Using Yoga, Meditation, & Mantra During Sleep Training
I did the Stellar Sleep System (Little Dipper’s mindfulness-based baby sleep course) when my son was a baby, and one of the most impactful takeaways for me was learning about how calm parents = calm babies. I think about it all the time - even now. If my own feelings and emotions are regulated, it is easier for my son to find regulation as well.
But real talk, it is very hard. And it can feel like a lot of pressure.
“Dammit - I’m so tired and I’m so frazzled and I have no idea what I’m doing and I just need to CALM DOWN so my baby will CALM DOWN!”
Now we’re all crying.
But as a yoga practitioner and teacher I had a few tricks up my sleeve. I want to share them with you so that you feel equipped to manage your own feelings and emotions too.
Here are three ways I use yoga, meditation & mantra while putting my baby to sleep:
Think of the bedtime routine as a moving meditation. Almost as important as the steps in your family’s bedtime routine is your ability to be completely and totally present - free of distractions - rooted in the now - during the bedtime routine.
New to meditation? Try this - as you fill the tub for bathtime, imagine putting all of your thoughts into a box. Then imagine leaving that box just outside of the bathroom door. It will be there for you when you’re ready to open it again. Now bring your attention to the water. What does it sound like? What does it feel like? What does it smell like? Enjoy using your senses to experience the water. Use this very specific noticing to bring your attention to the present.
Use Child’s Pose for sleep learning (aka sleep training; read this is you wanna know what we’re talking about and why we prefer the term sleep learning). While you are moving through sleep learning of any kind (including during sleep regressions or sleep changes) you will most likely find yourself needing self-regulation while your child has some big feelings.
I find it incredibly helpful to use Child’s Pose during sleep learning. When my son was prepared to soothe himself to sleep but was still comforted by my presence in his room, I would rest on the ground just outside of his crib in Child’s Pose. When we started leaving the room while he self-soothed, I would take Child’s Pose in the hallway right outside his nursery.
Child’s Pose works for a few reasons - First, it helps you to feel comforted in a relaxing, dark, resting pose. Second, it is a pose that protects your heart space, which can be very powerful when your nervous system is fried from hearing your child cry. Finally, this pose makes it very easy to avoid eye contact with your child or stimulation of any kind (if you are remaining in the room during self-soothing). Your calming physical presence is there for them, but you aren’t distracting or stimulating.
Your words have power. Try using mantra while you are putting your baby to sleep. Mantra is a sound, word or phrase that is repeated by someone who is praying or meditating. This repetition can be very comforting, for you and for your baby, and the words you choose truly are powerful.
I used to rock my baby to sleep while repeating “You Can Do It” silently to myself.
My dear friend tells her toddler “You Were Made for Rest” as she puts her to bed. I would suggest repeating this sweet phrase to yourself after leaving your toddler’s room as they comfort themselves to sleep. Not only will your child feel the energy you are creating, it may even help you transition to your own snoozy routine.
If none of this resonates, I’ll leave you with my favorite (and simplest) tool. If you are feeling frazzled - Place both hands over your heart. Palms facing down, one on top of the other. Stay like this, seated or standing, for a few breaths. This simple gesture helps to regulate our nervous systems by telling our body we are safe. Try this simple gesture while your baby is in a safe place and notice how it makes you (and your baby) feel.
Want to dive deeper with me? Join me for Baby & Me Yoga with Whole Mama Yoga and at the JCC in Durham.
Or you might also like these Stellar Sleep Blog Posts:
How to Succeed in Sleep Training, The Mindful Way
Use a Mantra: The Mindfulness Instructor’s Secret Weapon for Better Sleep
4 Baby Mindfulness Activities to Promote Balance and Connection
Meet Erin.
Erin Hanehan is a Certified Kids Yoga Instructor and Drama Teaching Artist based in Durham, NC.
She has a BA in Dramatic Arts from UNC Chapel Hill and completed her kids yoga and mindfulness certification with Growga. Erin has taught all kinds of things—from cooking classes to improv—to students of all ages, but she is most passionate about working with preK and early elementary students. Driven by a mission to help all children stand tall, find their own voice and feel confident in their bodies, Erin currently teaches in schools with Growga, online with Whole Mama Yoga and in-person with Raleigh Little Theater and Jewish for Good. She also works part-time as the PR Manager for Little Dipper Sleep.
Erin shares her life with her son, Nathan, her partner, Matt, her dog, Olive, and her chickens, Chip & Jo.