Week 4 Evening Ritual

“Put your thoughts to sleep, do not let them cast a shadow over the moon of your heart. Let go of thinking.”

-Rumi

The best sleep is one that restores the body and mind, and it starts with preparation. You may have developed behaviors from your past that are not helpful to your sleep. There is an alternative with some effort. Creating a bedtime ritual can be just the support you need to make the change to restorative sleep. People who work shift work, and thank you for this, have another challenge to getting good sleep. Some of these rituals may also be beneficial for you.

When we get enough sleep, we choose to be more responsive instead of reactive, we are more alert and are in a better mood. Our immune system benefits and we will not get sick as often. These are all research-based reasons to adopt a bedtime routine.

If you have been practicing an AM ritual, NSDR, resetting the mind and body through breathwork, and making movement a priority in your day, you may already see a difference. If not, keep at it, what you do during the day affects your sleep. It takes at least 60 days to build a new habit, so be patient.

This is a bedtime routine that has been tested, taking about 6 minutes.

1.      Think about or write down what went well, what you are grateful for

2.      In bed do a progressive relaxation

Tense a muscle holding for a count of 4, then release. Systematically go through the entire body. Hands, arms, legs, back, shoulders, belly and face. 

3.     Start 4 square breathing.

This deep breathing technique helps you to slow down your breathing and distract your mind. It calms your nervous system and decreases stress in your body. It is excellent for sleeping. Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for four counts and hold for four. Repeat 6 rounds or more.

There are also many sleep meditations through the Calm app or Headspace. I recorded a non-sleep deep rest meditation on this website.

Be patient and kind with yourself as you rebuild a new sleep ritual. Sleep restores, rejuvenates, and keeps us healthy.