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Getting rest can be a difficult endeavor. While the mind should be quieting down by the time your head hits the pillow, the opposite is often true: busy thoughts abound. What needs to get done tomorrow? What exactly did you say earlier today? What are you doing with your life? That’s exactly where a guided meditation for sleep comes in.
Incorporating a guided meditation like this one into your evening routine can help you access a relaxed state before you get in bed, leading to sounder and more restorative sleep.
A Guided Meditation for Sleep
To begin, find somewhere where you can get comfortable, feel relaxed, and not be distracted.
Settle In
Lie down and gently close your eyes.
Arrive where you are—at this moment, place, and time.
Take a Whole-Body Scan
Begin to feel your body in this position. Feel your entire back body resting against or atop whatever surface you’re on. Feel the backs of your heels, the backs of the legs, the backs of the arms.
Now, begin to feel the whole front body resting into the back body. Begin to let go of any doing, of any thinking. It’s okay if it’s still there—just have the intention to observe.
Release Any Tension
Release the soles of the feet, the tops of the feet, the knees, the hips. The center of the navel, your lower back, your upper back, the center of your chest, your shoulders. Your arms, your wrists, your palms. Your fingers, your toes. The center of your throat. Just releasing tension.
Relax your jaw and all the muscles of your face. Your ears, your eyes.
Bring you attention and awareness to the space between your eyebrows. Relax your forehead, the back of the head, the crown of the head.
Take a deep breath in through your nose. Open your mouth and exhale, letting go of any tension or stress.
Embrace the Ease
Even if it’s just for this moment, feel your body in complete ease, held by the ground under you, the sky above you, the air against your skin.
No doing, just resting.
Notice if your mind begins to wander off. Bring your attention back to the sensation of ease in your body.
Just Breathe
There’s no technique to the breath, just a simple rhythm of inhaling and exhaling.
Very gently begin to deepen your breath. If you’re comfortable and want to stay here for a longer period of time, feel free to do so.
Come Back Before Sleep
As you come out of the practice, allow yourself to take your time. Very gently begin to wiggle your toes, wiggle your fingers, and slowly roll over to one side, holing yourself there for a moment.
Use your hands to press yourself up to a comfortable seat, taking a few moments here.
When you’re ready, blink your eyes open and come back to the space. You can turn off this guided meditation or even start it over and do it again. Whatever you need to access a rested state.
