Breath Meditation for Sleep
This week’s podcast episode is a guided breath meditation for sleep. I made this recording a while back, and I felt inspired to share it on the podcast now, since the last episode was a guest interview with yoga therapist Monica Le Baron about sleeping well.
The meditation itself starts at approximately 5:43, after a brief intro with a few updates about my book-writing process, the schedule of upcoming podcast episodes, and some background on today’s guided practice.
Episode Details:
Many of us suffer from sleep disturbances from time to time, whether it’s due to stress, hormone changes, interruptions to our schedule, pain or illness.
Photo: Benjamin Voros via Unsplash
Occasional sleep issues are very common, but about 10% of adults experience longer term insomnia. As we age, getting consistent sleep often becomes even more challenging. According to healthline.com, 75% of adults 65 and older have insomnia symptoms.
If you struggle with sleepless nights, I can commiserate! There was a night last week when I was lying awake with a migraine, and my sleep was further hindered by the gusty winds outside at 2am and my cat being a wild little creature at around 4am. (Fortunately, Mustache jumped up on the bed and settled down next to my feet after that, and his cozy cat energy helped me finally drift off.)
This breath meditation for sleep is one of my go-to tools for a night like that, when I need to soothe my body back to sleep.
How this breath meditation for sleep works:
This is a simple practice that guides you through a process of relaxing your body and lengthening your exhales. As we practice counting the breaths, we focus the mind on the present moment, setting aside thoughts of the day.
Gradually lengthening the exhales helps to slow the heart rate and down-regulate the nervous system, which promotes peaceful sleep.
You could do this practice to wind down at any point in the evening, or right in your bed as you drift off to sleep. If you have an eye pillow to shut out extra light, that can be a wonderful enhancement for this practice, too.
So, I hope you’ll find a comfy spot to practice and enjoy this guided breath meditation for sleep. Thanks so much for listening!
Resources and Links from this episode:
- If you haven’t heard last week’s interview about sleep, check it out! Ep. 89 with Monica Le Baron, author of Sleep Simplified
- You might also enjoy this guided meditation on Equanimity, or steadiness of heart and mind.
P.S. As I mentioned during this episode, there is a special workshop coming soon! Join me for Movement That Unlocks Mindfulness online on April 13th, and learn to meditate in a way that works for you. We’ll explore gentle Mindful Movement practices, as well as variations of traditional meditations that don’t require complete stillness.