Count Your Way to Sleep During Daylight Savings Time
Today we lose an hour of light, but for the next several months we gain a lot more light than we have had in the last few months as we (in the Midwest) survived the shorter days and winter months.
It always amazes me how one hour taken away during Daylight Savings Time can really mess with everyone. From babies to adults, that one hour if not approached with some understanding to the body, can really leave you struggling to fall asleep, and throw off your Monday into a new week ahead.
Here is a quick and effective meditative breathing practice for you to help with daylight savings time and hopefully assist in making your entry into longer days and more sunlight happy and restful.
Counting Breath, try this breathing practice lying in bed tonight to assist you in falling asleep.
Lying in your bed on your back with your right hand on your belly and your left hand on your heart center simply begin to notice your breathing as it is right now.
After a few rounds of breath, focusing on the inhale and on the exhale bring your full awareness and attention to how it feels to breath.
From here now each inhale and each exhale is one count. And each time you take a breath in and then a breath out you will recite the current number and then there after, move on to the next.
As you INHALE, internally recite to yourself the number ONE.
As you EXHALE, internally recite to yourself the number ONE.
As you INHALE again, internally recite to yourself the number TWO.
And as you EXHALE again internally recite to yourself the number TWO.
Do not rush this meditative breathing. Feel with your hands your belly and chest gently rise and fall, internally count calmly and continue to work your way up the number scale trying to stay as focused as you can. As you continue your mind will begin to calm down and your body will relax, leaving you drifting off to dream land at an appropriate time of night, for a restful sleep.