ABOUT THE TECHNIQUE
When you lie down to sleep, it normally takes at least 15 minutes for your body to relax totally. All the stress built up during the day has to be gradually released before you can fall asleep.
Body relaxation before sleep
In this technique, you co-operate with your body by helping to release the stress.
Just through awareness, you can relax your body and prepare it to sleep better. Falling asleep in awareness is meditation.
DURATION: Not applicable
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1:
Lie down on your bed and close your eyes.
Take your awareness to your feet. If you are feeling stress in your feet, start relaxing that point. Do not move from that point until the tension disappears.
Move to your hands. Your hands are the index of your state of mind. If your hands are clenched, it means your mind is tense. Relax every finger, relax the palm, the back of he hand, and don’t forget your wrists.
Slowly, move through your whole body, calming each part until you feel that total relaxation has come.
Step 2:
When the whole body is relaxed, when your whole body is at peace, move on to the mind. It will already be almost relaxed because the body is nothing but an extension of the mind.
Watch your thoughts as they come and go. Don’t chase any thought, don’t reject any thought. Just keep watching them.
Gradually, you will see that the stream of thoughts has slowed down.
Your mind is slowly becoming empty.
Continue to watch the mind till sleep overcomes you. Simply watch the mind till you fall asleep doing so.
If you fall asleep in meditation, you will wake up in meditation.
