Mindful Mondays: The Big Lie In

The Big Lie-in: Mindfulness for Sleep 

For most of us the thought of an extra hour in bed this Sunday when the clocks go back is much welcome. However, if you're part of our sleep deprived nation, who can't sleep and won't sleep, you might feel in despair then it just means an extra hour of restlessness. After all, 'a ruffled mind makes a restless pillow' - prophetic wisdom indeed from Charlotte Bronte!

Well here lies another reason and motivation to explore modern mindfulness and join our Mindful Mondays series. Mindfulness is very helpful when it comes to supporting insomniacs and I use it in my sleep & anxiety clinic to REFRAME sleep. 

The classic mindfulness meditation 'The Body Scan' is super easy and really helpful for unplanned wakefulness.So if you do one thing this week, perhaps use that 'gifted' time when your mind is awake and reframe the opportunity as a chance to practice The Body Scan. You'll be nourishing your nervous system and exercising your mind awareness muscle and by doing this you'll train your senses and attention whilst creating calm...inviting your body to gently rest if not to sleep.

Body scans always start from the goes up to the head, noticing each and every body part, noticing any stress or tightness, and slowly releasing tension. Breathe into the body part - send appreciation and calm breath. This should ideally be 3 mins per body part each side. Give it a try this weekend - it's the most popular practice for athletes, and is great for the start of winter marathon training too!

This blog was written by Neat Ambassador Natalie Pennicotte-Collier, The Mindcoach. Find her online at mindtonictherapy.com or on Instagram and Twitter.