quick question about wild

I just slept, and half way through I woke up so I tried to wild... that was 4 hours ago and I haven't been able to sleep since... anyways, do you have to NOT think, and focus on your breath, or can you let your mind just race?

thanks.

It could be that, frankly, you've had enough sleep. I know I've woken up half way through the night and the same thing has happened simply because my body and mind have rested enough that going back to sleep is unnecessary.

However, it could also be that you're thinking too much. Remember, the point of a WILD is to fall asleep, so it doesn't vary too much from the normal routine we go through at the onset of sleep. You let your mind wander, you move around, etc etc. If you let your mind wander too much, you lose awareness and fall asleep normally. If you think and think and think, there's too much brain activity going on and you stay awake all night. It's important to find the balance, which is why breathing techniques are great. It doesn't take much effort to focus on your breathing, but just enough that you don't fall asleep.

You should experiment a lot with other relaxation techniques and what not, WILDs can be very personal and what works for some may not work for others.

thanks for the advice man.
last night I set an alarm so I would wake up 4 hours into my sleep, opposed to 6, and it worked great. I think I was close to SP because my body would start to vibrate, or I would see an image, and then psyche myself out.

any advice for this?

thanks again.

Speaking from failures, 6 hours is too long for me. So, this weekend, I will try only 4. Also, after six hours plus 30 minutes up, I couldn't sleep at all. Maybe you are awake too long?

I have tried WILD about four times and find that I always fall asleep for real before getting anywhere...can somebody be more specific on how to let your breathing be what keeps your mind aware while your body goes to sleep? What do you do exactly?

You just have to focus your mind on something constant, to not think about other things. Since everyone breathes, the breath is the easiest. You just have to find something to keep your mind occupied.