Breath Meditation for Sleep

This week's podcast episode is a guided breath meditation for sleep. I made this recording a while back, and I felt inspired to share it on the podcast now, since the last episode was a guest interview on sleep with yoga therapist Monica Le Baron. (The meditation itself starts at approximately 6:34, after a brief intro with a few updates about my book-writing process, the schedule of upcoming podcast episodes, and some background on today's guided practice.)  Many of us suffer from sleep disturbances from time to time, whether it's due to stress, hormone changes, interruptions to our schedule, pain or illness. This breath practice is one of my go-to tools for a night when I need to soothe my body back to sleep. This is a simple practice that guides you through a process of relaxing your body and lengthening your exhales. As we practice counting the breaths, we focus the mind on the present moment, setting aside thoughts of the day. Gradually moving into longer and longer exhales helps to slow the heart rate and down-regulate the nervous system, which promotes peaceful sleep.  You could do this practice to wind down at any point in the evening, or right in your bed as you drift off to sleep. So, I hope you'll find a comfy spot to practice, and enjoy this guided breath meditation for sleep. Thanks so much for listening! -- For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast. You can find the info on the April 13th workshop, Movement That Unlocks Mindfulness, at movedtomeditate.yoga/events. And, you can sign up for your "Library Card" to access this month's FREE practices in the Moved To Meditate Class Library! Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).