"Turn off your mind relax and float downstream. . ." was the first line of one of my favorite Beatles tunes, "Tomorrow Never Knows" (Revolver, 1966. I looked it up to make sure.) Admittedly, when it came out I had no more knowledge of yoga than I did of quantum physics! But when I listened to that song I could close my eyes and feel as if I was being rocked in a cradle.

Having learned a little bit about yoga and meditation, I now have a better idea of what the song is describing. But how to "turn off your mind"? Our minds are working 24/7, making judgments, commenting on our experiences, warning us, admonishing us to do better, work harder, and generally, being Very Loud! So maybe we don't completely "turn off" our minds, but we can quiet them. And that can come in very handy when, for example, we're tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep amidst worries of tomorrow and troubling memories of the past.

Try counting the breath. (Same idea as counting sheep, but maybe a little more effective.) Lying still with eyes closed, or with a very soft gaze, start to silently count backwards from 100. Inhale and silently say, "100". Exhale and silently say "99". Perhaps, imagine that you are in an elevator. See the floor numbers in front of you lighting up with each breath. With each number, imagine that you are descending one more floor. When you get to 50, only count on the exhale. Inhale, then as you exhale silently say "49", and so on. If your mind starts to wander, just gently bring it back to your counting. Don't worry if you lose count, either. Just come back to counting around where you left off. When you get to 21, try coming back to your natural breath. Allow yourself to simply float in the knowledge that ". . . It is not dying". You may be surprised at how relaxed you feel. Some nights I will count my breath twice, just starting back at 100 after the first time. But mostly, I never get to 50.