Break the stress cycle and ease into sleep: A guided progressive relaxation
When we’re stressed, it often feels like our minds are stuck in a loop of spinning thoughts, which makes falling asleep difficult. But what if the way out doesn’t start in the mind at all?
During WWII, the U.S. military discovered just how powerful the body-mind connection really is. Combat pilots under intense pressure were making critical mistakes due to stress and exhaustion. To help, they brought in Bud Winter, a football and track coach who believed something simple but radical: if you relax the body, the mind will follow.
This is the foundation of progressive relaxation—a method that involves consciously relaxing the body, part by part. Here’s why it works. When your sympathetic system (the “fight-or-flight” mode) is activated, the blood rushes to your large skeletal muscles to enable you to fight or run away. Your muscles tense up to prepare you for action. It works the other way around, too—if your muscles tense up, your brain gets a message that there is danger, and in response, your sympathetic system gets activated. This is often referred to as a “stress loop.” But when you deliberately soften and release tension from each muscle group, the opposite happens: your nervous system gets the message that you’re safe. The body exits fight-or-flight mode, and the mind begins to quiet.
In the guided relaxation below, we use this approach to help you unwind and fall asleep. As you shift attention through your body and relax each area, you’re not just preparing for rest; you’re resetting your entire nervous system.
This technique helped 96% of WWII pilots learn to fall asleep in two minutes or less; it can help you too. The more you practice, the more effective it becomes.
Follow this audio in bed when you are ready to sleep. Let your awareness drift through the body, letting go, softening, releasing. If you’re still awake by the end, simply keep relaxing and staying with your breath.
Guided relaxation for better sleep
Are you ready to address your sleep challenges? Check out our new webinar series, Reclaim Your Calm: Yoga for Better Sleep.
Develop a personalized approach to achieving better sleep, rooted in awareness, movement, and breath.
The Reclaim Your Calm: Yoga for Better Sleep webinar series includes three hour-long webinars, eight short video tutorials featuring quick techniques and movements, eight full yoga practices, and an 80-page e-book. It’s currently available at an introductory price of $59 (regularly $75). This special offer ends on June 15, 2025.
