Mindfulness Meditations for the Troubled Sleeper by Elisha Goldstein PhD

Author:Elisha Goldstein, PhD
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Mindful check-in. Notice the position of your body. What emotions are present? What thoughts are filtering through your mind? Are there any judgments or resistance? Is your mind telling you that there are more important things to do? Whatever is there, see if you can just acknowledge it and let it be.

2. The breath as an anchor. Begin to gently shift to noticing your body breathing. Imagine that it’s the first time you’ve ever noticed your breath. Where do you feel it? What is the sensation like? Continue this for about a minute or until it feels right to move on.

3. Your feet and ankles. Bring your attention into your feet, and welcome any feelings that are there. As with the rest of this practice, if there are no feelings, notice what it’s like to experience no feeling. Before moving up your legs, notice that you are in a space of awareness with the choice to move your attention. Now intentionally move your attention.

4. Your legs. Slowly guide your awareness up either one leg at a time or both legs at once. Dip your awareness into your body, feeling and allowing what is there. Notice sensations in your calves, shins, knees, and upper legs with the hamstrings and quadriceps. Sense the density of this area of the body. Before moving on to your hips, again notice the space of awareness between stimulus and response.

5. Your hips. Become aware of your entire hip region. Notice and open to any sensations in your buttocks, the sides of your hips, and your genitals. If for any reason this area of the body is triggering for you due to past trauma, please be sensitive to that and go at your own pace.

6. Your torso. You can bring your attention to your back and then move to the front or do the whole area at once. If you choose to do them separately, go up the back vertebra by vertebra and sense any feelings that arise with curiosity and without judgment. When you get to the abdominal region, breathe into your abdomen and notice it expand. Then breathe out and notice it fall. The abdomen and chest are often places where people hold emotions such as fear, love, and restlessness, among others. If you come across any emotions there, see them as simply pieces in the sandbox of your body. Name them and let them be.

7. Your shoulders. This is another area that can hold tension. Being with what’s here may prime your mind to be more aware of tension you hold in your shoulders during the day, so if you notice that your shoulders are tight, it may trigger your mind into letting them relax. If your mind has been skipping over the space between one part of the body and the next, bring the awareness back now.

8. Your face and head. As you scan your face, be aware of any points of pressure. This is often a sign of resisting something. You can let them soften or just notice the sensations as they are.

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