Recently I’ve been using some excellent mantras for sleep. And oh, my goodness, have they helped me to get a good night’s rest.
The best sleep mantras can help you to relax and unwind before bed. They can also stop insomnia, so you catch those Zzzzzz’s.
In the list of sleep mantras below, I’ve included spiritual mantras and English affirmations for sleep. You can use the spiritual mantras for meditation. I’ve included sleep mantras from kundalini yoga, Hinduism, and other spiritual belief systems. And to help you get started, I’ve written a flipping massive guide to mantras for beginners.
Contrastingly, affirmations are short sentences we say to ourselves to create certain thoughts and feelings. For instance, “I am calming, resting, and drifting off” is one good affirmation for sleep.
Let me share with you the absolute best mantras for sleep. And you might also like to read my guide to using meditation for insomnia.
What are sleep mantras?
Sleep mantras are sacred words and sounds used to help you to get to sleep at night.
In the West, it is more common to use affirmations for sleep, such as “I feel my body and mind relaxing and letting go”. Reciting these affirmations will help you to drift off.
Spiritual mantras are sacred phrases from yoga and Hindusim that have special powers. We use these when performing Japa (meditating on recitations). This helps to create the restful state of mind we get from meditation, plus the specific benefits of the mantra.
Benefits of using mantras for sleep
Sleep mantras originated in Ayurveda.
The Ayurveda, a 5000-year-old healing system, contains many different techniques for sleeping.
The Ayurveda states that rest is the “nursemaid to humanity”. A good night’s rest enables the body to restore itself to its natural, energised, pure form.
Ayurveda states that insomnia is caused by the imbalance of Vata dosha [1]. This is the movement of energy inside the body. An imbalance of Vata dosha will make you feel cluttered, your mind full of noise.
If you want to get good rest at night, you need to balance your Vata dosha.
To balance Vata dosha, Ayurvedic tradition advocates a lifestyle that is conducive to holistic health and wellbeing. When you get good nutrition, exercise, and relaxation you will be able to sleep. And of course, you can also use mantras for sleep.
The Best Mantras For Sleep
English affirmations
To start, let’s look at a few English affirmations for sleep and insomnia.
Recite these twenty times before bed.
- “I am calm and still.”
- “The world is sleeping, and all is well.”
- “I welcome rest into my being.”
- “Breathing deeply and calmly, becoming more and more relaxed with each breath.”
- “I feel my mind and body drifting off.”
- “My mind and body are letting go.”
These are good affirmations for sleeping. They work by the power of suggestion. They will quieten your mind and help you to drift off.
As mentioned above, this is the first type: affirmations. Now let’s look at some Kundalini yoga and Hindu mantras for sleeping well.
1: Sa Ta Na Ma
Sa Ta Na Ma is a kundalini yoga mantra for sleeping.
Recite this one before bed, and you will get a good night’s rest.
It has five sounds (it is a panj shabad mantra). It balances the brain’s hemispheres. This is important because insomnia is often caused by imbalanced brain chemicals [1]. Sa Ta Na Ma promotes balance and returns us to our natural, healthy mental state.
2: Har Har Mukunday
Another powerful mantra for sleep is Har Har Mukunday. This will relax your mind so you can get some rest.
Often, insomnia is caused by a mental block. To overcome these blocks, we need to enter a state of flow. This is where Har Har Mukunday can help. It removes fears and other kinds of mental blocks so we can relax.
3: Ang Sang Waheguru
Ang Sang Waheguru will balance your mind and body, helping you to get rest.
How to use mantras for sleep
There is a specific way of using mantras for sleep. Simply follow these guidelines:
- Lie down comfortably with good posture
- Close your eyes and take ten deep breaths. Breath in for four. Hold for four. Breathe out for four. Hold for four Repeat. This technique is called “box breathing” and will activate your parasympathetic nervous system so you start to relax.
- Begin to recite one of the mantras above. Meditate on the sound. Place your conscious awareness inside the sound.
- Recite the mantra 108 times.
- Enjoy your sleep.
By sleeping well, you will help return your mind and body to a healthy, rested state. I recommend combining the above with meditation. You can find all the different meditations via our main menu.
For help using mantras for sleep, book an online meditation lesson with me today.
Paul Harrison is a passionate meditation teacher who believes in genuine, authentic meditation. He has more than 15 years experience in meditation and mindfulness. He studied meditation in beautiful Oxford, UK, and Hamilton Ontario Canada, and earned his degree at Staffordshire University.
“My goal is to provide the most authentic meditation sessions so you can harness the power of your own mind for personal transformation” – Paul Harrison
This was so very helpful for me. Thank you kind soul.
When you recite an affirmation, any affirmation, always the “time” word Now in them.