Settle into your bed,
Allowing your body to find its most comfortable position.
Let your eyes gently close,
And take a deep breath in through your nose,
And then release it slowly through your mouth.
Take another breath,
Feeling your chest and belly expand,
And as you exhale,
Let your shoulders drop away from your ears.
One more cleansing breath,
And with this exhale,
Release the weight of the day.
You find yourself standing at the edge of a familiar northern lake just after sunset.
The sky above holds the last whispers of twilight,
Deep indigo melting into purple,
With the first stars beginning to appear.
The air is perfectly still and comfortably cool against your skin.
Notice your bare feet on the sandy shore.
The sand is fine and cool,
Still holding the memory of the day's warmth deeper beneath the surface.
Your toes sink slightly into this soft sand,
With each breath connecting you to the earth.
Feel how the ground beneath you is solid and supportive,
Holding you completely.
With each exhale,
Allow yourself to sink a little deeper into this support,
As if the earth itself is cradling you.
The lake before you is absolutely calm,
Like polished glass reflecting the emerging stars.
Each star appears twice,
Once in the sky above,
Once in the water below,
Creating a sphere of gentle light all around you.
You are held in this peaceful space between sky and water.
Listen to the subtle sounds of evening.
Somewhere across the lake,
A loon calls once,
Its voice carrying across the water and then fading into silence.
The sound moves through you and dissolves,
Leaving only stillness.
Feel your breathing naturally slow to match the gentle rhythm of small waves lapping at the shore.
These tiny waves barely whisper against the sand,
In and out,
In and out.
Your breath follows this ancient rhythm that the lake has known for thousands of years.
Above you,
White pines stand like gentle guardians along the shoreline.
Their branches sway almost imperceptibly in a breeze so light you can barely feel it.
These trees have watched over this lake through countless nights,
And tonight they watch over you.
Feel their steady,
Patient presence.
They ask nothing of you.
They simply stand and breathe and rest.
The moon begins to rise over the treeline,
Full and luminous.
Watch as its silver light creates a shimmering path across the water,
Leading directly to where you stand.
This moonlight touches your face with the softest coolness,
Washing over you like a blessing of peace.
With each breath,
The moonlight seems to fill your body with a gentle,
Calming glow.
It enters through the crown of your head,
Flowing down through your face,
Releasing any tension in your jaw,
Your eyes,
Your forehead.
The light moves through your neck and shoulders,
Melting away any holding,
Down through your chest,
Your arms,
Your belly,
All the way through your hips,
Your legs,
To the soles of your feet.
You are filled with this soft,
Lunar light,
Your body becoming lighter with each exhale.
The boundaries between you and this peaceful night begin to soften.
You are part of the lake,
The trees,
The stars,
The moon.
All of nature is resting,
And you rest with it.
In the distance,
You notice a smooth,
Flat rock at the water's edge,
Perfectly positioned for sitting.
You move toward it slowly,
Your feet making soft impressions in the cool sand.
Settling into the rock,
You find it's been warmed by the day's sun,
Holding just enough heat to comfort you.
From here,
You can see the entire lake spread before you.
The moon's reflection creates a silver pathway that seems to invite you into deeper and deeper peace.
Your eyelids feel heavy,
As if they too are being pulled by the moon's gentle gravity.
A family of ducks glides silently across the water,
Creating the smallest of ripples that catch the moonlight.
They move without effort,
Carried by the water itself.
Watch them disappear into the shadows of the far shore,
Leaving the lake even more still than before.
Your body knows how to rest,
Just as the lake knows how to be still,
Just as the trees know how to stand in patient silence.
Your body remembers this ancient knowing of sleep.
Each muscle,
Each cell,
Settling into its natural state of rest.
The night air carries the faint scent of pine and fresh water.
With each breath,
You draw in this clean,
Pure air.
And with each exhale,
You release anything you no longer need to hold.
Thoughts drift across your awareness like clouds across the moon.
Notice them,
Then let them pass.
They're not important now.
Only rest is important.
Feel yourself sinking deeper into the warm rock,
And through it,
Into the earth itself.
The earth that has been here for millions of years,
That knows how to hold all things in perfect balance.
You are held by this same ancient stability,
Safe,
Supported,
At peace.
The loon calls once more in the distance,
Softer this time,
As if it too is settling for sleep.
All around the lake,
Nature is entering its nightly rest.
Frogs quiet their songs.
Birds tuck their heads beneath their wings.
Even the breeze has stilled completely.
You are part of this great resting.
Your breathing now matches the almost imperceptible movement of the lake's surface.
So gentle,
So easy.
In and out,
Like the lake breathing with you.
The moon continues its journey across the lake,
Watching over you with its gentle light.
You don't need to do anything but rest here on this rock,
Breathing with the lake,
Held by the earth,
Watched over by the moon and stars.
Let yourself drift now,
Floating on the surface.
The surface of sleep,
Like a leaf on still water.
The lake holds you.
The night holds you.
Everything is as it should be.
Rest now.
Rest deeply.
Carried into sleep by the gentle rhythm of the waves.
The whisper of pine boughs.
The silver light of the moon on the water.
Safe.
Peaceful.
Deeply.
Completely.
At rest.
Continue breathing in gently and exhaling gently.
Allowing yourself to drift into sleep.
Knowing you are held and supported through the night.
