Mindfulness Audios Download: Lying Down

Daily Mindfulness Practice: Free Audio Download

by Monica A. Frank, Ph.D.

The following is part of a series of audios to teach how to practice mindfulness. Developing your ability to focus on the present moment can reduce distress and improve well-being.

Lying Down

Index for Mindfulness Audios

Additional reading:

Some tips for using these audios:

Start with the Understanding Mindfulness audios to learn about mindfulness.
These short practice exercises are to help train your brain to be more mindful when engaged in daily activities.
The audio format is just for convenience to help learn the material. You can also read the transcript. When you practice, however, you should engage in the behavior mindfully without listening to the audio.
The best way to train your brain to be more mindful is to practice in short sessions throughout the day while engaged in your normal activities.
The descriptions are an artificial way to help you get started. Eventually, the practice of mindfulness is being aware of what is described without using an inner verbal description.
This exercise focuses on experiencing the different sensations when lying down on different surfaces.
Depending upon the surface you are lying on, this is a good mindfulness practice for learning to tolerate discomfort. Instead of trying to make yourself comfortable, allow yourself just to experience the sensations whatever they might be.

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Transcript of Audio: Lying Down

When you lie down notice the surface that you are lying on. Is it soft or hard? Do you feel a texture? Do you smell anything? Where are the pressure points on your body? Is the pressure evenly dispersed? Or do you feel the contact of the surface on certain parts of your body? What do you see while you are lying down? Fully notice this experience. At different times try lying down on different types of surfaces, a bed, a couch, the floor, the ground outside. Notice how your experience different sensations to the body on different surfaces. Notice the different things you see and how the texture feels beneath your body. Is it lumpy or flat? Is it smooth or rough? Notice how your body feels. You don't need to make yourself be comfortable. Just let yourself fully experience whatever it feels like.