The Sub-Consciousness of Sleep

What lays in your subconscious landscape?

As I lay me down to sleep…

The most sacred part of my day is the time when I prepare myself to go to sleep at night. It is a quiet process and does not take a lot of time, but it is powerful and creative in its nature. This is the time when I quickly review my day, releasing what I am happy to let go of as I consciously exhale and then I prepare for the most important part, ”Training my subconscious”.

And I will explain what I mean by that but first let me explore a little further. Many of us will go to bed at night complaining about the day we have had, how tiring it was, how drained we are, etc., etc. Through our brain will run a cascade of emotions and feelings that took over our day because someone did that, and another said this. It is almost addictive to sit there and complain- either out loud or quietly if we have no one to listen to us - about how difficult and challenging our day was. Lamenting over the miseries that have befallen us and how “I will never get out of this cycle”. But there is a way out! Think of this; what if we focused our attention on our wishes instead of our miseries? Novel idea! We are really good at fueling our sorrows; what do we have to lose if we do a little experiment and perhaps turn things around? It takes the same kind of effort, just with a new focus.

So, let me continue by saying that this powerful tool will have you changing your neuron-pathways and creating new neuron-connections that serve you more and more the deeper you get into this practice. This is how I choose to re-direct my thoughts as I lay myself to sleep…

First I take a moment to think of a something I would like to change in my life. I take in a full breath and I begin to see, feel and consciously connect to how I would feel should my certain wish be realized. Not so much in words but in my inner core I ask: “How would I feel right now if my wish was realized?”, “How would that show up in my body?”  In the beginning your brain is swarming with a hundred wishes you would like to fulfill and all the things that you wish you could change. But let us start with one… Believe me, I have more than one wish too but I like to take it slow and give ample time for each one to come to fruition. Nice and steady wins the race! Some wishes might require more bandwidth and need to be focused on longer – several nights at a time; sometimes even months. Let me suggest your start with something easier to practice on; something not so farfetched from your current reality.

So, I bring that wish to mind and I take the time to BE in that feeling, connect with it, make it part of my consciousness and move into it. I move away from the fear of not being able to achieve it and step into the excitement that being in it can bring. The brain does not know the difference between reality and visualization so create the space you want to be in and “live it”.  For example: If my physical pains and aches did not stop me from having a fulfilling life how would I feel right now? Would the feeling be freedom?  Being able to do what I want – hike, dance, walk the streets of downtown with my loved one? Would it be excitement for being able to do fun things and enjoy my life?

Put yourself in the consciousness of already being there, in that state you are longing for before you drift off to sleep and let your subconscious work on creating just that. See yourself hiking, or going to the gym, dancing or whatever your fancy is. And tap into the joy that it brings you to be able to do that. How does it feel to live from that space of allowance? Other ideas/examples are “I feel loose and flexible”, “I feel powerful “, “I am excited and joyful”. You might want to focus on wishes such as “My abundant life and my financial freedom support me in all my endeavors” and maybe see yourself traveling to parts of the world you always longed to see. Or “My health is bursting with aliveness”  and I can do whatever crosses my mind, and so on and so forth. You pick your theme so to say and go at it. Let yourself be immersed in that new reality and feel how it feels to be living from that perspective.

As the body slowly drifts off to sleep it disconnects the conscious part and moves into the subconscious. It is said the subconscious rules most of our lives, so it makes sense to take the time and “prime” it with the thoughts and feelings you would like to bring into your waking life. Thoughts create emotions, emotions create feelings, feelings translate into chemical reactions and neuron formations in the brain and body, and chemical reactions create new pathways and change. So think away and stay within your focus.

For the next few hours, while you sleep, your subconscious will be creating the nourishing and supportive space for your wish to be fulfilled. What a great time to benefit from being asleep while you are nudging your creativity. Take advantage of these eight hours or so and grease the wheels of your new reality. So let yourself slowly slip into your sleeping mode and allow your subconscious consciousness do its work!

This is a powerful process and the more you get into the habit of doing it the more potent it becomes as you get better and better at it. It is Important to remember to get into that place of consciously feeling and being and not just thinking about how it would feel. Allow yourself to experience it and live it while you drift off. Be one with it – breathe it and sense it. A good practice is to keep a notepad and pencil by your bed so you can write down any dreams or ideas and inspirations you may have during the night or when you awake in the morning. It is amazing how creative we can be while we sleep when our brain is not overwhelmed with the day to day life details. Nighttime is also the time when we receive guidance from our subconscious. So we want to make sure to jot those ideas down as they can help us move into our new space of consciousness.

Take time to notice and write down the emotions that this state brings as your wishful state of being becomes fulfilled. By doing this practice you also might begin feeling more powerful and strong as you realize that you have some control in co-creating your life. You now no longer feel as if life happens to you but rather that you can direct life to a certain extent.

To recap, 3 easy steps:

1.  Prepare for a good night's sleep and take a full, conscious breath
2. Focus on your wish and get into the Feeling of it 
3. Go to sleep and let your sub-conscious create for you

Have fun with it and most of all FEEL yourself into fulfilling your wish.

Sweet Dreams!

 Corinna ♥