A shared practice
Loving-Kindness for Sleep
S
Created bySean Fargo
Part 8 of Sean's sleep series — recorded in his own voice.
In Sean Fargo’s own voice9 min
Read along — the full script
I'm Sean Fargo. One of the reasons why it's hard to fall asleep sometimes is because the mind keeps bouncing back and forth from one thing to another, seemingly out of control. You might be thinking about a shopping list or a thing that you did yesterday that bugged you, or maybe you're thinking about a TV show or a movie.
There are a million things that our minds tend to every week, so it's natural that the mind keeps bouncing around from one thing to the next. It's completely normal. That's fine. But how do you get to sleep? One method that's worked for a lot of people is repeating phrases.
There are four phrases that I would like to introduce to you that when repeated over and over and over in the head, help to concentrate the mind so that it stops bouncing all over the place. These four phrases induce a sense of care and self-worth and loving kindness for ourselves and the people who we really care about. So these phrases are not a form of hypnosis, but really a form of mental training to cultivate a sense of care and concentration that allows us to fall asleep faster and with more ease.
So what are these phrases? They are: May I be safe. May I be healthy. May I be happy. May I live with ease. So to repeat, they're may I be safe, may I be healthy, may I be happy, may I live with ease. So as you try to fall asleep, as you lay down in your bed with your feet outstretched and your hands by your side, it can be helpful just to repeat these phrases over and over again.
Your mind will naturally wander. Everyone's does. But the trick is to acknowledge when your mind has wandered and to gently and kindly come back to the phrases. Just starting over again and again, coming back to the phrases may I be safe, may I be healthy, may I be happy, may I live with ease.
Now, right now, as we start this practice, you can be sitting or standing or driving, but if you're laying down, that's great. We'll simply relax the breath, relax the body, taking a deep breath and just breathing naturally. And starting with the phrases may I be safe, may I be healthy, may I be happy, may I live with ease.
May I be safe, may I be healthy, may I be happy, may I live with ease. May I be safe, may I be healthy, may I be happy, may I live with ease. If you wish to think of someone else other than yourself, you can shift your awareness to maybe an image of someone you would like to share warm wishes for.
May they be safe. May they be healthy. May they be happy. May they live with ease. May they be safe. May they be healthy. May they be happy. May they live with ease. Safe. Healthy. Happy. Ease. Safe. Healthy. Happy. Ease.
May I be safe. May I be healthy. May I be happy. May I live with ease. Safe. Healthy. Happy. Ease
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