Breathwork Before Bed For Better Sleep

How many times have you rested your head excited to nod off, but your obsessive mind has kept you awake with intrusive thoughts that are unconsciously rampant and sporadic? Or better yet, awoken suddenly at 3:33 am, completely frustrated because you cannot return to your deep sleep?  How tired are you or being tired? 

Breathwork is a term for conscious therapeutic breathing practices intended to influence one's physical, mental and emotional well-being. A ‘healing’ modality that has been proven to release stored limiting beliefs, dissolve stress, neutralize the nervous system from fight/flight mode, promote relaxation, mitigate anxiety and depression while regulating emotions and has an alkalizing effect on your blood pH due to an increase in oxygen levels, to simply name a few. 

Breathwork requires focus and concentration in the here and now. It brings you into the present moment, enabling you to detach from worrying about the past or predicting the future (aka those intrusive thoughts keeping you awake at night). The breath can be a gateway to getting yourself out of your head and settling into the physical body, to experience felt sensations of relaxation and possibly a heightened state of peace.  

Breathwork before sleep will aid the brain waves from alpha to theta, facilitating a deeper, more restorative sleep in the delta. So before you reach for that sleeping pill, the small glass of red, or better yet, the trend of CBD oil, here’s an easy practice of using your breath to induce a better slumber naturally. 

Lay down on your back, neck, and head supported by a pillow, with your heels slightly wider than hip-width and your arms alongside your torso with your palms facing up. With eyes closed, mindfully set the intention for the breath to promote deep and nourishing rest. Begin to breathe slowly through the nose and feel what is occurring within your chest and abdomen. With curiosity, where are you opening and expanding, softening and releasing? After a few minutes, upon inhalation, envision the breath as white, translucent light, flowing in through the soles of your feet and travelling up within your physical vessel, greeting the crown of your head. As you exhale, cloak the breath of light externally over your physical body in all directions simultaneously, from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. Continue to breathe in this same fashion. After a few moments, invite the breathing light to dissolve any and all thoughts that surface in the mind to experience the body becoming physically lighter in density.  Continue until you nod off.

When you intentionally and routinely practice breathwork before bed, over time, you will notice profound changes not only in your sleeping patterns but also within your waking state. You will begin to form a stronger, healthier relationship with yourself, you will connect to the present moment more often, and you will be able to process stressors and emotional difficulty with greater ease as your self-awareness becomes naturally strengthened.  

Rest well, 

E