Welcome back to the Grounded Sleep Podcast,
And tonight we are going to be mastering our breath for sleep.
So I want you to breathe nice and easy tonight as you fall asleep.
But before you do,
As always,
Let's make sure that we are really ready for bed.
If you're a sensitive sleeper and you need all of the lights off,
If you need darkness,
If you need a nice comfortable pillow,
Just the right blanket.
Make sure that you set yourself up for success tonight.
You can really be aware of some of the details and treat your sleep as something very sacred.
Instead of,
Uh,
I gotta sleep again,
Every night,
Again.
Treat it as a journey into the unknown,
A journey into the astral plane,
A journey into deep rest.
There is a sacredness there.
And when we fall asleep,
We never want to force anything.
Have you ever tried to force a baby to stop crying or a child to change their emotional state?
As you know,
It doesn't work and something deep inside of us does not react well or respond well when we try to force ourselves to sleep or into relaxation.
So right now,
As you nestle into bed,
As you find your position,
As you start to relax your body,
Notice that there is no forcing and there's no pressure.
You're going to fall asleep when you fall asleep.
And with that,
Let's begin some breathing.
I want you to notice the gentle rise and fall of your breath,
Just as it is.
There's no need to slow it down yet,
Just notice its movement.
Almost like small waves touching the shore.
Feel the air enter and feel it leave.
As if your entire body is just breathing itself.
Let your jaw soften.
Let your shoulders melt down.
Allow your belly to loosen and gently expand.
And there's nothing you need to hold on to right now and nothing to manage.
There's nothing you need to be.
Just breathing in this moment.
And now very softly,
Without any strain,
Let's count our breaths.
So breathing in if you can through your nose,
If not,
It's okay.
And we'll count.
1,
2,
3,
4.
And breathing out through the nose or the mouth.
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
And again in for 4,
2,
3,
4.
And out for 6,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Again,
At your own pace,
Breathing in for 4.
And out for 6.
On this next one,
Let's do it together again.
After your out breath,
We'll be breathing in for 4.
1,
2,
3,
4.
And breathing out,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
And again at your own pace.
As you're breathing,
Your mind starting to quiet,
Your heart starting to slow.
Your muscles are loosening.
Allow your breath to just wash through you.
Everything is softening.
Now let's let the counting go altogether.
And just feel your breath moving like gentle ocean waves.
On the inhale,
The wave rises.
A small lift in the chest.
An expansion in the ribs.
And on the exhale,
The wave falls.
And the whole body just starts to settle,
Starts to sink,
Starts to release.
And let each wave carry away one more layer of tension.
And as you breathe,
Your breath is just soothing your nervous system.
And again,
Breathing in,
Rising.
Breathing out,
Falling.
Nothing to do,
Nothing to fix.
Only waves rising and falling.
Allow your breath to become lighter,
Quieter.
Really let your nervous system relax.
Let it almost feel like your breathing is breathing you.
As we begin to fall asleep,
Notice that there's no need for any technique.
We can let that go.
Allow our breathing to move however it wants.
Some breaths might be short.
Some long.
It doesn't matter.
You're just allowing yourself to drift into sleep.
And allowing your breath to carry you there.
With every exhale,
You feel your body grow heavier.
If any thoughts arise,
Just allow them to pass.
And you can really let go now.
Allow that breath to just carry you into the deep stillness of the night.
Let the rhythm of your natural breathing just take over.
Everything can go on automatic.
And your only job is to rest.
Have beautiful dreams tonight.
Have a deep,
Restful sleep.
And I'll see you on the other side.
