Sleep Longer with More Ease (~7 minute meditation)

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In this exercise, I'm going to share a useful technique to sleep longer,

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with more ease and less anxiety or worry.

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For many people around the world, it can be very difficult, falling asleep.

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Repeating thoughts won't seem to stop.

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Memories of what happened that day keep coming up.

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Plans, fantasies and worries about tomorrow continue resurfacing.

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Energy in the body keeps you tossing and turning.

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All the while, frustrations around not sleeping fuel the worry and

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restless energy in the mind.

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Ironically, preventing you from feeling relaxed, calm, and peaceful.

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This is more common than you think.

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We live in a society filled with expectations, pressures, and stresses.

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It's no wonder that our minds are filled with media images, news stories, financial

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stressors worries about loved ones.

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The list goes on.

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Hearing me talk about these things probably creates a physical reaction

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in you of tightness, tension, or heat.

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Can you feel that?

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Well, that's very understandable and very common that our minds would be filled

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with one or more of these stressors on a consistent basis, preventing us from

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getting as much rest as we would like.

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I get it.

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Fortunately, there are many ways to address this.

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Some of which we cover in the other exercises of this path, such as getting

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to know the bodily sensations of worry of anxiety and trauma, wherever

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it feels most predominant without feeding the energy with thoughts.

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But there are other methods particularly useful when it's time for sleep and rest

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the rest that is so important for your body and mind to function at its best.

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First try to adjust the temperature in your bedroom to be around 68 degrees.

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The ideal temperature for sleeping, you can do this with fans, windows,

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heaters, whatever works for you.

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If that feels too cold, please put an extra blanket over you, which will not

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interfere too much with the benefits of having the air around 68 degrees.

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Next in the hours before going to sleep or taking a nap, try to avoid

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upsetting music or reading news reports or anything that tends to trigger your

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mind into worry, stress or discomfort.

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Also, it's important to sleep in a room that is as dark as possible

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without an ATV tablet or mobile screens around indicating to your eyes

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and brain that it's time for rest.

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Then when you lay down, try to lay flat on your back.

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If that's comfortable for you and keep your legs uncrossed.

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See if you can feel the sheets or bed underneath you feel the weight

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of your body pressing against the fabric of the cloth of the bed.

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What does that feel like?

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Notice the felt sensations of the body, lying down, take some deep breaths and

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relax the body as you notice what it feels like simply to be lying down.

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Allowing yourself to simply be there, enjoying the relaxation

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and rest that you are offering your tired, wary mind and body.

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Then it's important to enjoy noticing the sensations of the body consciously

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releasing any tightness or tension from each body part to the next.

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Noticing and releasing.

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All with a sense of calm, curious, kindness, gifting

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herself, the spaciousness and embodiment that you so deserve.

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You continue doing this throughout the body, wrapping it up with an

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exercise of wishing yourself and others, a genuine sense of care, and a

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lightly held wish for peaceful sleep, sweet dreams, and a refreshed body.

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It's really quite simple.

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Let's try this together now.

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You can position yourself lying down now or if that's not possible,

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you can sit and do the majority of the exercise on a chair.

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How do you feel?

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More relaxed?

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At ease?

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More peaceful than before?

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I recommend using this technique each night so that you will get better

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and better at learning how to prepare the body for a full night's rest.

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It may not work 100% of the time, but with practice, you'll notice that if

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you bring a genuine sense of care and some effort to soften the sensations

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in the body, you will gradually taste the fruits, of reduced worry, anxiety

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and stress and increased, calm, relaxation, and a sense of embodied ease.

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So to recap, remember it's perfectly normal and understandable

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to feel frustrated by a mind that is filled with stress.

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It's common and it makes sense given everything on our plates sometimes.

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Try to sleep in a dark room that is around 68 degrees without screens around.

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When you lay down, feel the bed, feel your weight, feel areas of tightness

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or tension in the body and continually soften and loosen different areas of the

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body as you breathe naturally and calmly.

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I hope that these tips and this exercise will be useful for you.