How can I actually fall asleep when my mind won't stop racing at night?

Patanjali understood something we're still learning: the mind isn't broken when it races—it's just doing what minds do. The practice isn't to force it quiet. Instead, he'd say, watch it. Notice the thought, the worry, the planning loop. Don't fight it. That sounds counterintuitive, but here's what happens: the moment you stop treating your racing mind as the enemy, you've changed your relationship to it. Try this tonight: when thoughts come, imagine them like clouds passing through the sky. You're the sky, not the clouds. Give yourself permission to think for five minutes before bed—actually journal or voice-record what's on your mind. This transfers it from your internal loop to external reality. Then let it go. The exhaustion you feel from racing thoughts often comes from the resistance, not the thinking itself. When you practice this shift, sleep usually follows more naturally than any forced technique ever could.