If you’re feeling anxious before bed or in the middle of the night, try this stretching practice to calm racing thoughts and relieve tension in the body.
There are many reasons why we may struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep. Work or relationship stressors, health concerns, hormonal changes, the state of the world – there’s a lot that keeps us up at night.
Here, Mark Bertin offers a calming sleep exercise to help relieve insomnia, using breathing as a soothing anchor to allow our busy minds and stressed bodies to gently rest.
This is a great exercise to keep as part of your regular sleep routine, or when you need support to calm your mind and body. The more you do this, the more your brain and body will signal that it’s time to rest.
Meditation to settle the mind and body for sleep
Read and practice the guided meditation text below, pausing after each paragraph. Or listen to audio exercises.
- Find a comfortable position, usually lying on your back. Allow your arms and legs to gently fall to the side. If this position is not comfortable for you, find another position in which you can relax during meditation.
- Keep your eyes open if you like, or allow them to close slightly. Begin the practice by taking a few deep breaths and focusing as best you can on the physical sensation your body makes with each breath, noticing the rise and fall of your stomach and chest. Perhaps the movement of the back of your body on whatever surface you lie on.
- Get rid of any feeling that you are trying to achieve something specific. We can’t force ourselves to relax any more than we can force ourselves to sleep. But use this sensation of physical movement that your body creates with each breath as a place to ground your awareness and attention slightly.
- Your mind may remain busy at the moment, and this is normal. With the feeling of kindness and care, every time you notice your mind stuck in an emotional state or thought pattern, simply return with that feeling of kindness. You can say: I am aware that I am breathing and I am aware that I am breathing.
- We’ll start with an object-oriented examination We will pay attention to different parts of the body, as a way to bring our mind back from thinking and wandering places and also as an opportunity to physically relax our bodies.
- Start by bringing your awareness to your feet. You may notice touch or temperature. If you are covered with a blanket, you may notice the sensation of the blanket draped over your feet. For the next few minutes, as your mind wanders, bring your awareness back to your feet and slightly release any tension or tightness you notice in your feet. There is no need to do anything with them, and no need to move them.
- Notice any feeling that you are feeling a little overwhelmed, stuck on needing sleep or wanting things to be different than they are. So make that feeling of caring and letting go part of this practice as well. You can’t rule it out, but notice that it’s part of the experience now and go back to feeling your feet wherever they are lying now.
- Next, move your awareness from your feet down your legs. Loosen them if you notice anything tight or uncomfortable. Be patient with yourself as best you can.
- Next, move your attention to your knees and upper legs. Notice where your thoughts go or where your awareness wanders. Come back as many times as you need.
- Next, move your awareness through your pelvis and buttocks. Reach your lower back. Notice the pressure on the bed or wherever you lie. There may be a sensation of movement with each breath.
- If at any time, due to discomfort or anything else, you feel like you need to do a little physical adjustment, that’s normal and that’s okay too. Maybe settle down and observe a few breaths, then with a sense of intention, make whatever adjustment you need to make next.
- Now, move your awareness to your upper back—A A place that brings a lot of stress and distress to many of us. Respect and pay attention to that, letting go of whatever you find available in the now and relaxing. Be patient with your mind to stay busy and return to your body as many times as you need.
- Next, move your awareness to your stomach. Notice if you like the gentle rise and fall of your belly with each breath. Notice any other physical sensations that may now be occurring in this part of your body. Often we also experience in the abdomen some reflection of our emotional state. Notice this and let him go a little if you can, don’t force him away, but get to know him and release him a little if you are able to do so now.
- Now, shift your awareness to your chest. Continue to use the same perspective to monitor patience. Notice the movement as your body breathes. Notice any reflection of your emotional state at this moment. Then, without forcing anything, see if you can maintain that awareness and let go a little. Relax if there is a feeling of tightness or tension there.
- What if that becomes difficult? This is good. Simply return to that physical movement of your body with each breath.
- Now, transfer your awareness to your hands. Relax your hands. Relax all the muscles in your palms, backs of your hands and fingers and let go.
- When you’re ready, move to your forearms. Then your upper arms and shoulders with the same feeling of awareness and letting go. Then your shoulders and relax your shoulders. Your neck and relax your neck. Then notice your facial expressions and facial muscles. Relax your facial expressions as much as you can. Then your entire head.
- Now, expand your awareness for a few moments to include your entire body. Use your breath as an anchor, if this open awareness is too distracting. There is nothing special you can do now, except observe your state of mind and return to your body as best you can.
- As we continue this practice with a sense of open awareness, it may be helpful to add a short mental statementlike I am aware that I am breathing and I am aware that I am breathing. Allow your body and mind to settle into this space, not wrestling with the thoughts or emotions, but perhaps treating them more gently, noticing them and coming back to the breath as many times as you need.
- Continue now, as long as you need to, with this sense of body awareness and letting go, Allow things to be. There will be no final bell. Simply let yourself drift off into a healthy night’s sleep now.
