Simple Sleep Techniques

My personal favourite is to first do a "brain massage", followed by a slow Yoga "witnessing" of my body.

A "brain massage" is done by closing your eyes, then looking up and down 5 times with left eye, then right and left 5 times, then draw 5 circles clockwise, then circles 5 counterclockwise. Then up and down five times with the right eye, then right and left 5 times, then draw 5 circles counterclockwise, then 5 circles clockwise (opposite of the technique for the left eye). Then, just feel turn your attention around, and have your left eye look at everywhere in your right brain half - slowly, just thinking about each part, as if your eye is moving around in there, then imagine it is an xray eye looking through the skull and scanning your entire right brain hemisphere. Feel how it totally relax; every manifestation of tension is just an invitation to relax. Then repeat, looking through the left half with the right eye.

Feels like your brain just had a massage :)


Yoga-witnessing is just focusing attention. Start with focusing your attention on your left big toe, then follow up with each of the toes, then slowly move over the entire body, area by area. Don't do anything - just focus on that area, sensing input from just that. Before you get through the head, you'll be asleep.