by Donna Quesada Schollhamme: When I was a young Zen student, I stayed at a monastery for a while. At the beginning of my stay, I wasn’t sleeping well.
It was a very intense schedule we were keeping and I had already been going through a stressful time in my life, which is what had brought me there in the first place… I had enlisted myself in that intense retreat to deal with my anxiety head on.
As I look back, one of the real gifts of that experience was meeting “Zheng,” as everyone called him. He was the one doing Chi Gong in the courtyard every afternoon, despite the fact that most others were either reading quietly or napping, due to the fact that we had all been up since 4:45 AM, which was the call time to be on our mats for meditation.
We became friendly and I shared with him that I had a case of “alarm anxiety,” and was having trouble getting to sleep, knowing I had to be up at that hour, with no exceptions or leeway. He generously shared with me the following simple tricks, over the course of our remaining weeks together…
1.The Taoist “Microcosmic Orbit Technique”
This is a gentle “energy circulation” meditation to quiet the mind. It uses visualization to shift awareness to the lower part of your belly, called the Tan Tien. Focusing here activates your inner sense of calm and restores your sense of inner strength and security, simultaneously. When you feel safe, your system relaxes. Zheng would say, “When your awareness is situated in the Tan Tien, there is simply no room for anxiety to live here, anymore.”
Instructions:
While lying on your back in bed, bring your awareness to the lower part of your belly, right below the navel point.
> INHALE as you visualize your energy moving UP the spine.
And,
> EXHALE as you visualize your energy moving DOWN the front of the body.
Next, begin visualizing the energy moving in a more vivid and expressive way… get creative! Sometimes, for example, I imagine the flowing energy as blue light, or as sparkly white particles.
Continue in this way, slowly, for several minutes, or until you fall asleep.
This calms the mind, the nervous system, and reduces anxiety, by anchoring awareness in the body.
2. “Breathing to the Heels” Technique
This is an exotic way of describing the power of slow, deep breathing, and its ability to help you access a deep reservoir of calm within. Most people breathe too fast, and in a very shallow manner, only utilizing a small fraction of their lung capacity. And to make matters worse, when we are stressed, we tend to breathe even faster. thus reinforcing this pattern.
“Breathing to the Heels” enables us to consciously reverse this tendency. The benefits on the nervous system, of slowing down the breath are innumerable, and you can experience the tension dissipating almost immediately.
Instructions:
> INHALE as you imagine your breath going DOWN the legs… as if, you are “sipping” it in through your nose, and taking it down, lower than usual, in your body.
> EXHALE as you imagine it sinking DOWN into your heels.
(Note: This is a bit contrary to what we would expect, as normally, the exhale is when we would push it back out. In this case, the exhale is pushing it down even farther!)
Keep the breath slow, even, and deep, and continue on for as long as you wish, or until you fall asleep.
Like the previous technique, this calms the mind and the nervous system, and as Zheng used to say, it is good for people that have too much Yang energy (sun energy) in their heads. It awakens the softer Yin energy, by orienting us downward.
3. The Taoist “Inner Smile”
This one is so special! It’s amazing how a soft smile directed inward, helps the body relax. The Taoists have perfected the technique…
Instructions:
While lying comfortably, smile gently and naturally: Think perhaps, of someone you love… a pet, a relative, or a dear friend, or even a lovely memory…
Now, direct the feeling of this smile to your eyes, forehead, and the back of your head. Imagine it spreading through your whole head and down into your neck.
Gently guide the smiling energy down through your chest, and into your lungs and heart-center. Smile to your organs and thank them for the work they do.
Direct all the smiling energy into your navel center, the “power center” we spoke of above, known as the Tan Tien, situated right below the belly button.
Now, imagine the “smiling energy” circulating within your abdomen. You can visualize it as a warm, golden light.
Finally, imagine your smile spreading outward, into the world. Stay with this image until you fall asleep.
This technique releases stress and tension in the body, by instantly replacing it with the energy of gratitude, gladness and joy. This in turn, awakens the parasympathetic relaxation response, which brings a sense of deep calm and inner peace.
Note: I have recorded a full version of the Taoist Smiling Meditation, which is found on audio, here:
And on video here:
4. “Listening to the Silence”
This technique is subtle. It is a meditative trick to diffuse thoughts and mental noise.
Instructions:
While lying down, begin to consciously slow down your breath.
“Listen” to the space around you—not the sounds, per se, but the silence around them.
If you get stuck on a sound, don’t resist it… allow yourself to “fall into it,” rather than wishing it would stop, or trying to get around it.
Now, let your attention spread outward… let it disperse, so that it is not localized or focused on anything in particular.
When you find yourself stuck on any specific noise or sound, go back to the previous step of “falling into it,” and then again, let your attention disperse.
This technique expands awareness and dissolves inner chatter.
5. The White Cloud Technique
This is another visualization technique from the Taoist tradition, for falling asleep and staying in a deep sleep.
Instructions:
While lying down…
Imagine a soft, fluffy white cloud floating down from the sky.
In your mind’s eye, see it enveloping your head… neck… chest… belly… legs… your entire body. Hold this image for as long as possible.
Imagine the cloud wrapping itself around you, until even your feet are engulfed inside the big, fluffy, cotton-like cloud.
Let go of your body. Trust that the cloud has you in its embrace. Let go… Sink into it…
Now, imagine the cloud carrying you away.
See yourself floating through the universe, while wrapped inside the cloud.
This technique melts tension, and enables you to release stressful thoughts, while replacing all anxiety with a feeling of safety, making it easier to fall asleep.
