A meditation to prepare the mind and body for sleep

If you’re feeling restless before bed or in the middle of the night, try this extended practice to calm racing thoughts and reduce tension in the body.

There are many reasons why we may have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Work or relationship stress, health concerns, hormonal changes, the state of the world – there’s a lot to keep us up at night.

Here, Mark Bertin offers a soothing sleep practice to help ease our restlessness, using the breath as a calming anchor to gently relax our busy minds and stressed bodies.

This is a great practice to keep as part of your regular sleep routine or whenever you need help settling your mind and body. The more you do this, the more it will signal to your brain and body that it is time to rest.

A meditation to prepare the mind and body for sleep

Read the guided meditation script below and practice, pausing after each paragraph. Or listen to the audio exercises.

1. Find a comfortable position, usually lying on your back. Let your arms and legs slowly fall to the sides. If this posture is not comfortable for you, find another posture in which you can relax during this meditation.
2. Keep your eyes open if you prefer, or allow them to be slightly closed.. Begin the practice by taking a few deep breaths and focusing as much as possible on the physical sensation that your body creates with each breath, perhaps noticing the rising and falling of your stomach and chest. Perhaps the movement of the back of your body against whatever surface you are lying on.
3. Let go of the feeling that you’re trying to make something specific happen. We can no more force ourselves to rest than we can force ourselves to sleep. But using that feeling of physical movement that your body makes with each breath as a place to lightly ground your awareness and attention.
4. Your mind may be busy right now, and that’s normal. With a feeling of gentleness and caring, every time you notice that your mind is stuck in an emotional state or some pattern of thinking, just come back with that feeling of gentleness. You can say: I know I’m breathing in and I know I’m breathing out.
5. We will begin a guided body scan In which we will pay attention to different parts of our body, as a way of bringing our mind back from its thinking and where it wanders and also as an opportunity to physically relax our body.
6. Start by bringing your awareness to your feet. You may notice touch or temperature. If you are covered with a blanket, you may feel the sensation of a blanket being wrapped around your legs. For the next few minutes, as your mind wanders, bring your awareness back to your feet and let go of any tension or stiffness you feel in your legs. There is no need to do anything with them, no need to carry them around.
7. Pay attention to any feelings that you’re feeling a little wound up, that you’re stuck in need of sleep or that you want things to be different from them. So make the feeling of caring and letting go also a part of this practice. You can’t force it away, but notice that it is now part of the experience and return to the sensation of your legs where they are lying now.
8. Next, move your awareness up from your feet to your lower legs. If you find something tight or uncomfortable, relax it. Be as patient with yourself as possible.
9. Next, move the attention to your knees and your upper legs.. Notice where your thoughts go or where your awareness wanders. Come back as often as you need.
10. Next, take your awareness through your pelvis and into your buttocks. To your lower back. Feeling pressure on the bed or wherever you are lying down. Perhaps there is a feeling of movement with each breath.
11. If at any point, due to discomfort or any other reason, you feel like you need to make a slight physical adjustment, that’s normal and that’s okay too. Maybe settle and observe for a few breaths, and then with a sense of intention, make whatever adjustments you need to make going forward.
12. Now, move your awareness to your upper back.-A Many of us carry a lot of stress and tension. Honor and pay attention to it, as well as let go and relax into whatever you find available right now. Be patient with your mind to stay engaged and come back to your body as often as needed.
13. Next, bring your awareness to your belly. Notice if you like the gradual rise and fall of your stomach with each breath. Notice any other physical sensations now occurring in this part of your body. Often in the stomach we also find some reflection of our emotional state. Pay attention to it and let go a little bit if you can – don’t force it away, but recognize it and let it go a little bit if you’re able to do so right now.
14. Now, transfer your awareness to your chest. Keep adopting the same attitude of being patient. Pay attention to the movement of your body as it breathes. Pay attention to any reflection of your emotional state in this moment. And then without forcing anything, see if you can maintain that awareness and let it move around a little bit. If there is a feeling of stiffness or tension, relax.
15. What if it becomes difficult? He is alright. Just come back to that physical movement of your body with each breath.
16. Now, take your awareness into your hands. Relax your hands. Relax and release all the muscles in your palms, backs of hands and fingers.
17. When you’re ready, transition to your forearms. Then your upper arms and your shoulders with the same feeling of awareness and letting go. Then relax your shoulders and back. Relax your neck and your neck. And then paying attention to your facial expressions and facial muscles. And relax your facial expressions as much as possible. And then your whole head.
18. Now, take a few moments to expand your awareness to your entire body. If that open awareness is too distracting, use your breath as a support. There is nothing much to do right now, except pay attention to your state of mind and return to your body as best you can.
19. As we continue this exercise with a sense of open awareness, it may be helpful to add a brief mental phraseSuch as I know I’m breathing in and I know I’m breathing out. Let your body and mind settle into this place, not battling the thoughts or feelings, but perhaps connecting with them a little more gently, paying attention to them and coming back to the breath as often as you need.
20. Now, continue with this sense of body awareness and letting go for as long as you need, Letting things happen. There will be no final bell. Just let yourself drift off into a healthy night’s sleep now.