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COURSE

Restful Sleep Through Mindfulness

With Rachel Atkins

In this course, we look at simple mindfulness relaxation techniques to guide you into better sleep. Each session builds upon the previous one while offering standalone value. This course includes: - Physical awareness (body scan) to release tension - Physiological regulation (breathwork) to calm the nervous system - Conscious relaxation (yoga nidra) at the threshold of sleep - Mental programming (affirmations + story) for positive sleep associations

Natural sleep support through 4 simple mindfulness practices.

4 Days

732 students

4.8 stars

26 min / day

English

About this course

Traditional Yoga Nidra

4-7-8 Breathing

Sleep Preparation Ritual

Meet your Teacher

Rachel Atkins

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Peterborough, United Kingdom

Rachel's journey with yoga and mindfulness started more than 20 years ago after a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. The wonderful benefits she experienced with the practices influenced her to become a yoga and mindfulness instructor. Rachel is dedicated to helping people with arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions feel and move better in their bodies again. Using mindfulness techniques in her life along with yoga, Rachel knows firsthand the positive effects simple mindfulness practices can have on the body and mind. And with mindfulness being such a broad topic, Rachel is passionate about teaching people in a simple but effective way how to implement these techniques into their daily lives.

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4 Days

732 students

4.8 stars

26 min / day

English

Lesson 1

Releasing The Day: A Mindful Body Scan

In this lesson, we will release the accumulated tension of your day with this deeply calming evening body scan meditation. This practice guides you systematically through every part of your body, from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes, helping you notice and release physical tension you may not even realize you're holding. This body scan teaches you to bring kind, non-judgmental awareness to your physical form, allowing natural relaxation to arise without force or effort. As we journey through each body region, you'll learn to recognise where you hold tension and discover that simply bringing gentle attention to these areas can help them naturally soften and let go.

Lesson 2

Breathing Into Rest: Nervous System Calming Techniques

Discover the powerful connection between your breath and your nervous system in this practical breathwork session designed specifically for sleep preparation. Learn two breathing techniques, the 4-7-8 breath and box breathing. Both directly activate your body's parasympathetic nervous system, shifting you from "fight or flight" into "rest and digest" mode. This session includes a brief, accessible explanation of how breathwork influences your physiology, followed by guided practice of each technique. You'll learn why long exhales are so calming, how to create rhythmic breathing patterns that balance your system, and how to use these tools both during this practice and independently whenever you need to calm down quickly.

Lesson 3

The Threshold Of Dreams: A Journey Into Yoga Nidra

In this lesson, we explore the profound practice of Yoga Nidra, often called "yogic sleep a systematic meditation that guides you to the liminal space between waking and sleeping, where deep healing and restoration occur. This ancient technique has been practiced for thousands of years and is recognized as one of the most restorative practices in yoga. In this sleep-specific adaptation of Yoga Nidra, you'll set a personal intention (sankalpa) for restful sleep, then journey through progressive stages of relaxation, including body awareness, breath and energy sensing, emotional observation, mental imagery, and witness consciousness. Each stage takes you deeper into a state of profound rest while maintaining a thin thread of awareness. Unlike traditional Yoga Nidra, where students are encouraged to stay awake, this version explicitly welcomes drifting into sleep as a perfect outcome. Whether you remain conscious throughout or slip into deep slumber, the practice works its magic, accessing layers of your being that are rarely touched in ordinary waking life.

Lesson 4

Drifting Into Dreams: Affirmations And The Lighthouse Keeper's Rest

In this lesson, we prepare your subconscious mind for peaceful sleep with gentle affirmations followed by an original sleep story woven with mindfulness themes. This session combines the power of positive programming with the ancient human love of storytelling to create the perfect inner environment for rest. We begin with carefully crafted affirmations that address both your emotional state and your physical body, helping reprogram any negative beliefs about sleep and replacing them with trust in your body's natural wisdom. These affirmations work especially well in the drowsy state before sleep when your subconscious mind is most receptive. Then settle in for "The Lighthouse Keeper's Rest," an original story about a solitary lighthouse keeper who discovers the profound secret of true rest. This tale is designed not to excite or entertain in the traditional sense, but to engage your imagination while guiding your consciousness into increasingly peaceful states. The story incorporates themes of natural rhythms, trust in inner wisdom, and the metaphor of an inner light that guides us safely through darkness.