Hey and welcome to this calming sleep ritual.
Are you struggling to sleep?
You're not alone.
I really know what this is like.
I've been there.
And I know it's hard and can get really lonely.
But there are some tools to help you out.
Please know that your body knows how to fall asleep.
Stressors in your environment and in your mind have likely disrupted its natural abilities.
But this exercise will help you to calm down.
When we try to sleep better,
We often focus on things like sound,
Temperature,
Light,
Coffee,
Alcohol and food intake.
And indeed these things are important.
The ideal sleeping conditions are to be in a dark,
Cool room with no sudden or hard noise.
Not having had caffeine for about 10 hours prior to bedtime.
Not having had alcohol for about 5 hours prior to bedtime.
And not having had a heavy,
Salty,
Fatty,
Sugary meal for more than about 3 hours prior to bedtime.
Mild movement like a walk before sleep also helps.
But what if you've tried all those things and still nothing helps?
You might even become a little obsessive about having all these things in order.
And you might actually put extra pressure on sleep,
Causing anxiety about falling asleep.
All biological issues,
Including some chronic health issues that make sleep hard aside,
One of the key factors that makes it hard to sleep is your own mind.
Stress is the most important predictor of poor sleep.
We need to learn how to think less,
Particularly negative things,
And feel better,
Particularly in the body.
Today's practice is focused on feeling more.
Sometimes all we need to feel more and to be in our body is to take a breath.
This practice is best done lying down,
So take a moment to make yourself comfortable.
Lying on the ground,
Perhaps with a pillow underneath the knees and the head,
On a couch,
On a couch,
Or lying in bed.
Allow yourself to settle in.
Feel the support beneath you.
Allow your body to drop into that support.
Just anything you need in order to truly let go.
Soften the way you engage with this moment.
And when you're ready,
Take a deep breath in through the nose,
All the way up.
Hold your breath for three,
Two,
One.
Open the mouth and sigh out.
You can do this with first lips if you like.
Take your time on exhale.
And perhaps you can cut your inhale into two pieces.
Inhale through the mouth.
Inhale a little more.
Hold it.
And exhale as if you were to yawn.
Inhale through the nose.
Hold it.
Open the mouth and sigh out.
Oh,
Keep repeating that.
And let this breathing pattern transition into more and more of a yawn.
Perhaps you notice you start inhaling through the mouth.
Just allow your body to naturally do what it does.
No need to push.
You can let it happen.
Your body knows how to relax.
You can trust your body.
Slow,
Deep breaths.
Long,
Relieving sighs.
Relax.
Perhaps you would like to add a stretch to that.
Stretch out your arms overhead or to the sides.
Your legs away from you.
On every inhale,
Stretch it out.
On every exhale,
Release.
Stretch it out.
Release.
Close your eyes and imagine you're a little outside your body.
Looking down on yourself as you're laying down.
And every time you inhale,
You see your body lift as if you float.
Becoming weightless at the top of your breath.
And sinking deeper down through the surface beneath you when you breathe out.
Inhale,
Notice a lift.
Exhale,
Let it go.
Lift.
Keep that going at your own pace.
Allow your body to transition at its own pace.
Your body knows how to relax.
Let it happen.
Let it flow.
There is nothing you need to do.
Trust your body.
Let it go.
As a last part of this practice,
I would like you to write down in your journal how you will make a ritual out of this.
These practices work best if you,
Well,
Practice them.
Your mind will start to worry less,
Focus more on the positive,
And relax more with every time you practice.
So make a commitment to doing this practice for a week,
Every evening at a set time.
Research shows that it works best to habituate a behavior if you follow a fixed sequence.
So ideally,
You do this practice after something you do every evening,
Such as,
For example,
Brushing your teeth,
Putting on pajamas,
Or reading a book.
So think about what that would be for you.
Pick something you do close to bedtime,
That you always do,
And commit to doing this practice right after that for a week.
When you have done your practice,
Write something rewarding in your journal,
Like draw a smiley,
Or something positive like,
Yes,
I did it again,
Or I'm proud of myself.
Practicing giving ourselves these little encouragements,
And writing down our positive emotions,
Will help us to build trust,
Resilience,
And build positive habits that will last a lifetime.
Take this final moment to write down after what thing you will do this practice for the next week,
And what you will write down after your practice to make yourself feel good.
Thank you for showing up for yourself.
You're doing a great job.
I will meet you again tomorrow evening.
