A good number of people ask if it’s ok to meditate while lying down. Meditation is one of the very important daily routines that increase our productivity. That is why questions like this are asked. people want to know if they can meditate in a way that properly suits them. There are several postures available for meditation and yes lying down is one of them. That is to say, you can meditate while lying down. This article will explore how you can meditate while lying down without falling asleep.
Key Takeaways
- Sound therapy and sleep meditation are both reasons why people opt to meditate while lying down.
- The benefits of meditating while lying down are better sleep, comfortability and it refreshes your senses.
- The disadvantage of lying down while meditating is that you can get very comfortable and then fall asleep. It takes quite some level of consciousness to avoid it.
How to Meditate While Lying Down (Without Falling Asleep)
Practical guides you can follow to meditate while lying down. It can be done by yourself or with an instructor.
Savasana Posture
Just like I mentioned earlier, it is very possible to meditate while lying down. You do need a particular posture to be able to meditate properly.
If you do yoga you would understand this. This posture entails meditating while lying on your back side, lying flat on your back with your palms wrapped around each other and your legs stretched. Some like to describe it as ‘’playing dead’’.
Let your chest pop up a bit, you can press your shoulders back a little to achieve this. This will help you relax and at the same time remain aware. You can use a pillow for support. Since you are lying down, it would be preferable to leave your eyes open, staring straight, but trying not to focus on anything. Your mind should be in control.
Your knees could be stretched or bent whichever makes you comfortable. Take deep breaths to be sure you are comfortable. While doing that try to focus on only your breathing, the way you inhale and exhale, your mind might wander sometimes but the ability to refocus is the strength in meditating. Try to always be present and think about nothing in particular.
While some people ask why it is difficult to meditate while lying down, the truth is that sitting to meditate keeps you more alert and active and it is easier to stay alert. It is important to note that while lying down to meditate you should try to avoid your bed as much as possible. Perhaps, using a mat is strongly recommended. This will reduce the chances of falling asleep while meditating.
Some Other Meditation Positions for Lying Down
- Inclined Savasana
- Semi-Supine
- Yoga Nidra
- Body scan
- Metta-posture
- Diaphragmatic breathing
Inclined Savasana
This is like the above-discussed savasana, but this time you use support or wedge-like blankets, cushions, or bolsters to situate your torso at an incline. This keeps your head slightly elevated above your hips and may help to keep you more alert therefore you are less likely to sleep off which is one of the problems of lying down to meditate.
While in this position try to ensure that your spine is not too curveted to void aches. You need to adjust your wedge in such a way that your lower back is properly relaxed. Putting some support under your knees can also help you to achieve comfort.
Semi-Supine
This posture requires you to lie on your back with your knees bent. Your upper body will be tilted a bit and not completely horizontal. You can place your palms wrapped around each other on your chest or tummy.
You can bend your knees (shoulder wide apart) while your feet should be on the floor. Stay like that for some time so that your body can get used to this position.
Yoga Nidra
Some call this sleeping yoga. This is usually practiced with the guidance of an instructor. You will listen to them and follow instructions on how to relax and how to start meditating. It is usually practiced lying flat back on the floor. The instructor tries to make participants disconnected from the physical and become in tune with their minds.
It is said that it is used as a treatment for people who have experienced traumatic events.
Explore some benefits of Yoga Nidra here.
Body Scan
This technique can be explored while lying down because it is usually regarded as a relaxation technique. You are expected to lie on your back in any way that makes you comfortable. Feel the weight of your whole body and start your breathing exercise. Slowly move your attention to different parts of your body and try to feel the sensation from each part, it helps to awaken your senses. This kind of meditation helps to improve sleep, hence reducing stress and anxiety.
Metta-Posture
This is a Buddhist meditation. It is usually referred to as loving-kindness meditation. The goal of this metta meditation is to become a kinder person to yourself and others. Metta-posture could be practiced by lying down (your back) in a relaxed way and taking a very deep breath to assume comfort. Like other postures, it entails being mindful of your breathing.
