3 Simple Ways on How to Meditate before Sleeping – Once it seemed to me that meditation was a strenuous effort to “not think”, in addition full of contradictions – like activity or at least intention and assuming no activity, doing nothing.
Meanwhile, it is one of the easiest and best methods to calm down, de-stress and get into good emotions (in harmony with yourself and your body, unlike, for example, eating a packet of cookies or smoking a cigarette).
I use it myself to uncover my thoughts and build up beliefs and to create a positive attitude – to the world, events and other people. Meditation before sleep calms and relaxes.
However, its possibilities are much wider – it is simply a great tool for insight into yourself and fixing what does not work as we would like. Thanks to meditation, you can change your attitude towards others, reduce stress and anxiety with guided meditation or learn to feel compassion.
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What do you need to start meditation before Sleep?
You don’t have to sit in any particular position, you don’t have to turn on the gongs, breathe in a specific way.
Basically you don’t need peace either. You can even meditate on the bus at the loudest intersection, although at the beginning it will be easier in a quiet place without distractions. All you really need is the moment you devote to yourself.
For me it is usually a moment before going to sleep or a moment when I want to focus on some action and I am disturbed by negative thoughts and black scenarios.
The easiest way, however, is to try the three methods that you’ll find below when you’re out of the day. Then you are not in a hurry anywhere and you can relax freely. Just a few minutes in bed just before bedtime when planning to sleep.
How to start:
Get comfortable (but not too comfortable so that you don’t fall asleep – if you are very tired, try the next day a little earlier). Eliminate distractions or try not to pay attention to them.
I like to close my eyes because it’s easier for me to focus on myself. Breathe normally, don’t bother. As long as nothing bothers you, does not distract you. That’s all. Attention, let’s get started!
How to Meditate Before Sleep – 3 Simple Ways of Meditation
Meditation Before Sleep # 1: Involuntary Thoughts
Put yourself in the role of an observer and start observing your mind and your thoughts. You are not your mind, so you can take a close look at it’s work – all thoughts the mind produces.
Do not try to think about anything concrete or not think at all, rather turn off conscious thinking.
Involuntary thoughts will appear anyway and when you see them, don’t judge them, don’t try to get rid of them (how can you get rid of thoughts with the intention to get rid of thoughts? After all, this intention is another set of them!).
Just take a look at them: notice, welcome, and walk away when they disappear. Accept, treat indulgently even if their content is difficult to accept.
Thoughts are involuntary, only our decisions are able to transform them into action. Do not try to change your thoughts or take them too seriously – they only inform you about your attitude to given matters, thoughts are not deeds, nor are they you.
Focus on every thought that comes to your mind. Note every single thought, do not try to change it, even if it is uncomfortable or follow them (for example, do not wind up with the memories of bad behavior of the boss, the child, what happened to you, etc.).
Become an observer: watch the thought come and lead it away. You can do this, for example, imagining that it is slowly fading or disappearing. I like to imagine that I move it with my thoughts aside, as if I were removing an irrelevant notification on the phone.
By looking at your thoughts one by one, you will notice that there are fewer of them. If you don’t follow your thoughts, soon the breaks between them will become longer, then even longer, until finally there is silence.
There will be emptiness, but such a pleasant emptiness. It’s more like a place for new ones. That’s why meditation is a great way to get ready for sleep and get ready for work.
It is much easier to fall asleep when our mind is calm, light, not burdened with everyday problems. When I feel the goal is achieved: I am calm and my mind is “empty”, I let myself fall asleep.
Meditation before Sleep # 1: Benefits:
- Calmness, sense of internal order, restful sleep.
- Clearing the mind, making room for new ones, opening up to creativity – if we do it before work and not before sleep.
- Noticing your thoughts: false beliefs and what programs our mind, as its saying sounds.
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Meditation Before Sleep # 2: I love everyone, I don’t spare anyone
I say right away – this is my working name. Imagine that you have inexhaustible layers of good and you can distribute them freely. Assume, for example, that you have a self-filling jug in front of you and it is only up to you who will receive its valuable content.
Focus on three thoughts before sleeping:
- The desire for happiness, good things in life,
- Desire to feel love for each other,
- Desire to feel love for what is outside.
In short, on the wish for empathy for yourself, for others and for the world. Remember these three wishes.
In the first phase of meditation, focus on these three elements (happiness, good things in life, loving yourself, giving love, acceptance, empathy to others) and assign them … to yourself.
Remember that resources are inexhaustible and you can pour into your soul exactly as much soothing good as it needs, no one will run out.
The idea that the separation of good depends on you and for a reason you direct them first to yourself: after all, you are the most important person in your life.
Try to notice that everyone, you too, has full right to these goods. This right does not depend on how you test yourself at work or in relationships, how you are a mother, daughter, partner, how much you earn or how well you have cleaned up at home, etc.
