What Good Is Mindfulness Practice If You Fall Asleep Whenever You Do It?
There are two basic reasons people fall asleep during mindfulness meditation.
They’re tired.
When we set aside what we’re thinking about, our brains assume it’s bedtime.
Prioritizing sensing over making sense without dozing off doesn’t happen overnight.
It helps to practice making a conscious decision about how you plan to respond to this challenge before you start to lose consciousness — and to let falling asleep be a valuable option.
Yield to the pull of unconsciousness
If you plan to meditate consistently, you will fall asleep sometimes.
Practice making a conscious decision not to fight it while you can. The window is narrow — more like a trap door you suddenly fall through.
Deciding to embrace the plunge ahead of time lets you enjoy the ride and some frictionless rest.
Notice the pull of unconsciousness without yielding
Deciding to try to stay awake is an equally beneficial choice. Like warming up during physical exercise, the related discomfort takes some getting used to. It’s a counter-instinctual skill.
When you make the decision to try to stay awake, early detection is key. As soon as signs of fatigue appear, there are a couple of ways you can quickly intervene.
Sit up straight
If you’re lying on the floor, sit in a chair. If you’re sitting on a cushion or meditation bench, and you’re starting to sway or slump, lengthen your spine. You might need to repeat this several times as you inhale.
Open your eyes
I‘m not sure if this one is obvious or not, but your eyes don’t need to be closed when you meditate. It really helps to open them as soon as you start to feel drowsy.
There’s a bonus related to working with this common challenge.
Getting really curious about how sleep emerges helps prepare you to navigate unwanted alertness in the middle of the night. If a particular mindfulness exercise tends to make you nod off, give it a try sometime when you’re having trouble getting back to sleep.
