Chi Kung for insomnia

It is kind of funny you made this post, as I just got done
talking about “my insomnia cure” in the Greatest K&L class
I’m in, a few days ago.

As far as a short-term fix when lying in bed, the best qigong
I know is to let yourself feel your energy body melting downward
into the earth. Feel the gravity underneath your lying body,
and feel yourself melt down into the core of the earth. Drop
your consciousness down into the earth with the melting. Don’t
think about your insomnia; just enjoy the feeling of melting
into the earth. If you put all of your awareness into this,
more often than not, you will “check out” unexpectedly and
wake up the next morning.

However, this should really be treated as a quick fix.
The more important thing is correct the poor habits that create
the insomnia in the first place.

First, answer the following question:

Do you have a problem with falling asleep, or
do you have a problem with waking up early in the middle of
the night?

Regarding waking up early, often this has to do with
nighttime hypoglycemia. This problem can be remedied by
eating something small an hour or so before bedtime.
In less common cases, it is sleep apnea.

On the other hand, if it is more commonly about
falling asleep, typically it is about developing
better daytime habits and sleep preparation.
This includes reducing (or completely eliminating) caffeine
from one’s diet, as well as “preparing” for sleep about
an hour before bed. “Preparing” for sleep means turning off
cell phones, turning down the lights, turning off the TV,
turning off other stimulating activities, avoiding heavy
mental activity and talking in the hour before bed . . .
creating a relaxing space that is a transition between
being awake and going to bed. Too often people stay
busy and active, but then “realize” it is time to go to
bed, and are dismayed when the body doesn’t just shut off
immediately. In any case, the discussion in this paragraph
is probably the most important thing to adjust to alleviate
chronic insomnia. It is, in my opinion, far more important
in altering insomnia patterns than any “clever” qigong trick.

Qi,
Steven

By its very nature, qigong tends to stimulate and provide energy,
rather than sedate. Doing the Triple Warmer sound while in bed
can be one thing you can do . . . however, I personally find
that the “melting into the earth” exercise to be far more effective.
It avoids any unintended body stimulation.

However, oftentimes waking up early is a blood sugar issue.
If you wake up early, sometimes eating something small will alleviate
the problem that woke you up in the first place, and then you can
go back to sleep. Prevention of this is often about making sure you are
not starving yourself in the evenings and/or avoiding eating sugary
items at night that cause your blood sugar to spike and then plummet (like
cookies, ice cream, etc.). Eat something in the evenings, but make it small
and not full of simple sugars.

S

When I first started doing the 6 Healing Sounds, I would do them right before going to bed. I would do the first 5 sitting, then the last one while laying in bed (w/o hand movement). I would usually be out before I got three breaths in. Of course, I don’t usually have a problem falling asleep so I’m not the best baseline; just thought I’d add my 2 cents…