experiment.

It doesn't mean you have to try to stay awake either,

It just means in this moment,

Practice being okay if you sleep and being okay if you don't,

Just for now.

And now just start to shift from thinking,

Analyzing,

And problem solving mode that you might have been in throughout your day.

Shift now into feeling,

Sensing,

And listening mode.

Think you're dropping levels into the sensory details of this moment,

Of feeling and hearing this moment.

What senses and sounds are unique to this specific moment that you're in?

Can you be ultra curious about those specific things as if you're hearing or sensing them in detail for the first time?

Can you drop your attention into your belly right now and notice what's happening in your stomach area?

And can you feel the breath dropping into the belly as if the breath is dropping deeper and expanding effortlessly?

Can you notice the sensations in your heart area without analyzing them at all,

Like you're visiting them with a magnifying glass like a curious kid that's just looking with a fresh set of eyes at the particular sensations in the heart?

Can you do the same thing by moving the magnifying glass up to the throat and neck area?

Feel the sense of oxygen and breath and space expanding into the heart and neck as your awareness drops,

Like an expansive bubble of awareness.

And can you imagine an empty space behind your eyes now,

As if that space is becoming emptier and lighter and effortlessly open behind your eyes as your facial muscles soften,

As the tiny little muscles around your eyes soften?

Can you feel that space becoming more expansive and notice any tension in your body and don't even try to let it go?

Don't even try to relax,

Just observe what naturally happens as you observe the tension without judgment.

Don't try to make the tension stay,

Don't try to make it go,

Just allow it to wash and move in whatever way that it does or doesn't as you shine a light on it with your attention.

And if it wants to melt with the light of awareness and the breath,

Just allow it to if it feels effortless in this moment.

Feel yourself sinking into the support in a comfortable loosey-goosey present way,

Feeling all the little sensations of your body making contact with the supports underneath you.

Notice what parts of the body are making the most contact,

Is it the calves or the glutes or the upper back or the elbows?

Just observe those points of contact,

Notice how it feels to let go of the head and the neck and let it sink deeper into the support.

Don't even try to sleep,

Just let yourself be at rest.

If sleep happens naturally,

You can flow in that direction if it feels right to you,

But otherwise just gently bob and weave your attention through your body like a pleasant river of effervescent,

Luminescent attention,

Starting at your right foot,

Moving to your right knee,

Bouncing to your right hip,

Moving to your left hip,

Dropping to your left knee,

Dropping to your left foot,

Rising to both ankles,

Both calves,

Both hamstrings on the back of your thighs,

Noticing your pelvic floor,

Your lower back,

Rising to your lower belly,

Your upper belly,

Your chest,

Your upper back,

The back of your neck,

Your right shoulder,

Your right elbow,

Your right wrist,

Dropping dots if they drop as you drop to your right hand,

Your left hand,

Your left wrist,

Your left elbow,

Left shoulder,

The front of your neck,

Your jaw,

Your tongue,

Your lips,

Your nose,

And nostrils as the air flows.

Don't even try to notice the breath at the nostrils,

Just notice the breath at the nostrils if the noticing happens effortlessly.

Notice the ears and the sounds that flow through the ears.

Notice how you don't even have to try to notice the sounds,

The sounds just happen.

Notice your forehead and the top of your head.

Notice how you can notice the top of your head and the soles of your feet at the same time without trying.

If it feels like you have to try,

Then don't even try,

Just let go and notice whatever you notice in this moment.

Notice what it feels like to not even try to sleep,

To just let yourself be exactly as you are,

Holding this warm and accepting space for you exactly where you are.

Imagine and feel your body surrounded by this warm and loving energy that you're creating.

Imagine it getting subtly stronger and clearer and more harmonious with every breath as it flows to you.

Don't even try to let that warm and loving energy arise,

Just let it arise as much as it does or doesn't,

It's fine either way.

And see if you can count backwards from 10 with each inhale and each exhale being one number,

Like you inhale 10 and exhale 10 and repeat as you count in reverse down to zero or don't,

It's okay either way.

Whatever comes naturally,

Just flow with it.

And if you feel good and safe and feel like you can effortlessly drift in the direction of sleep,

Then do so if you wish.

And if you don't want to or you don't feel ready,

Then don't,

Just allow yourself to rest and be with no pressure or concern,

Just allow things to flow and ease down at whatever pace comes naturally to you.

And I hope you have a great and restful night.

Reviews

This is a good one — I will return to it for sure . Thank you.

Right pace, right duration. Loved yr soothing voice. One of the best sleeping meditations here on IT. Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻🪷

I eas able to shoft from thinking to feeling. Had had a nice, short nap and woke up
Less anxious.

It worked! Great meditation to quiet my mind. Thank you. Namaste 🙏🏼✨💕

Loved 🥰 his voice, the pace and the reverse psychology brilliant.

Been using this one back-to-back each evening this week and it's been an absolute game-changer in helping me overcome sleep challenges. Just woke up from the best and much needed sleep! Thank you Cyrus. 🙏😊😁