The traditional breath practice, adapted for falling asleep. The closing gong has been removed so nothing wakes you at the end.
Listen to the Meditation
About This Practice
Your mind will wander. That is not a flaw in your concentration and it is not something this practice will cure. Wandering is what minds do.
The value is in the noticing. Every time you catch that your attention has drifted and bring it back, that is one repetition, and the noticing is the exercise rather than the staying.
At bedtime the aim shifts slightly. You are not trying to stay alert enough to complete the practice. Drifting off partway through is a good outcome, not a failed session.
The breath suits this hour because it gives a racing mind somewhere to rest without asking anything demanding of it. If your thinking is running hard, guiding your attention back to the breath again and again gives it less to feed on than lying there arguing with it.
Micro Practice: Three Breaths
When you catch your mind somewhere other than the present moment, take three breaths.
- Breathe to settle your attention on the breath itself.
- Breathe to arrive in the present moment and in your body.
- Breathe to begin again, and notice what is around you.