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This mindfulness exercise is to help you get to sleep.
Sometimes we can have some difficulty in getting off to sleep. So hopefully an exercise such as this will be of benefit in helping you to fall asleep.
So with this, I’m assuming that you’re already lying in bed and listening to this mindfulness exercise while you’re lying in bed.
So with that, I’d like to start by asking you to become aware of your breathing while you’re lying in bed.
We’re calling upon that side of us that can become aware, that can notice, that can observe, and we’re bringing our attention to our breathing.
With this, you don’t have to do any particular type of breathing. I just simply want you to notice, to become aware of your breathing.
And if the first thing that you do notice is that perhaps you’ve got some shallow breathing or you’re feeling a bit tense, perhaps just do a scan of your body.
And while you’re scanning your body, just become aware of any areas that may be feeling tense and see if you can relax those.
It can include your jaw. You may be noticing that you’re clenching your jaw. Your teeth are rubbing together.
It may be noticing some tension in your back, your upper back, or maybe your lower back. Maybe you’re clenching your fists.
Just scan your body and see if you can notice anything in particular that may be feeling tense right now and focus on just relaxing those areas.
And with your breathing, if you’re having difficulty breathing at the moment, perhaps just take in one or two deep breaths. Let them out.
A deep breath in… and a deep breath out.
And one more: a deep breath in… and a deep breath out.
And with that, just let your body resume its normal rhythm of breathing.
And with that part of you that can notice, that can become aware, simply become aware of that breathing pattern—the breath going in and the breath going out.
Just let your body take care of it all by itself.
So you’re lying in bed. You’re comfortable. Your body is as relaxed as it can be. And your attention at the moment is on your breathing.
See if you can notice and follow the path of air as it enters your nose or your mouth, travels down the back of your throat, down your windpipe, and enters your lungs.
And with that, notice your chest expanding. It gets to a certain point where that stops, and then your body starts to breathe out. It takes care of this all by itself.
And with that, see if you can notice the path of air as it leaves your lungs, travels back up your windpipe, and then back out through your nose or your mouth.
See if you can follow that process—that path of air as it enters your body, fills up your lungs, then leaves your body out through your nose or your mouth.
See if you can focus on that for three breaths: the breath going in and the breath going out.
And while you’re doing this, your mind will be chattering away. You’ll have all sorts of thoughts—everything from perhaps noticing some tension in your body to feeling a bit strange or odd doing an exercise like this.
Or perhaps suddenly a thought popped into your head about something that you have to do tomorrow. Or you thought about something that you did today, and it’s just popped back in your mind.
Just let those thoughts come and go. Our minds are always chattering away. What we’re doing here is just observing that.
So if you do get distracted by a thought, simply notice what that thought was, and then let it go.
Let it go like a cloud passing overhead in the sky.
Often we can look up and see clouds moving across the sky—different shapes, different colours, different sizes.
And imagine they are our thoughts. Sometimes our thoughts can be so thick that we can’t even see the blue sky underneath. That’s how it can be sometimes when we’ve got too many thoughts happening.
Other times, they can be little whispery clouds just floating overhead.
See if you can just notice your thoughts like you notice clouds in the sky. Just notice them and let them float on by.
And then bring your attention back, in this case, to your breathing—the breath going in and the breath going out.
Try that for a few more breaths.
Again and again, your mind will trick you with one of its thoughts. It will try to distract you.
If that happens, simply notice what the thought was: “I notice that I’m having a thought about such and such.”
And then see if you can let it go like a cloud floating above in the sky.
Then bring your attention back to your breathing.
Always use the breathing as your anchor point.
If ever you get distracted or confused or you’re not sure what you should be doing, just gently bring your attention back to your breathing.
And now, that part of you that can notice, that can become aware, that can observe—it’s sort of like the curious scientist within us—I’d like you now to bring your attention to your body lying in the bed.
Just notice your body lying in the bed.
Notice what position you’re in.
Just notice anything you can about your body lying in the bed.
Just notice what your feet and your legs are doing, how they are positioned.
See if you can feel the mattress underneath your body.
If you have a sheet or a doona covering you, see if you can feel the weight or the pressure of that sheet or that doona.
Notice how your arms and your hands are positioned.
Just notice anything you can about your arms and your hands.
What are your fingers doing?
Is your right arm positioned differently to your left?
Just simply observe.
And again, if you get distracted by a thought or a story pops into your head, just notice what it was. Let it go, and gently bring your attention back to noticing your body lying in your bed.
If you have a pillow underneath your head, just notice the pillow under your head.
Feel the back of your head or whichever side of your head is resting against the pillow. Feel it resting against the pillow.
And with your body, just notice any sensations you may have.
There may be some tense areas around your neck or your shoulder.
If you can, just identify those, notice them. If need be, just concentrate on relaxing that area.
Just scan your body and notice any other sensations that you notice.
And again, bringing your attention back to your breathing—the breath going in and the breath going out.
Always using the breath as your anchor point.
The breath going in and the breath going out.
Notice those thoughts. Let them come and go.
There may be future thoughts about which you have no control at the moment. See if you can let them go.
There may be thoughts from the past. Again, the past has been and gone. See if you can let those go.
Let any feelings or sensations go.
Any thoughts or feelings associated with worry or concern or guilt or regret—just let them go and bring your attention back to this very moment.
Focusing on your breathing—the breath going in and the breath going out.
The breath going in and the breath going out.
Thank you.
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