Hi,
I'm Paula and I would like to invite you to sleep better and live lighter with me.
For many years I suffered from insomnia.
Over the years I've been learning things that helped me and I decided to share some of these things here with you.
Each day I'll share some information,
Invite you to reflect about it and end with a practice a technique that helped me sleep better and that may help you too.
One of the things that helped me most to calm my anxiety about not being able to sleep was the information that scientific studies prove that a few minutes of meditation have the same effect on the brain and on the body in terms of resting as a few hours of sleeping.
This information was very valuable to me.
Every time I was unable to sleep I used to enter a vicious cycle of anxiety.
I couldn't sleep so I became anxious because I couldn't sleep and that's when I couldn't sleep at all.
So this information helped me a lot.
It calmed my heart because every time I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep I said to myself,
Okay I'm going to meditate a little.
It will have the same effect as sleeping and the most fantastic thing that happened is that when meditating I was often able to enter a state of relaxation that allowed me to really sleep but that was not my goal.
It was just like kind of a magnificent side effect because meditation is safe and the side effects it brings are fantastic things like this.
Relieving anxiety,
Having greater control over emotions,
Relaxing your body,
Mind and spirit.
Let's meditate a little bit.
There are several different meditation techniques which consist of paying attention to something to help your mind be still and one of the easiest thing to pay attention to as it is always with us is our breath.
So let's start.
Sit in a position that is comfortable for you.
Or if you prefer,
Lie down and bring your attention to your breath.
Notice how is your breath right now.
Just observe it without trying to modify it,
Is it long or short?
Do you feel it more in your nostrils,
Maybe more in your chest or perhaps in your abdomen?
Observe your breath and if your mind wanders in this process because that's what our minds do,
Gently bring it back to your breath,
Tenderly,
Without judgment.
Oh,
I'm thinking,
Let me go back to breathing.
I will stay here just breathing,
Nothing else.
Inhale and exhale.
Feel the inhalation coming in and feel the exhalation going out.
Inhale slowly and exhale.
Inhale,
Perhaps even more slowly.
Gradually feel your body relaxing.
Keep breathing in and out for as long as it's comfortable for you.
When you feel ready,
Gently bring your attention back to your body,
To the contact of your body on the surface you are on.
In the present moment,
The sounds around you,
If you haven't slept,
Gently open your eyes and take that feeling of relaxation with you during your night and your day.
Namaste.
