Four new meditations to use your breath to sleep well
BLOSSOM WATCH THE BREATH AND FALL ASLEEP Sleep is not like a light switch that you can turn on the moment you hit the bed and immediately fall asleep. One of the tips that Dr Matthew Walker, Sleep Researcher suggests in his Ted talk 6 Tips for Better Sleep is to have a wind down routine to relax the mind and the body. Focusing on the breath is an easy activity you can use as part of your wind down.
BLOSSOM BREATH DEEPLY AND SLEEP EASILY One of the tips that Dr Matthew Walker, Sleep Researcher suggests in 6 Tips for Better Sleep is darkness. We need it in the evening to trigger the release of melatonin. As you practice this wind down routine of diaphramatic breathing to relax the mind and the body make sure your room is dark and your eyes are closed. One technique I use is to wear a winter cap and pull it down so it covers my eyes and works like a eyeshade you might get on an airplane.
BLOSSOM BREATH REGULARITY WITH SLEEP REGULARITY Another tip that Dr Matthew Walker, Sleep Researcher suggests in 6 Tips for Better Sleep is regularity. To go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time. Regularity is super important and helps to improve both the quantity and quality of your sleep.Breath Regularity is a very effective technique to use with your sleep regularity. There is a very simple exercise from the Pranayama to regularize your inhale and exhale. It has a Sanskrit name for it, Sama Vritti Pranayama. Sama is equal and Vritti is the generation and Prana is the life force. It is referred sometimes as Box Breathing.
BLOSSOM COUNT THE BREATH AS YOU COUNT DOWN TO SLEEP When you focus on your breath you engage the parasympathetic system and start to relax. A deceptively simple technique is to count the breath. It is a basic form of conscious breathing. You count the breath as it passes through. It’s purpose is to pull the mind towards the life force. It is also a great way to drift off to sleep.