Trouble Sleeping - The Sleeping Aid Practice
Have you ever had trouble falling to sleep or waking up too early?
Over the past year, due to many changes in life, I have often woken up earlier than planned and had trouble falling back to sleep. I started using a practice that seems to work most every time to help me fall back to sleep no matter how much I have on my mind.
Here is the practice...
1. In bed, lay in Shivasana or Corps Pose (however I allow my palms to face downward), then relax your entire body, let your body relax and sink into the bed until your are very relaxed - take whatever time you need to do this.
2. Now simply FEEL that you are breathing in and out through the soles of your relaxed feet, slowly, gently. Use moderately full relaxed breaths but not strained in anyway. Feel the breath gently flowing in through the soles of your feet and up to your solar plexus, then feel the breath gently flowing out from the soles of your relaxed feet.
Note: if your mind wanders off the practice this often means you are ready to roll over and go to sleep. Otherwise gently bring your attention back to gently breathing in and out through the soles of the feet until you feel like going to sleep.
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This practice can be extended by adding the following.
3. After the feet, add the hands. Feel the breath gently flowing in through the relaxed palms of your hands and up the arms into the heart center and then back out through the arms and palms of the hands.
4. After the hands, gently breathe in through the top of the head to the 3rd eye center and out through he top of the head.
5. Finally, see if you can simultaneously breathe in and out through the soles of the feet, palms of the hands and top of head this time allowing the breath to come join and return from the heart center.
The feeling I get from this practice is something like when I've been walking out in fresh country air and now I am ready to come in and go to sleep. Enjoy!
Over the past year, due to many changes in life, I have often woken up earlier than planned and had trouble falling back to sleep. I started using a practice that seems to work most every time to help me fall back to sleep no matter how much I have on my mind.
Here is the practice...
1. In bed, lay in Shivasana or Corps Pose (however I allow my palms to face downward), then relax your entire body, let your body relax and sink into the bed until your are very relaxed - take whatever time you need to do this.
2. Now simply FEEL that you are breathing in and out through the soles of your relaxed feet, slowly, gently. Use moderately full relaxed breaths but not strained in anyway. Feel the breath gently flowing in through the soles of your feet and up to your solar plexus, then feel the breath gently flowing out from the soles of your relaxed feet.
Note: if your mind wanders off the practice this often means you are ready to roll over and go to sleep. Otherwise gently bring your attention back to gently breathing in and out through the soles of the feet until you feel like going to sleep.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This practice can be extended by adding the following.
3. After the feet, add the hands. Feel the breath gently flowing in through the relaxed palms of your hands and up the arms into the heart center and then back out through the arms and palms of the hands.
4. After the hands, gently breathe in through the top of the head to the 3rd eye center and out through he top of the head.
5. Finally, see if you can simultaneously breathe in and out through the soles of the feet, palms of the hands and top of head this time allowing the breath to come join and return from the heart center.
The feeling I get from this practice is something like when I've been walking out in fresh country air and now I am ready to come in and go to sleep. Enjoy!
Another Sleeping Aid Practice
ReplyDeleteas given by Sufi Amin
Do this practice while lying in bed.
1. As you lie in bed, be aware of the chest rising and falling. Be aware of the breathing process. “Be aware” means as though you were watching yourself.
2. Think of the ocean and remember how the swells of the water bob up and down.
3. Think of your lungs in the same way, as though they were an ocean rising and falling. As you inhale, think of a wave of water rising, as you exhale, think of the water receding; like a boat is lifted up and down by the water.
4. Continue this concentration until rest and sleep occurs. Some practices with sound are also very helpful for attaining sleep states, but they should be given at a counseling session.