Good evening.
Welcome back to the Grounded Sleep Podcast.
If you're one of those people that on occasion can't stop thinking before bed,
You are not the only one.
You're not alone.
A lot of us experience that.
And so in tonight's meditation,
We're going to focus on how we can actually say hello to those thoughts,
Not fight them or go into resistance to them,
And be able to almost bring the volume down on that noise so we can get a really nice,
Good,
Deep sleep.
So if you're ready,
Go ahead and get into bed if you're not there yet.
Put on those PJs,
Brush your teeth,
Turn off the lights,
No more Netflix.
It's really important that when we go to sleep that we make it a sacred space.
On one level,
The body is resting,
And on another level,
The mind is resting.
And if the mind doesn't rest,
The body can't fully rest.
With your eyes closed,
Why don't you go ahead and take a few slow,
Deep breaths.
Feel your belly in like a balloon.
And then easy,
Soft,
Sighs out.
Do that a few times.
It's easy to look at our sleep like it's something we have to do so we can get to the next day and be rested.
But see if you can let yourself shift that perspective and recognize that sleep is this beautiful experience of deepening into darkness,
Into stillness,
Into a kind of short hibernation where we process our feelings,
Where we dream,
Where we reset our energy.
Allow yourself to start to slowly melt into your bed.
And one of the reasons that we may overthink before sleep is because we don't wind down properly.
Winding to sleep is kind of like landing a plane.
You have to come in slowly down at the right angle and then touch down nice and softly.
So if you're really busy before sleep and then you go to shut down from 100 to zero,
It can be difficult.
See if you can start to actually slowly wind down.
If you notice any excessive thoughts,
Any of that overthinking,
You don't have to fight it or control it.
Just kind of let it go.
Let the thoughts pass in your mind's eye.
Kind of like clouds passing through the sky.
There is no need to be antagonistic towards your thoughts.
You don't need to try and banish them or punish them.
Let yourself be the observing consciousness resting in your body,
Allowing the clouds to pass.
And then I like you to notice in the room,
In your mind,
Where thoughts arise and pass away,
There's a volume knob.
And this volume knob controls kind of the loudness of your thoughts.
You can take your hand and put it on the knob and slowly turn it down,
Just like you would turn the volume down on a radio.
As you turn the volume down on your thoughts,
It starts to get quieter and quieter.
And it continues to get quieter and quieter.
Your breathing is deep and slow,
And you give your body permission to relax,
Permission to be in this moment in bed,
Enjoying stillness and resting.
Slowly,
Allow yourself to drift off into sleep.
Allow the mind to rest.
Let the day just pass in your rearview mirror until you find yourself in a very neutral,
Quiet place.
And tonight,
As you sleep,
As you dream,
You'll regenerate.
Your mind will rest and let go of all of that excessive thinking and just be in this moment.
You're not here to accomplish anything or figure anything out.
Life is just giving you this opportunity to let go and be.
Have an amazing deep sleep tonight,
And I'll see you on the other side.
Be well.
