Meditation still works if you fall asleep, so don’t worry. It’s a natural process. When the mind relaxes, the body follows. This beautiful Zen story will help you understand it better.
Deep in the mountains, a young monk named Riku struggled with meditation. Every night, he sat under an old peepal tree, breathing, focusing, trying to empty his mind. But no matter what he did, sleep would sneak in and take him away.
One morning, frustrated, he went to his master, Zenji.
“Master, I’m failing. I sit. I breathe. I try to stay aware. But every time… I fall asleep.”
Zenji poured him tea. And kept pouring. The cup overflowed.
“Master, stop! The cup is full.”
Zenji smiled. “Like your mind—overflowing with the idea of failure.”
Riku frowned. “But if I sleep, how can I meditate?”
Zenji laughed. “Does the wind stop when you sleep? Do the stars disappear? Does the river freeze?”
“No.”
“Then why do you think meditation stops? When the mind is at peace, even in sleep, meditation continues. The trees meditate by standing still. The sky meditates by simply being. You are no different.”
That night, Riku sat under the cedar tree again. He closed his eyes, breathed, and let go.
From that day on, Riku no longer fought sleep. He sat. He breathed. And if sleep came, he welcomed it like an old friend.
For the first time, he understood that meditation still works even if he falls asleep.