Dharana Body Scan For Sleep

Sleep can often be elusive because we attempt to force sleep instead of Cultivating practices that create the space for sleep. This meditation Utilizes the concepts of dharana and Dhyana to create a space for sleep to arise naturally utilizing a body scan style mindfulness practice.

Transcript

Hello.

I want to thank you for joining me this evening.

As we prepare ourselves for sleep,

To allow ourselves to rest,

To allow our bodies to restore.

Tonight's meditation will be geared towards cultivating much deeper sleep.

Towards allowing us to drift off to sleep in a healthy,

Productive manner.

So as we get settled in here and as we start to begin,

I want you to prepare yourself for a restorative sleep.

If it's possible for you to do so,

I would encourage you to have some cushions underneath your knees.

I would encourage you to have some cushions under your arms,

Be laying flat on your back,

Your head slightly supported.

With one pillow,

Allowing for a slight curve in the neck and the head to be supported.

You can have a pillow,

Some sort of soft cushions under each arm.

Allow the elbows to be slightly bent,

Allow the arms to be slightly out to the side.

Palms resting on your belly.

Allow a nice supportive cushion to be under your knees.

We'll start to bring our awareness to our breath.

We want to start to increase the depth and volume of your breath,

Allowing for that expansive inhale and that elongated exhale.

This a few times,

Nice expansive inhale and elongated exhale.

This combination of breath informs the body mechanically that there's no work that needs to be done right now.

That anything that's happened today is over.

And anything that's yet to be done can wait.

So with this expansive inhale and this elongated exhale,

We tell the body that we're safe,

That it's all clear.

That there's nothing to be prepared for,

Nothing to be on guard for.

We can let ourselves be supported.

Often when it comes to sleep,

You can find it elusive.

I know for me personally,

I went to some pretty extravagant lengths to force my mind into a sedated state in order for me to fall asleep.

When it comes to sleep,

Just like with other things in life,

Like meditation,

There's certain things that you can't force directly.

Our goal is not to force sleep.

Our goal is not to force meditation.

These things are products of our practices.

In yoga,

We have these concepts of dharana and dhyana.

Often we find ourselves attempting to practice dhyana.

When really what we need to be focusing on is dharana,

Mental concentration,

Mental focus.

When you focus on the practice of the mental concentration,

Allowing that to be your focus.

It trains the mind to not be drawn down rabbit holes or trains of thoughts,

Distractions or fears or regrets or worries.

It allows our mind to stay focused on the present moment.

The natural progression is dhyana,

The space that comes after the structure.

Likewise with sleep,

When we get to sleep,

Not through directly trying to force it,

Not through focusing on practices that create space for sleep to occur.

We have already started by getting ourselves into a good position,

Properly supported,

By turning off the TV,

Putting the phones away in a timely period before bedtime,

Maybe even reading,

Reading a book that is made of paper.

These are practices that cultivate a state where sleep can arise naturally.

But here in this present moment,

We will focus on our self,

On our body.

Yet again,

When we crave something,

When we crave for sleep,

It often slips through our grasp.

We find ourselves feeling frustrated.

So instead,

Our focus is our practice,

Our meditation,

Our mental concentration,

Our mindfulness practices.

And if sleep comes,

We receive it well.

If sleep does not come,

We receive it well.

We continue our practice without adding any excess energy,

Without adding any irritation or frustration or judgment or criticism.

We simply do our work,

We do our practice.

Now we'll ring the bell to indicate that we have began.

And now we'll ring the bell again to indicate when our session is finished.

We'll ring the bell.

We'll bring our awareness to our breath,

That anchor into our present moment,

Maybe even placing a hand on our belly,

Just feeling the rise and fall,

The expansion and release.

We will let this awareness around our breath be our anchor,

Be our return anytime throughout our practice.

If we notice that we've gone off thinking,

We just notice that we've gone off and we return to the breath,

To that expansive inhale and that elongated exhale.

