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Today I want to talk to you about Peloton’s Power of Sleep program. Unfortunately I’m not a very good sleeper, and it’s been that way since I was in high school. It’s gotten worse over the past 2-3 years and I’ve tried a few different things to help. I haven’t found the magic solution yet, so that’s when I decided to do the Power of Sleep program. Sleep and recovery are so important, especially when you workout multiple times a week.
Power of Sleep is a two week program that links the power of meditation to sleep. As stated on the Peloton app, “Explore the connection between meditation and sleep, and learn how meditation can be a powerful tool to help promote relaxation and pave the way to better sleep. When you meditate over time, you’ll find you can fall asleep sooner, sleep deeper, and feel more rested when you wake up.”
The program features 5-15 minute sleep meditations from 4 different instructors – Ross Rayburn (my favorite!), Aditi Shah, Anna Greenberg and Kristin McGee.
Week 1
The first week was a great introduction to basic meditation techniques. In the past, it’s always been hard for me to get into meditation because I can never really shut off my brain. One benefit to this program is that you do the meditations right before going to sleep, so you’re body is already in ‘wind down’ mode. During this week 6 of the classes were specifically sleep meditation classes and there was one Savasana meditation class. The savasana class was interesting because you take it lying down (instead of sitting). I was asleep before this meditation was over – it was SO relaxing!
POWER OF SLEEP MEDITATION PROGRAM – WEEK 1
Intro – 5 min Intro to Sleep Meditation – Ross Rayburn
Day 1 – 5 min Sleep Meditation – Aditi Shah
Day 2 – 5 min Savasana Meditation – Ross Rayburn
Day 3 – 5 min Sleep Meditation – Anna Greenberg
Day 4 – 5 min Sleep Meditation – Kristin McGee
Day 5 – 5 min Sleep Meditation – Aditi Shah
Day 6 – 5 min Sleep Meditation – Anna Greenberg
Day 7 – 10 min Sleep Meditation – Ross Rayburn
Week 2
After week 1, I noticed that I was falling asleep much faster than I had in the past. The second week of the program introduced longer meditations (10 and 15 minutes). During the 10 minute meditations I found that I was able to get get to a more relaxed state quicker. Maybe it’s because my body knew I had 5 additional minutes? Overall I enjoyed the meditations by the Ross the best, followed by Kristin. It’s just something about their voices that really help to relax me more than the other instructors.
POWER OF SLEEP MEDITATION PROGRAM – WEEK 2
Day 1 – 5 min Sleep Meditation – Kristin McGee
Day 2 – 10 min Sleep Meditation – Aditi Shah
Day 3 – 10 min Savasana Meditation – Anna Greenberg
Day 4 – 10 min Sleep Meditation – Ross Rayburn
Day 5 – 10 min Sleep Meditation – Aditi Shah
Day 6 – 10 min Sleep Meditation – Anna Greenberg
Day 7 – 15 min Sleep Meditation – Kristin McGee
Final Thoughts
This was a good program and I would recommend it if you’re looking for something to help you with your sleeping issues. Since I’m certainly not a meditation expert, I liked the fact that it started off with 5 minute meditations and then ended with a 15 minute meditation. Personally I think a 5 or 10 minute meditation is fine (the 15 minute one felt a little long).
Tell me:Do you fall asleep easily? Do you meditate?
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Kimberly Hatting says
I have a tough time drifting off into Dreamland, too. Not so much the case in recent weeks, though! With our 9-day power outage, I was going to bed around 9:30 most nights (because I’d lost all daylight and had nothing else to do) . I think my body (and mind) was so exhausted from all the craziness that I was able to fall asleep relatively quickly. Ironically, though, I found myself feeling more tired in the following days (?)…almost like I was getting too much sleep (at least for me LOL).
kookyrunner says
I’m glad that at least one good thing came out of the 9 day power outage!
Chocolaterunsjudy says
You know I meditate! Short meditations are great.
I keep saying it: the point of meditation isn’t at all to turn off your mind. You can’t do it; you’re not supposed to, either.
The point is to notice your thoughts & let them go. That’s what makes you feel calmer. If you continue to practice, eventually you’ll notice that will spill over into every day life.
You wil notice your thoughts, not attach to them, & not react as quickly to things that upset you.
Great job, Kim!
kookyrunner says
Okay, this is exactly what I needed to hear because I felt like something was wrong with me because I couldn’t “shut my brain off”. Good to know that is NOT the main point of meditation. I think that knowing this information will really help me moving forward – thank you!!
Catrina says
Love this insight, Judy!
Catrina says
This is interesting, Kim! So glad you found something that helped!
Fortunately, I don’t have any trouble with falling asleep. I can fall asleep anytime anywhere – today in a plane and in a car.
If I had problems, I would definitely look at the meditation app. Thanks for sharing!
kookyrunner says
You’re so lucky that you can fall asleep so easily! I hope to get there one day lol.
Darlene says
No I do not meditate.
I find reading before bed helps me fall asleep. Usually.
kookyrunner says
That’s a good idea about reading. I used to do that a few years ago.
Shathiso says
I tell people, I don’t have many talents but one I do have is the ability to sleep hard in any situation. People said once I became a mum I would lose that ability but nope, slept through my kids crying and my husband had to shake me awake each time, LOL! But I know the frustration of having difficulty sleeping from my husband. He has struggled all his life and we’ve tried all the tricks in the book. Yoga right before bed used to help him a bit. But I’ll ask him to take a look at this to see if he too will find it useful. I’m really glad you noticed some difference.
kookyrunner says
lol I wish I had this ability!!
Deborah Brooks says
I have always had a hard time w meditation stuff. I made the hubs try this one night and he started cracking up. Which of course led to me cracking up. Suffice to say it did not go well. I need to try it again with my airpods in. thanks for the review
kookyrunner says
lol, well i can totally see how that could happen. I think you definitely have to be in the right mindset before trying it. Cody has a few meditation classes on the app too. I tried one and really liked it.
Michelle @ Running with Attitude says
Great to hear this program worked for you! Meditation truly helps me on a lot of levels, and I’ve been using it before bedtime as well lately.
I would definitely echo Judy’s words about not trying to shut your brain off – I used to try to do that when I first tried meditating and all it did was frustrate me. Hope you stick with it and that it continues to help!
kookyrunner says
I’m definitely going to make more of an effort to do daily meditation. Even if it’s only 5 minutes I know it will be super helpful!
San says
Fortunately, I have very little trouble with sleep… and on nights when I do, I know that I don’t envy ANYONE who deals with sleep issues.
I hope this program helps you to find more restful sleep!
kookyrunner says
Thanks San!
Zenaida Arroyo says
Lately I have trouble sleeping. I know it is because of the stress and everything going on. I have taken a few meditation classes and actually feel asleep in one of them. I guess I was very tired. 🙂
kookyrunner says
Yeah I think the state of the world is definitely not helping with sleep schedules, but I’m thankful for the Peloton meditation class.