Getting a good night's sleep

Isn’t it funny how easy it is to fall into asleep some places but not others? For example, have you ever fallen asleep at a business meeting? Or how about at church? Maybe you’ve dozed off watching your favorite movie. But when it’s time for bed and you’ve snuggled deep under the covers, suddenly you’re wide awake. I see those hands–and I have help for all of you.

Many people have found the following meditation exercise to be very helpful. Before you run off to buy incense or start trying to fold your legs into the lotus position, let me reassure you that the following steps can be practiced anywhere. It’s really more like a mini meditation. There are only four steps and it doesn’t require any particular experience or equipment.

Step One: Get Comfortable

Stop what you’re doing for a minute and arrange yourself into a comfortable seated position. There’s no need to be formal, but it helps if your posture is good and your feet are flat on the floor. Let your palms rest lightly on your thighs. Allow your shoulder muscles to relax. You can close your eyes or leave them open–the main idea is to not concentrate or focus on a particular thing. We’re trying to allow ourselves to relax.

Step Two: Breathe

Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose, filling your longs with fresh air. Hesitate for just a second and then allow the air to escape as slowly as it entered. Each time you exhale, feel a wave of relaxation washing over your body. Avoid the temptation to rush this step.

Step Three: Visualize

As you inhale and exhale, visualize a place of relaxation and refuge. The idea here is to break away from your current environment. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been to the place you’re thinking about. The key is finding a way for your mind to take a break and to focus on relaxation and breathing.

Step Four: Be Relaxed

After doing this for about 10 breaths (in and out makes one breath), slowly reawaken to the world around you. Stretch if you need to, and roll your head around to ensure that your shoulder muscles are still relaxed. Your mind and body should now be much more prepared for sleep.

This brief and simple exercise should enable you to fall into sleep quickly. In essence, these four simple steps allow you to put stress, worry, and unwelcome activity beyond arms reach. Focusing on a simple breathing pattern helps your brain to slow down enough to allow for the possibility of sleep. Try these four steps right before bedtime. They should help you crawl into bed stress-free and relaxed, leaving your troubles outside the door where they belong.

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