How to Meditate While Lying in Bed or on the Floor

Can you meditate while lying on a bed?

You can meditate anywhere and in any position, including lying down. While most experts recommend sitting to maintain your focus, with the right mindset and posture, your horizontal session can produce as many benefits as an upright one. Lying down is also more beneficial – and sometimes necessary – for people suffering from back pain or exhaustion.

Best Postures for Meditating Lying Down

Assume the Alexander Semi-Supine position to help back pain. Lie on your back with your knees bent and pointed up. Keep your feet flat on the floor and prop your head on a firm but padded object, like a yoga block or a thin book wrapped in a blanket.

Take pressure off your knees by lying flat with legs extended. Place a cushion or bolster underneath your knees and head to provide support. This position also allows you to feel more of the bed or floor underneath you and will help you be more aware of your surroundings.

Lie on your right side to help you stay slightly upright and alert. Stabilize your right arm on the floor with your elbow and use your right hand to hold your head up. Rest your left arm on your side. Bend your legs slightly, keeping the upper knee bent a little more than the lower knee to reduce pressure. Use this position if lying on your back isn't comfortable or if you tend to fall asleep on your back. Place a sturdy cushion or yoga block under your armpit or upper chest to support your weight. This is supposed to be a relaxing meditation, not a strength or endurance test!

Best Meditations for Lying in Bed or on the Floor

Listen to a guided meditation to calm your thoughts. Guided meditations spoken by experienced yoga instructors will help you settle your mind and body into a state of calm, bliss, and relaxation. It's the perfect way to unwind after a long, stressful day. Search YouTube find a guided meditation you enjoy. If you're lying down in a quiet room, play the meditation through a speaker. If you need to block out background noise or have trouble hearing, listen to it through a pair of comfortable earbuds or headphones. If you're lying on the floor instead of your bed, spread out a cushioned surface like a yoga mat to soften the area.

Try a body scan meditation for a more restful sleep. Meditating this way will help you focus entirely on becoming aware of and relaxing your body and allow you to slip naturally into a deep slumber. While lying down, notice the sensations in your scalp and head. Slowly increase your awareness of each facial feature, muscle, limb, and digit of your body from the top down. As you go, relax and give yourself permission to let go of all your worries and stressful thoughts. Repeat the body scan as many times as you want until you fall asleep.

Use the box breathing meditation to calm anxiety. To box breathe, Dr. Tracy Carver says to inhale while counting to 4, then hold your breath for another 4 seconds, and finally exhale to a count of 4. Repeat this sequence to reset your nervous system and calm a panic attack. Carver says using a breathing technique while meditating is like "kind of giving your brain a little task…" Furthermore, she says, "giving yourself a little something to do can be really, really helpful when you feel completely out of control, and you feel completely overwhelmed."

Meditate on your awareness of your body to relieve pain. Focus first on areas of your body that aren't in any discomfort. Feel and identify the sensations there. Then slowly pay attention to the painful areas, regarding them like objects you see from a distance. Imagine your human experience as a circle. Visualize how much of that circle is taken up by pain. Then imagine the circle growing larger as you breathe deeply in and out so that your pain seems to grow smaller and more insignificant with each breath. Finish the meditation by noticing the weight and presence of your body on the surface you're lying on, whether that's a cushioned floor or your bed. Adopt an attitude of self-compassion toward yourself during this type of meditation. Breathe, hear noises, and feel pain and other sensations in your body while accepting it's okay to breathe, hear, and feel these things as they are.

Write your thoughts and feelings in a meditation journal. You can write lying down by using a lap desk or a lying on your side and holding the journal down on the bed while you jot. According to Dr. Carver, "journaling is a great way to self therapise." It helps you get your negative thoughts and anxious feelings out of your brain so they'll stop bothering you.

How to Stay Awake While Meditating Lying Down

Opt for a side laying position so you can hold your head up. Propping yourself up with your elbow and holding your head with your hand isn't exactly an optimal sleeping posture. Even though it's comfortable, it isn't quite comfortable enough to usher you down the road to dreamland.

Be mindful of your breaths to avoid falling asleep. Monitor your breath flowing through your upper chest, throat, nose, and mouth as you inhale and exhale to keep your brain active.

Focus on following your meditation instructor's words. If you have a guided meditation video or recording playing, direct your thoughts and intentions toward listening to and repeating all the movements, thoughts, and breaths they speak about.

Lying Down Meditation Benefits

It relieves back pain. People who suffer from chronic back pain or a back injury may find it challenging to sit up to meditate. A lying down position like the Alexander Semi-Supine pose is easier on the body and opens more people up to the other benefits of meditation, as well.

It makes relaxing easier. When you lie down, that's your body's signal that it's time to rest and relax. Your muscles will be easier to loosen up, too, because they're not exerting any effort to hold you upright.

It improves your willpower and attention span. It takes more concentration to meditate lying down because you have to try harder to stay awake in this position. Meditation is an exercise of willpower and focus, no matter what position you're in, but lying down will truly help you hone these areas of your mental stamina.

It helps you feel more compassion for yourself. If you can't sit up long enough to meditate, don't feel down about it. It's perfectly fine to meditate lying down and meet your abilities where they're at in this moment. Dr. Carver recommends replacing negative self-talk with statements of self-compassion for your body and state of mind. Instead of thinking, "I hate my body," or "I'm defective," say, "I love my body," and "It's okay that I can't sit up right now."

Is it better to meditate sitting or lying down?

Experts say it's best to meditate while sitting to avoid falling asleep. For most people, meditation is a mental exercise they use to center their thoughts, regulate their emotions, and practice awareness of their bodies and surroundings. Those goals are harder to accomplish when you're dozing!

If you suffer from back pain, experts recommend lying down to meditate. As long as you focus on your breathing or a guided meditation and avoid lying completely flat on your back, you should be able to stay awake and derive real benefit from your session.