Guided Sleep Relaxation

And now,

Donald Altman presents Guided Sleep Relaxation.

Insomnia,

Or interrupted sleep,

Is a problem that affects many people.

Sometimes we're so overstimulated from caffeine and our daily worries that we go to bed with our minds racing and our body wound up tight.

This meditation will help.

First,

Though,

Be aware of your daily caffeine intake.

Caffeine stays in the body for 36 hours,

And it's in coffee and soda and even chocolate.

If you have more than one and a half grams of caffeine daily,

Then you need to take action and slowly cut down.

One more tip about sleep.

Your body sets a sleep rhythm to the light with melatonin.

That means that when you sleep,

Your room needs to be dark.

If there's light coming in from the outside or from another room,

Then your body may not set your sleep clock.

Your retinas can also be stimulated from electroluminescence.

That's the light that comes from TV,

Computers,

And cell phones.

It's a good idea not to expose yourself to these light sources for about an hour before sleep time.

In addition,

You can drink some warm milk or chamomile tea at bedtime.

Chamomile has properties known to create relaxation.

Drinking this tea can be a ritual for you.

Some soothing music and tea could help create a new bedtime ritual.

Reading in bed may actually keep you awake longer,

So save the reading before you go to bed and make sure the bedroom is quiet.

Before starting,

Let's take three deep breaths to prepare you for a sleep relaxation.

You can do like we did earlier,

Taking one breath to release tension,

Another to release worries from the past,

And another to release anxieties and worries about the future.

Let's take about 30 seconds for you to take these three calming breaths right now.

Good.

This sleep relaxation practice consists of two parts.

The first part will help you release your body's muscular tension.

The second part will relax your mind.

For the first part,

You will tense and relax the various parts of your body,

Beginning from your feet and moving up slowly to your head and face.

Have you ever done isometrics?

This is a lot like that.

Let's try it right now.

Go ahead and tense up your toes and soles of both feet for 10 seconds.

Count slowly to 10 as I continue to talk.

Don't strain so hard that you hurt yourself.

You're just tensing up so you can feel the muscles.

You may notice the muscles growing tired and fatigued.

Try to keep them tense.

You should be getting close to the count of 10 by now.

So when you reach 10,

You will immediately let the toes and soles of your feet relax completely.

Feel how different and relaxing it is to experience no tension in your feet.

In fact,

Let's spend the next 15 seconds focusing on what it feels like for your feet to be completely relaxed.

If you want,

You can even say to yourself something like,

All the tension in my feet is gone.

My stress is slipping away and dissolving.

I am really enjoying this feeling of deep relaxation and peace.

As with any mindfulness practice,

If your mind starts to wander,

Gently bring it back to each body group as you tense the muscles and quickly release them.

Now I'll lead you through the rest of this exercise.

You probably want to lie down,

Although you can do this while sitting down.

Let's move up now from the feet to the ankles.

Right now,

Tighten both of your ankles.

Count to 10 as you feel all the muscles and tendons become stiff and tight.

As you do this,

Try to keep all the other muscle groups such as your legs and arms relaxed.

When you reach 10,

Let go.

Feel how your ankles get soft,

How the tension and stress are gone.

Starting now,

Spend the next 10 seconds noticing the relaxation and how the tissues deep in the ankle are free from any tension whatsoever.

Wonderful.

Now you'll move up to the shins and calf of your lower legs.

Tighten these muscles now as you count to 10.

They may grow tired and fatigued,

But keep them as tense as you can.

Good.

Now relax these muscles.

Let them be free from any tension.

Total relaxation and release.

Pay attention to this for the next 10 seconds.

Okay.

Now you're going to tense your leg muscles,

Including your thighs and knees.

Start counting to 10 as you feel all the muscles,

Even those you weren't aware of before.

Let them expand as they tense up.

They may grow tired and fatigued,

But keep them as tense as you can.

Keep going until you reach the count of 10,

Then let them go.

Total relaxation,

Total freedom from tension.

These legs that work so hard to support you during the day are now at peace,

Relieved of their hard work and given permission to rest deep down into the knee and leg muscles.

Spend a few more seconds to enjoy this feeling of relaxation.

Next,

Moving up the body,

Tense the buttocks and pelvic region as you count to 10.

Tighten this area as much as you can,

Holding it without straining too much.

Feel how much tension there is,

How many muscles there are.

This even includes the tension that exists in your skeleton.

See if you can feel it all.

Good.

Now when you reach 10 seconds,

Relax totally,

Completely.

For the next 10 seconds,

Pay close attention as this part of your body exists free from stress.

As your muscles relax,

Feel their tension drain out of you until this part of the body is at peace and calm.

Let yourself fully enjoy the sensation of no tension.

How wonderful.

Now,

For the next 10 seconds,

Tense your abdomen and the muscles behind it in your lower back.

