If you’ve been plagued by chronic stress and struggling to sleep, you’re not alone.
Maybe you lie awake at night, unable to shut off the endless mental to-do lists or worries.
Perhaps your body feels stuck in overdrive, making it hard to relax, even when you're completely exhausted. Tired yet wired.
Sleep deprivation can feel isolating and overwhelming, painfully impacting your energy, mood, and ability to cope with daily life.
This article highlights ancient and cutting edge techniques that synergize seamlessly to cradle you toward a much dreamier existence.
EFT Tapping
There are many potent benefits of practicing EFT Tapping:
Works with chi flowing through the meridians by stimulating energy at various stress-reduction points.
Cultivates unshakable self-acceptance while neutralizing deeply held traumas.
Instills resilience by creating a home base of unconditional self-love and acceptance.
Affects the neural network, reconfiguring synaptic connections to reframe outdated belief systems—all made possible through the brain’s plasticity.
It doesn’t take long to get the hang of utilizing this remarkable self-healing tool, something you can keep in your back pocket to de-escalate your nervous system in any stressful situation. For insomnia, I often recommend spending 5 minutes tapping before bed to empty your subconscious of nagging stressors from the day, from recent weeks, or even from long-term chronic patterns that have taken up residence in your bodymind.
Need help getting started? Here’s my instructional EFT Tapping video on YouTube.
Yoga Nidra
Nidra is a goddess in ancient Tantric Yoga philosophy. She is the pitch black void of nothingness that we go to in deep sleep, deep meditation, and even death, and it’s where we regroup. This dark, divine void is pregnant with infinite potential, and when we visit, we are imbued with exactly what our soul needs.
Neurologically, this corresponds to when our brain is bathed in Delta waves, the slowest and most regenerative state, beyond dreaming and subconscious processing. One aim of practicing Nidra is to visit this realm to allow our bodies and minds to reset.
Your guided Nidra journey begins with relaxed diaphragmatic breathing to de-escalate your nervous system, followed by drawing your senses inward. Next, you silently plant your sankalpa, an intentional declaration set in the positive, present tense.
We then move through a systematic relaxation of each of the five layers of our consciousness, the koshas:
Physical Body (Annamaya Kosha): The body scan draws your awareness down into your body while inviting release and softening. {if you take ONE thing from this post, take the body scan! It is the golden ticket to sleep}
Energy Body (Pranamaya Kosha): The breath as a gateway to where core beliefs are held in the nervous system
Mental/Emotional Body (Manomaya Kosha): Exploring duality before merging opposites into a unified experience of wholeness
Wisdom/Intuitive Body (Vijnanamaya Kosha): Insights arise, and your sankalpa integrates.
Bliss Body (Anandamaya Kosha): A portal into joy, peace, and connection to the deepest self.
The whole Nidra process is done lying down (on a Yin Mat, the floor or in bed), guided gently from beginning to end.
So try some tapping before bed to clear away the day. And when you turn off your lights and get into bed you can begin your Nidra, whether that means listening to a guided Nidra, or taking yourself through it. You may find that you fall asleep during the body scan in the very first kosha, or maybe during the breathing in Pranamaya Kosha, but even if you make it to the end, you will feel so much more peaceful. It is said that the benefits of a well formulated Nidra session can equal what you would get from 3-4 hours of sleep! This is a mighty handy re-frame if you tend to ruminate about how much sleep you're not getting and what a wreck you'll be tomorrow! We all know how counterproductive that thought process is toward relaxing enough to arrive at the coveted gates of sleep.
Chronic stress and insomnia don’t have to define your life. By incorporating EFT and/or Nidra into your routine, you can begin to reclaim a sense of calm, balance, and restoration. Remember, healing is a journey, not a destination, so give yourself permission to take it one step at a time. If you’re ready for more personalized support, I’m here to help. Explore the resources linked above, reach out for a session, or simply start where you are—peaceful, dreamy nights are closer than you think.
Want personalized support? Schedule a free call or book my Chronic Stress/Insomnia Protocol 6-Session Series package or individual private Yoga Nidra sessions here.
Explore my free EFT Tapping Tutorial and Yoga Nidra videos on YouTube.
About Sarah Ann Aborn HHP
Sarah Ann Aborn is a multifaceted holistic healer specializing in practices that nurture the nervous system and restore deep, empowered balance. As an EFT practitioner, Yoga Nidra guide, and somatic healing facilitator, she offers a compassionate, grounded approach to releasing stress and tension. Sarah is also the creatrix of the Yin Mat, lovingly designed to be the world’s purrrrrfect Nidra nest, blending comfort and support for your ultimate sensual relaxation experience.
Find more of Sarah’s offerings and connect with her healing arts here
Comments