So try to honestly and comprehensively give yourself these values, because in the end you need them, even if you do not admit it loudly. And imagine that everything you wish fills you: happiness, good events in life, a sense of love for yourself, a sense of love for other people, nature, the world around you.
Then think in the same way about the person closest to your heart and imagine that the same elements fill that person.
Next, think about your loved ones and friends. The good energy from the jug also goes to them.
Come on, about people you just like. You don’t have to know them personally. They might as well be people from work or from the Internet.
Then about people who are rather indifferent to you – about someone with whom you rode on the bus or stood in a queue. Fill these people with the same three elements: happiness and goodness in life, love for yourself and love for others.
Finally, think in the same way about people you don’t completely understand or don’t get along with. To which or from which you feel negative energy.
Wish them exactly the same three things: positive life situations, love for each other and love for others and imagine that you give them all these elements, exactly as much as they need and even a little more, so that it begins to overflow – with full kindness and empathy.
To be honest, I didn’t think I could do it. That the final stage is not entirely honest and that I will really cheat. Although I have no problem with anyone, but there are people in my life whom I feel sorry for or think that at some point in the relationship they behaved unfairly.
Even if we claim that we have gone over such situations to the agenda, usually there is a small crack in us and when we think about them, there is a familiar tightness in the stomach – do you know that?
Contrary to expectations, when you reach these people in meditation, it disappears and there is sincere empathy and a sincere wish for them as best as possible. Not only at the level of the mind (as it has been with me until now), but also at the level of the heart.
This is real remission and full play. So good for YOU. Because you do yourself a favor.
Meditation before Sleep # 2: Benefits:
- Meditation gives you deep relaxation and … makes you happy. It gives a lot of positive feelings.
- Develops empathy.
- It allows you to observe your feelings towards specific people.
- It breaks down tensions associated with negative relationships.
- It can be the first step towards forgiveness (true, full, not like looking down) that is good for you.
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Meditation Before Sleep # 3: Antistress or Body Scanning
Stress is not just in our head. In fact, it is a self-accelerating physiological response – our body responds to stress as if it were a life-threatening situation: hormones begin to produce cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline, which accelerate the heart rate, raise the heart rate and make us spin (ready to fight or run away).
And if we are tensed, no stoic thought will calm us down. Therefore, before we rationally approach stressful stimuli (which usually solves the problem in a minute), we need to take care of silencing self-accelerating symptoms – this will also help meditation.
Trying to silence yourself with the method will help you to sleep well and get you peacefully into deep sleep.
When lying in bed (before sleeping), focus on feeling each element of your body in turn. Feel your left leg, right leg, feet, fingers, knees, thighs, pelvis, abdomen, chest, left, right hand and so on.
We are not used to it, but all you have to do is focus your thoughts on a given element of your body and immediately feel its tension, weight, tactile stimuli that it involuntarily receives.
Try to feel as much as possible: weight, pressure of subsequent parts of the body and the whole body on the ground, its uneven distribution (where is the largest and where the smallest weight), warmth, coldness, the texture of what it touches.
Do not focus on the thoughts digested by the mind, but on the feelings of your body. After a while, you will feel that your muscles are tensed and you will notice that you can relax them easily with this short meditation before sleeping.
Now try to feel even better in your body: pay attention to whether it is thirsty, hungry and how it feels.
I did not deliberately write “are you thirsty, hungry” because the whole thing is to feel your body completely physically for a moment, without identifying yourself with it zero-one. Like a tool that you need to care for the best.
You can also change your feelings by meditating before you fall asleep. For example, if you’re nervous, try to imagine how calm you are. As your body overwhelms, blissful harmony and tension slowly decreases, piece by piece – each muscle relaxes in turn.
Imagine it and be sensitive to feeling. It is surprising, but it really will happen because your body listens to you and serves you faithfully.
Think about the fact that you have one for your whole life and that your body does the best job for you, which it is capable of – it never complains and the pain that you sometimes interpret so is just a form of communication – it tells you that something it’s not ready for – hello.
Listen to it’s needs now. What does the body need the most: sleep, peace, movement, better food, more meditation? Promise it and keep your promise.
Now thank yourself, relax and let yourself drift into a peaceful good deep sleep.
Meditation before Sleep # 3: Benefits:
- Relax tension and get rid of stress. Full relaxation.
- Significantly improving the ability to capture signals from your body and recognize its needs. Seriously.
- By the way, you did a mind reset, because you unwittingly practiced mindfulness. Your mind has not been so relaxed for a long time.
- And of course a better night’s sleep.
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So, how do you meditate before sleeping or generally?
I am curious about your meditation experiences, practices and favorite ways.
- What does meditation give you?
- Do you see any major changes in your life under its influence?
- Or maybe you’re just thinking about getting started?
If you liked the post (How to Meditate before Sleeping?) and consider it valuable, please let me know in the comment. These words are a valuable signal to me that the content is not going to vacuum and SilenceMind is heading in the right direction.
