Yes, you can meditate lying down. Lying down is one of the four classic meditation postures, next to sitting, standing and walking, and it's the natural choice for a body scan, yoga nidra or meditation before sleep. It's also a good option if sitting is uncomfortable or painful. The one catch: you fall asleep more easily, so for daytime practice sitting is usually better.
Below: when lying down works best, lying versus sitting, how to set yourself up, how to stay awake and a 5-minute lying-down body scan to try.
Lying down or sitting: which is better?
| Lying down | Sitting | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Body scan, yoga nidra, deep relaxation, sleep | Daytime practice, focus, breath awareness |
| Alertness | Lower: easy to drift off | Higher: easier to stay awake |
| Comfort | Good if sitting hurts or you're tired | Needs a posture you can hold without strain |
| Where | Floor, mat, bed | Chair, cushion, edge of the bed |
The Insight Meditation Center puts it this way: sitting is "the most common position for formal practice, as it's conducive to staying alert and relaxed," and "for those unable to sit, you may use the alternate option of lying down." The same page says: "What is most important is what you do with your mind, not what you do with your feet or legs."
Should you meditate lying down? When it's the best choice
- For a body scan. You move your attention through the whole body, and lying down lets every part rest. Our Body Scan for Deep Relaxation says: "Lying down or sitting, either is fine."
- For yoga nidra. This structured relaxation is done lying down. Our yoga nidra session begins with "First, you may lie down comfortably."
- Before sleep. Meditating in bed is a good wind-down, and falling asleep is the goal. Our sleep meditation guide has a 10-minute script for bed.
- In the morning, before getting up. A few minutes lying on your back, feeling the breath, is an easy way to start the day. Sit up for the last minute so you don't doze off again.
- If sitting hurts. Back pain, an injury or tiredness are good reasons to lie down. Meditation shouldn't be a test of endurance.
How to meditate lying down
- Choose the surface. For daytime practice, a mat or rug on the floor keeps you more alert than a soft bed. At night, your bed is fine.
- Lie on your back. Arms a little away from your body, palms up or down. A thin pillow under your head is fine.
- Support your lower back. If your legs are straight, a pillow under your knees takes strain off the lower back. Or bend your knees and put your feet flat on the floor.
- Close your eyes or keep them slightly open. Slightly open helps if you're sleepy.
- Rest your attention on one anchor. The rise and fall of your belly works well lying down, or the weight of your body on the floor.
- Come back when you drift. Notice the thought, name it and return. Our guide to thoughts during meditation has more on this.
- Get up slowly. Roll onto your side first and sit for a moment before you stand.
How to stay awake when meditating lying down
The Insight Meditation Center suggests a few simple tricks that act as a built-in alarm:
- Knees up. Place your feet on the floor with your knees bent and not touching. "If you fall asleep, the knees will bump each other or fall away and wake you up."
- One forearm up. Keep one forearm upright with the elbow resting on the floor. "If you get sleepy, it will drop."
- Thumbs touching. Rest your hands with the thumbs touching. When you start to drift off, they pull apart.
Other things that help: meditate when you're not already exhausted, keep the room bright, and open your eyes a little. If you fall asleep every time, that's useful information: you may simply need more sleep, and daytime practice might work better sitting.
Meditating lying down in bed before sleep
At night the rules change: falling asleep isn't a problem, it's the point. Lie the way you normally fall asleep, on your back or on your side. Let the meditation be the last thing you do, and skip the "coming back" part at the end. If you tend to lie awake with a busy mind, our guide to racing thoughts at night has a 4-minute wind-down.
Meditation lying down in Buddhism
Lying down has a place in Buddhist meditation too. The Satipatthana Sutta, a classic text on mindfulness, describes being aware of the body in every posture: "When lying down, he discerns, 'I am lying down.'" The Insight Meditation Center still calls sitting the most common position for formal practice because it keeps you alert, and offers lying down as the alternative for those who can't sit.
A 5-minute lying-down body scan (script)
We wrote this for lying on your back, day or night. Read it once, then follow it from memory, or record it and play it back. Each (pause) is about three calm breaths.
Lie on your back. Let your arms rest beside you and your feet fall slightly apart. Close your eyes, or let them stay slightly open. (pause) Feel the whole back of your body resting on the surface: head, shoulders, back, legs, heels. (pause) Bring your attention to your feet. Notice warmth, coolness, tingling, or nothing at all. All of it is fine. (pause) Move up to your lower legs and knees. Let them be heavy. (pause) Your thighs and hips. Notice where they touch the floor or the bed. (pause) Your belly. Feel it rise as you breathe in and fall as you breathe out. Stay here for a few breaths. (pause) Your chest, your hands, your arms and shoulders. Let the shoulders sink. (pause) Your neck, your jaw, your face. Let your forehead soften. (pause) If a thought pulls you away, notice it and come back to the last place in the body you remember. (pause) Now feel your whole body at once, lying here and breathing. (long pause) In the daytime: take a fuller breath, move your fingers and toes, roll onto your side and sit up slowly. At night: stay where you are and let sleep come.
Lying-down sessions in the app
In AI Meditation: Sleep & Calm several sessions are made for lying down or leave the choice to you:
- Body Scan for Deep Relaxation: "Lying down or sitting, either is fine."
- Dream Journey with Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR): "sit or lie down comfortably."
- Breath Awareness: "a comfortable sitting or lying position."
- Back to Sleep with the Yoga Nidra Method and Falling Asleep Gently: Settling In, Letting Go start by asking you to lie down comfortably.
- Gently Drifting Back to Sleep is for when you wake in the night.
All voices are AI voices, which the app tells you, and many sessions let you adjust their length. See how the app works, try it for free, no account needed.
New to meditation in general? Start with our guide on how to meditate for beginners, or read what guided meditation is.
Your health
This app is a wellness app and does not replace medical advice. If lying on your back causes pain, or if you have ongoing sleep problems, talk to a doctor.
Sources
All pages accessed on September 25, 2026.
- Insight Meditation Center: Postures for Meditation (Ines Freedman). Sitting, lying down, staying alert.
- Satipatthana Sutta (MN 10), translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu on Access to Insight. The four postures.
- AI Meditation: Sleep & Calm, app version 2026.6.1. Session instructions quoted from the sessions.
