Midnight Meditations: Calm Your Thoughts, Still Your Body, and Return to Sleep

ISBN-13: 9781507216064

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Adams Media

Publication Date: 06-08-2021

Pages: 176

Product Dimensions: 5.40(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.70(d)

Courtney E. Ackerman is the author of My Pocket Meditations for Self-Compassion, My Pocket Positivity, 5-Minute Bliss, and My Pocket Gratitude. Her early travels sparked her interest in learning about human nature at a young age. This interest led her to Claremont Graduate University, where she earned her master’s degree in positive psychology and program evaluation. She works as a researcher and survey consultant in California. She enjoys traveling, spending time with her dogs, sampling beer at nearby breweries, and playing board games or video games to destress.

Table of Contents

Introduction 12

How to use this book 14

Chapter 1 Breath meditations 17

Come back to your breath 18

Breathe in a square 19

Try full-capacity breathing 20

Watch your breath 21

Feel each breath 22

Direct your breath 23

Breathe in bursts 24

Fill a breath balloon 25

Float on your breath 26

Breathe in calm, blow out tension 27

Count your breaths 28

Challenge yourself with 6-second breathing 29

Try alternate nostril breathing 30

Create some wind 31

Be the fan 32

Try constant breathing 33

Engage in ujjayi breathing 34

Employ 4-7-8 breathing 35

Double your exhale 36

Play with your breath 37

Give gratitude for your breath 38

Breathe in a circle 39

Visualize the breathing process 40

Try "o" breathing 41

Breathe with your palm 42

Use your core 43

Count your breaths-forward and backward 44

Breathe in color 45

Use your breath to unload stress 46

Try bee breathing 47

Chapter 2 Body meditations 49

Try progressive muscle relaxation 50

Do a body scan 51

Power down your body 52

Thank your body 53

Give yourself a hug 54

Give your body a break 55

Send love to your favorite areas 56

Send love to your flaws 57

Play footsie with yourself 58

Focus on what you feel 59

Give yourself a hand massage 60

Feel the warmth of the sun 61

Get an imaginary massage 62

Put your cells to sleep 63

Take a mental shower 64

Give your face some love 65

Massage your scalp 66

Stretch your sides 67

Be a starfish 68

Rest in child's pose 69

Drink an imaginary sleeping potion 70

Try a few yawns 71

Rub your tummy 72

Try soothing, repetitive motion 73

Get into reclined cobbler's pose 74

Use lion's breath 75

Press out stress 76

Pile on the pillows 77

Reverse the blood flow 78

Kick your feet up 79

Chapter 3 Thought meditations 81

Let your mind be the sky 82

Think big, feel small 83

Try loving-kindness meditation 84

Meditate on your past 85

Meditate on your present 86

Meditate on your future 87

Do a thought experiment 88

Learn to surrender 89

Put your thoughts to bed 90

Think about your sleeping success 91

Imagine life without sleep 92

Simply be present 93

Use a sound machine 94

Normalize your experience 95

Create a thought safe space 96

Imagine the vastness of space 97

Set an intention 98

Note your thoughts 99

Practice visual mindfulness 100

Ask yourself what you want 101

Be curious 102

Count your thoughts 103

Follow a belief 104

Stretch out your thoughts 105

Engage your third eye 106

Change your perspective 107

Gather up your gratitude 108

Use soothing music 109

Follow your heartbeat 110

Let your thoughts wash away 111

Chapter 4 Emotion meditations 113

Identify your emotions 114

Trace your emotion to the source 115

Accept your emotions 116

See your emotions as colors 117

Kindle some kindness 118

Neutralize frustration 119

Remove doubt 120

Say goodbye to sadness 121

Find your peace 122

Create some happiness 123

Eliminate embarrassment 124

Nurture self-compassion 125

Let go of anger 126

Soothe your fear 127

Create a state of calm 128

Save your excitement for later 129

Get rid of gloom 130

Cultivate some grace 131

Surrender to relaxation 132

Develop an anxiety barrier 133

Create contentment 134

Cry it out 135

Self-validate your emotions 136

Connect with your heart 137

Engage your healing energy 138

Burn up your negativity 139

Allow irritation to float away 140

Apply serenity 141

Change your emotional frequency 142

Create a nurturer 144

Chapter 5 Visualization meditations 145

Count the sleepy sheep 146

Float with the stars 147

Let sleep wash over you 148

Try a tree cocoon 150

Weave a grass blanket 151

Float down a river 152

Create a white Sight 153

Lie in a field 154

Visualize a loved one 155

See the sounds 156

Visualize yourself sleeping 157

Take a mental walk 158

Look out over a canyon 159

Design your dream vacation 160

Relax in a hammock 161

Recline in a cloud 162

Stroll through the jungle 163

Play in a waterfall 164

Vacuum out the energy 165

Explore a snowflake 166

Relax on the beach 167

Weather the storm 168

Visualize the coziest bed 169

Sit in grandma's kitchen 170

Watch the northern lights 171

Enjoy a crackling fire 172

Watch the sun set 173

Visualize a ball of relaxation 174

Row on a moonlit pond 175

Find your sleepy place 176