Our practice tonight will be focused around giving our body permission to let go and to be supported.

We have ourselves in a supported position,

Allowing the joints to be open without any joints being locked,

Allowing energy to flow,

Allowing prana to flow,

Allowing circulation.

We simply start bringing our awareness to a more concentrated area,

Bring our awareness to our nostrils,

To the area where our breath enters and exits.

Just notice any areas of sensation.

Maybe you notice some pressure.

Maybe you notice a tickling sensation,

As the air flows over your upper lip.

Maybe you notice some temperature change in the inhale,

The exhale.

Any other sensations.

Maybe you notice some tinglies,

Some pricklies.

Maybe you notice your pulse.

Just be curious about this area around the nostrils and the upper lip.

Observe any sensations you find.

We'll spread that awareness up towards the area,

Right in between our eyes,

Between our eyebrows.

You'll notice we have any undue pressure,

Any undue tension.

Give this space permission to let go.

Give your eyebrows permission to get heavier,

To expand away from each other.

As the eyebrows expand away from each other,

We bring our awareness to our forehead,

Allow the skin in our forehead to spread up towards our hair,

Down towards our ears.

We allow our jaw to become loose.

We allow the tongue to fall away from the roof of our mouth.

We allow our whole head to be pulled down towards our support,

Our ears pulling down,

Getting heavier.

Continue to make our way down to our shoulders,

Allowing for them to spread away from our ears.

Allow them to get heavy on your support.

We allow the arms to roll out,

Still maintaining their support,

But being heavy.

Being heavy in their cushions,

Letting their full weight be supported.

Making our way down to our fingertips,

Giving them permission to rest naturally,

Neither expended nor flexed,

Just neutral.

However they lie,

But lying heavy,

So heavy.

As these fingers are heavy,

You might feel the abdomen expanding and releasing as the breath breathes.

Allow this area to breathe naturally with no effort.

Just observe the rise and fall of the belly button,

The feeling of material on your skin as you expand and release.

Make our way down to our hips,

Our pelvis,

Our sacrum.

We feel this sacrum being so rooted,

So heavy,

Anchoring down into our support,

Feeling our glutes releasing,

Giving our legs permission to be fully supported.

Our quads,

Feeling them release away from our hips,

Feeling our knees like anchors,

Being so heavy,

So heavy.

Being supported,

Allowing our calves to rest comfortably.

Making our way down to our feet,

Our toes,

Our heels,

The ball of the foot.

And give them permission to be free,

Release anything that's holding,

To allow and be heavy in their support.

By this point,

We may start back at the top of the head.

This practice of giving body areas permission to release,

Permission to let go,

Often requires multiple reminders.

So we're starting at the top of the head,

Giving the scalp permission to expand and release from the top of our head,

Down to our ears,

Down our neck.

Just giving them permission to let go,

Giving the face permission to get heavy,

Let the mouth fall any way it will,

Allow the cheeks to let go.

Allow the neck to get heavy,

So heavy.

Down to our shoulders,

Allowing the shoulder heads to roll out,

Allowing the chest to expand,

Allowing the arms,

Fingers to be heavy in their support.

Feeling that abdomen expanding and releasing,

Rising and falling.

Down into the hips,

The glutes,

Quads,

Feeling so heavy,

So supported,

So safe.

Down to the knees,

The calves,

The toes.

This is our practice.

We focus on the mechanical process of giving the body permission to release.

The body mechanically gives the mind permission to release.

But it all starts and ends with the breath,

That expansive inhale and that elongated exhale.

The body mechanically gives the mind permission to release.

Heavy,

So heavy.

The body mechanically gives the mind permission to release.

I encourage you to continue your meditation.

Continue scanning,

Continue observation of the breath.

Continue your practice.

This is the work.

Reviews

Thank you 🙏 for sharing this relaxing body scan with us! I fell asleep 😴 easily and woke refreshed!