Let this whole section tighten,

Even tightening the muscles at the sides of your abdomen.

Notice how this makes it hard for you to breathe.

Stay with it for a few more seconds.

Now,

Let this tightness release completely.

How nice it is to breathe freely,

To have your muscles in your lower back,

Even your spine,

Free from tension.

Let yourself enjoy your body like this for a few more seconds as it lets go of rigidity and becomes loose and peaceful.

Moving up the body now,

Tense your chest and upper back muscles as you count to 10.

Hold them tightly,

Tightly,

Feeling how constricted they can be.

As you do this,

Continue to breathe into your belly.

Feel the tightness even in your ribcage and back,

How your shoulder blades feel tense.

Keep doing this for another five seconds.

Excellent.

Now,

Let it go.

Feel how quickly the tension lets go.

Release it all from your body and feel how much of your body,

From your toes to your chest,

Is now relaxed and calm.

Enjoy this feeling for a few more seconds.

Good.

Now,

You're going to tighten your fists hard for 10 seconds.

Feel how the tightness extends into your fingers and into your wrists.

This is what it's like to fight with daily tensions,

All clenched up and nervous and strained.

Does this feel familiar to you?

Keep counting until you reach 10.

Now,

Spend the next 10 seconds releasing and letting your fingers,

Knuckles and wrists relax and open.

Can you feel the blood flow back in?

Notice how nice it is not to live with yourself clenched and straining.

Feel the tension as it leaves each finger.

Imagine letting it out like steam from a teapot.

See the energy leaving like trails of steam rising from each fingertip until there is no strain,

No tension or clenching left.

Just ease and peace.

Now,

We're going to move up to the arms.

So,

Go ahead and tighten the biceps and elbows together,

Feeling all the muscles grow larger and tighter.

As you do this,

Your hands hang,

Still completely relaxed.

Keep feeling all the tension and fatigue in your biceps and elbows.

Let's continue for a few more seconds.

Reaching 10,

Let your arms fall at your side.

Feel the difference when you let the energy go.

Just experience the looseness and flexibility in your arms for a few more moments.

Good.

Now,

Slowly straighten your arms and for 10 seconds,

You'll tighten the triceps,

The muscle on the back of your arm that opposes the biceps.

Again,

Feel what it's like to clench and become rigid with this body group on both arms as you count to 10.

Feel the fatigue,

The extension of the muscle into your arm for a few more moments.

Now,

When you relax,

Let your arm fall,

Feeling the joy of letting go of this tension.

There is no need to hold on to the tension.

Your muscles want to relax.

Next,

Tighten your neck and upper shoulders without straining.

Feel how they carry so much tension.

Hold this until you reach the count of 10.

Relax immediately,

Letting your neck muscles and shoulders surrender to the feeling of peace that remains after the tightness is gone.

Relax them even more deeply,

Letting your neck and shoulders sink more deeply into the floor or bed or wherever you're lying down.

Now,

Your entire body is relaxed with the exception of the face and skull.

So now for 10 seconds,

You'll tighten this part of the body.

As you do this,

Imagine trying to make a fist with your face,

Tightening your eyes,

Crunching up your cheeks,

And at the same time,

You feel your jaws open wider.

Your lips are tight even though your mouth is open.

You can even feel your ears and scalp tighten and draw back.

You didn't know you had so many muscles in your face,

But now you feel them all tight and fatigued.

Good.

That's almost 10 seconds.

So now,

Release them all.

As you picture your entire head and face growing smooth and long,

Notice your eyelids and eyebrows relaxing.

Feel your mouth and jaw letting go.

All the skin on your face feels totally smooth and relaxed with the sensation of deep tranquility,

Like it has had a gentle massage.

Even your ears and skull are free from any tension at all.

Any remaining tension leaves your head and face,

And now your whole body is relaxed.

At rest,

Tension free.

Spend a few moments enjoying this feeling.

There is no need to be tense now because this is your time to rest,

And you can lead yourself through this body relaxation anytime you want.

Also,

Feel free to change the routine and find something that flows for you.

After you complete this muscle relaxation,

You can follow up by doing a mental relaxation practice for sleep.

In track 7,

I suggested the use of a soothing word,

Such as calm,

Peace,

Or love,

In order to relax.

Here,

You will also use a word,

But you will mentally repeat the word as you take each in-breath and each out-breath.

This will block other racing thoughts,

Anxious thoughts,

Or worries you may have so that you can sleep.

You can still use one of the words suggested earlier,

Or you might try the word sleep,

The word rest,

Or even restful sleep.

If your mind wanders,

Just bring it back by simply stating the word with each in-breath and each out-breath.

I hope this sleep relaxation is useful for you.

Stick with it,

And set your intention for a restful sleep before you even walk in the bedroom.