The next step is to choose a positive phrase or affirmation that you will meditatively and slowly repeat during the sessions. For instance; ‘I would be happy’’, I would find peace’’. These affirmations should be addressed to yourself. Understand it and meditate on how it would make your life better. This can help overcome your self-doubt. You could also extend some positive affirmations to your loved ones. Lastly, try to be in tune with how you feel.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
This posture is practiced in an inclined savasana or semi-supine posture. Diaphragmatic breathing as the name implies is focused on how you breathe. While breathing the contraction in the stomach will be emphasized more than in the chest. Here, the stomach and the abdomen are fully engaged. One sign to know that you are doing this right is breathing and intentionally pulling the diaphragmatic down while inhaling air, therefore when you exhale the diaphragm relaxes thereby moving air out of the lungs.
When to Meditate While Lying Down
When some people have some stress-related illness, sound therapy is usually one of the common recommendations. During sound therapy, the individual is expected to be in a very comfortable posture which in most cases is lying down.
Sleep meditation could be another reason to meditate while lying down. In a situation where an individual experiences difficulty falling asleep, sleep meditation is often recommended. This kind of meditation helps them drift to sleep easily.
It is therefore important to note that if drifting off to sleep is not your goal for lying down to meditate, then I highly recommend that you let your eyes be open while meditating.
Meanwhile, there are pros and cons of meditating while lying down. This will help you understand when it’s more appropriate for you to meditate while lying down.
Benefits of Meditating While Lying Down
Lying down while meditating has some benefits especially if it’s geared towards a particular goal.
It Refreshes the Senses
Just like I mentioned earlier people find lying down a bit more relaxing than sitting up. Therefore after a hectic and stressful day, it is way more relaxing to just lay down and meditate thereby relaxing your muscles which releases some tension as well.
It Is More Comfortable
One of the reasons these articles exist in the first place is because people needed to find more comfortable ways to meditate, probably because the conventional method was not suitable for them, in most cases uncomfortable. A good number of individuals love to meditate but begin to develop cold feet because of the cramps that come with sitting up for some time. Lying down to meditate relieves you from pain and discomfort and can help you follow your routines without thinking twice. If you have some health issues lying down to meditate would be the best for you.
Better Sleep
Lying down to meditate helps you reduce stress, relax, and get in tune with your mind. It is reasonable to say that one can get a good quality of sleep after meditating. It also helps people who have difficulty falling asleep to drift asleep more easily.
A Good Way to Start Your Day
When most people wake up in the morning the first thing they do is go through their phones, checking their mail, texts, and the news. And somehow whatever they see on the media affects their day. But imagine if you wake up and spend some time meditating in bed, it would prepare you for the day ahead. The upsides of mindful meditation can never be overemphasized.
Cons of Meditating While Lying Down
The disadvantage of lying down while meditating is that you can get very comfortable and then fall asleep. It takes quite some level of consciousness to avoid it.
It also requires a level of discipline to stay focused when you are meditating while lying down. For instance, if you are trying to meditate in the morning just before you start your day, you might sleep back if you are not cautious.
Is It Okay to Meditate While Lying Down?
It’s not bad to lie down and meditate. Mindfulness can be practiced in any posture, such as walking, standing, sitting, or lying down.
Is It Good to Meditate While Falling Asleep?
Yes, it is. Meditation slows your heart rate and lowers your body’s levels of the stress hormone cortisol, both of which occur naturally while you sleep. Meditation can also cause you to experience theta brainwaves, which are the same state your brain enters when you fall asleep.
What Should You Not Do When Meditating?
Meditation beginners make mistakes such as failing to set aside time for practice, obsessing over the technique, attempting to completely block thoughts, and wanting rapid results.
Conclusion
Meditation helps you tune in to your mind, so it might be a fact to say that sitting upright which is the usual meditation practice is the best way to meditate. While concentration is a huge part of meditation, we will all agree that when one is uncomfortable it is absolutely difficult to concentrate. Therefore if lying down is what makes you feel comfortable, then you have to learn how to meditate properly. Don’t just read but practice the steps in this article, you will be glad you did.
Two cents from Psychmoments
The fact that you are reading this article is enough evidence that you want to explore various ways of meditating. All the meditation styles above are carefully researched ways of meditating while lying down.
It is important to also know that it is ok for you to decide what meditation posture works for you. As long as you have clear goals you want to achieve and you follow the right steps judiciously. You can also join a community that practices your preferred meditation style, this would help you stay more accountable.
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- What to Think When Meditating: Best 2024 Practices
- 31+ Words of Affirmation Examples 2024 and how to use Guide
- Contentment; All You Need to Know!
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