Welcome,
Dear soul,
Welcome to this time of prayerful rest,
A doorway into peace,
Healing and the quiet presence of spirit.
This is a prayer for when you lie down to sleep,
For the moment when you wake in the night,
Or when you curl up for a rest during the day.
When the prayer ends,
It will fade into silence.
If you are listening during the day,
You may wish to set a gentle alarm,
Or let some soft music bring you back.
I imagine you're in bed now,
Or resting somewhere else.
Simply adapt the words to meet your moment.
I use the word spirit,
But you can substitute that for God,
Source,
Or the Divine,
Whatever feels true for you in your heart.
This is a prayer,
Your prayer.
The purpose of this prayer is not to stay awake and follow every word.
The purpose is to fall asleep in spirit,
To rest in love,
And to be held by Mother Earth.
And if sleep doesn't come right away,
Be gentle with yourself.
You are already doing the practice,
Simply by resting.
Getting into the most comfortable position for you.
You might begin on your back,
And gently turn naturally to a sleeping position,
Whatever feels right.
If it helps,
Place one hand over your heart,
And one on your belly,
As a gesture of grounding,
Tenderness,
And safety.
Take a moment to let your whole body arrive.
As stillness comes,
Perhaps say,
Great Spirit of Love,
Bless this sleep,
In peace,
I lie down for rest and sleep.
Take a deep breath into your belly,
All the way into your ribs,
Hold it in your heart,
And slowly release.
A second breath into your belly,
Into your ribs,
Hold it in your heart,
And slowly release.
One more,
Into your belly,
All the way your ribs expand.
Hold this breath in your heart,
And slowly release it.
Let go of the day,
Releasing your breath,
And all that's not for your greater good.
Let your body soften,
Let your breathing return to a natural rhythm.
Feel the bed holding you,
Feel the covers embracing you with warmth and kindness.
You do not need to hold yourself anymore,
Let the bed hold you,
Let Spirit hold you.
If your mind is full tonight,
That's okay,
Imagine gathering your thoughts,
Bringing them gently into your hands,
And placing them somewhere safe,
Or just blowing them away with your next exhale,
Nothing is lost,
Now give yourself permission to let go,
You are allowed to rest.
Returning to your slow breaths,
The inhale and the exhale,
Your chest rising,
Your chest falling,
Your belly softening.
Let your awareness settle in your heart,
Spirit of Love,
You know me,
You know my thoughts,
My hopes,
My weariness,
My heart.
When I rise,
You are with me,
When I lie down,
You are with me,
If I walk through darkness,
You are my light,
If I sink into deep waters,
You hold me,
Even now in this quiet room,
In this falling asleep moment,
You are with me,
Nothing is hidden from you,
Nothing too heavy for you,
Nothing is too tangled for your light,
Your thoughts towards me are more than the grains of sand,
Your presence is more consistent than breath,
Your love is more enduring than the stars,
Search my heart gently,
Great Spirit,
Soothe away what aches,
Where there is fear,
Bring in peace,
Where there is heaviness,
Bring in rest,
Where there is longing,
Bring in comfort,
Lead me into the way of peace tonight,
The way of rest,
The way of sleep,
Spirit of Love,
You know me,
You know my thoughts,
My hopes,
My weariness,
My heart.
When I rise,
You are with me,
When I lie down,
You are with me,
If I walk through darkness,
You are my light,
If I sink into deep waters,
You hold me,
Even here,
Even now,
In this quiet room,
In this falling asleep moment,
You are with me,
Nothing is hidden from you,
Nothing too heavy for you,
Nothing is too tangled for your light,
Your thoughts towards me are more than grains of sand,
Your presence is more constant than breath,
Your love more enduring than the stars,
Search my heart gently,
Soothe what aches,
Where there is fear,
Bring peace,
Where there is heaviness,
Bring rest,
Where there is longing,
Bring comfort,
Lead me into the way of peace,
The way of rest,
The way of sleep,
Drifting into spirit,
Let the body grow heavier,
Melting into the mattress,
The breath slows,
Soft,
Steady,
Let thoughts dissolve like mist,
Let spirit cradle you,
You are safe,
You are loved,
You are guided,
You are held,
Fall asleep in the arms of the divine,
The one who never leaves,
Who never sleeps,
Who never stops loving you,
Let go now,
Let the night take you,
Let sleep rise like a gentle tide,
Let spirit carry you into deep rest,
Let these affirmations be whispered as a prayer between you and great spirit,
Allowing them to fade in and out as sleep gently rises,
Great spirit I surrender this day to you,
I am safe in your love,
I am held in your arms of peace,
Your presence surrounds me as I sleep,
Your guidance protects my dreams,
Your light fills every corner of my heart,
I release all that is not mine to carry,
I let go of fear and welcome peace,
I am watched over through the night,
I breathe in your calm,
I release all heaviness,
Your love is my refuge,
Your peace is my pillow,
Your presence my rest,
With each breath I soften,
With each breath I trust,
With each breath I fall into you,
Great spirit guide me into deep healing sleep,
I rest in your arms tonight,
Great spirit,
Allow these words to echo softly through your being,
Until they become feelings and feelings dissolve into sleep,
I am safe in your love,
I am held in your arms of peace,
Your presence surrounds me as I sleep,
Your guidance protects my dreams,
Your light fills every corner of my heart,
I release all that is not mine to carry,
I let go of fear and welcome peace,
I am watched over through the night,
I breathe in your calm,
I release all heaviness,
Your love is my refuge,
Your peace is my pillow,
Your presence my rest,
With each breath I soften,
With each breath I trust,
With each breath I fall into you,
Great spirit guide me into deep healing sleep,
I rest in your arms tonight,
Great spirit,
And now dear soul,
Let the night gather around you,
Like a warm ancient blanket,
Feel the weight of your body melting,
Drifting,
Sinking into comfort,
The breath becomes quieter now,
Longer,
Slower,
Each inhale drawing you inward,
Closer to the heart of great spirit,
Each exhale releasing the last threads of the day,
Into the soft darkness that holds you,
Your mind becomes spacious like an open sky at night,
With the stars shining around you,
Thoughts drift far away,
As if carried by a gentle wind,
Into a horizon you no longer need to see,
Your body becomes light,
Your spirit becomes still,
Your heart becomes quiet,
Great spirit is here,
Great spirit is holding you,
Great spirit is breathing you,
Into the deepest rest,
Let yourself drift,
As though floating on a calm warm tide,
Nothing to do,
Nothing to solve,
Nothing to carry from the day,
Just the soft falling,
The gentle sinking,
The sweet dissolving,
Into sleep's sacred embrace,
If any last thoughts whisper,
Let them drift,
Like a passing cloud,
If any memories arise,
Let them fade,
Like mist,
If any feeling moves within you,
Let it soften into stillness,
You are safe,
You are watched over,
You are loved beyond measure,
Great spirit whispers over you now,
Rest beloved,
Rest deeply,
Rest fully,
I am here,
Let those words be the final door through which you pass tonight,
The door that opens into quiet,
Into peace,
Into healing,
Into the dreamtime,
Your body heavy,
The breath slow,
The heart is calm,
Spirit drifting,
Let go a little more,
And a little more,
Until only sleep remains,
Goodnight dear soul,
Sleep in great spirit,
Sleep in peace,
Sleep in love,
Sleep now,
Sleep in peace,
Sleep in love,
Sleep now,
Sleep in peace,
Sleep in love,
Sleep now.
