Sleep.
Sleep is such a powerful experience and we're all able to have it.
It's our birthright no matter who we are.
But sometimes sleep can feel so elusive yet we need and want it.
Sleep allows our bodies to heal and our minds to sort through all of the problems.
Sleep allows us to regenerate.
So let's take a moment and set you up for some nice deep sleep.
We'll relax your mind for some nice restorative sleep.
I'll invite you to find a small spot to gaze at somewhere in front of you and just focus on this spot.
Even if you tried to,
You couldn't turn your eyes away from this spot.
And as you're looking here,
I'm going to ask you to blink your eyes with every number that I count,
Starting with number 10.
All right,
Let's go.
10.
Blink your eyes.
9.
Blink.
8.
Blink.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
And 0.
Your eyes feel heavy and are ready to gently close.
So just allow them to,
Knowing that even if you tried,
You couldn't open them.
As you've shut them,
There's a gentle wave of relaxation that completely sweeps over you,
Bringing your awareness to your breath on your next inhalation,
Allowing your chest to rise and fall.
Getting a well-rested night's sleep is so essential.
Sleep is our rest state and being awake is the active state.
You desire a good flow between resting and activating,
Resting and activate,
Resting and activation.
Like the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe,
Resting and activating.
Imagine now in front of you,
In your mind's eye,
There's a set of stairs going down.
These stairs can look and feel like anything you want.
These stairs will lead you to the knowledge that you can have a restful and rejuvenating sleep.
I'll begin to count from 10 down and you will start to walk down the stairs,
Feeling more and more relaxed with each step that you take.
10.
Begin your journey towards sleep.
9.
8.
Feeling so relaxed with each step down.
7.
6.
5.
More and more relaxed.
4.
Calm and relaxed in your mind.
3.
2.
1.
And as you step off that last step,
You find yourself on a beautiful beach.
This beach is everything that you want in a beach with some beautiful soft sand and you can actually feel how soft and warm it is under your feet right now.
Just feeling warmth and even though you're looking at your feet in the sand and you see sand all around you,
You can still hear the ocean,
The rise and the fall of the tide,
Just like that rise and the fall of your chest as you breathe.
And now you walk towards the sound of the ocean and as you walk,
You notice the temperature and the weather are exactly the way you like them.
Maybe your sun feels really warm or maybe it just is sun kissing your skin.
Perhaps there's a light breeze or no breeze at all.
This is your beach.
See what you see,
Hear what you hear and feel what you feel.
Can you smell your beach,
The salty air?
And as you're walking,
You look up and notice the ocean and you're walking towards this ocean.
You may notice that the sand under your feet gets firmer as it becomes more saturated with seawater.
And as you get to the shore where the ocean meets the sand,
You notice little waves coming up and down,
Up and down.
And as the waves come and go,
You see some things in the sand like shells or pieces of seaweed,
Maybe driftwood,
Maybe your own footprints.
You notice that there's a piece of driftwood that's the perfect size for writing something in the sand.
How do you want to feel when you sleep?
Take and write that word in the sand where it's moist.
Write each letter out,
Noticing the sound that it makes as you scratch it through the sand.
Perhaps you want to feel drowsy,
Restful,
Complete.
Now step back and look at this word.
And knowing the ocean will give you what you need.
The life-giving force of the ocean.
A wave catches part of this word and washes it away back and forth,
Back and forth until all you see is ripples in the sand,
Knowing that your wish is complete.
And now you continue to walk down your beach,
Continuing to hear what you hear,
Feel what you feel,
See what you see,
Smell what you smell.
Notice these things that you can hear.
Maybe the sound of the waves or birds.
Notice if you can feel the gentle blowing of the breeze or the sun on your skin or the sand under your feet.
Now as you've walked,
You've noticed how beautiful this beach is and you're feeling like you're ready to rest for a bit.
And you notice there's a blanket or a soft spot that's perfectly laid out just for you.
Just for you to sit and relax for a bit,
Perhaps take a gentle nap in the life-giving rays of the sun.
So you go ahead and lie down.
But before you close your eyes,
You turn your head and notice the horizon and notice how the ocean meets the sky.
As you're gazing along the big blue horizon,
You allow your eyes to gently close as you allow your breath to become one with the ocean waves going in and out.
And sometimes when we fall asleep,
Our mind becomes restless and our thoughts take over.
Allow these thoughts to come in and release them on the next out breath or on the next wave out.
Sometimes these thoughts feel so loud that it seems impossible to relax with all that noise.
When these unwanted thoughts arise in your mind,
Simply say enough or no thank you or even a not now and release it on your next out breath or the next wave out into the sea.
Knowing that your word is truth and final and that enough and not now is what you mean.
Each time thoughts come in as they will,
Allow them to be released.
Going back to either the sound of the ocean and its waves or to your breath in and out,
In and out.
Giving yourself this gift of rest,
Relaxation,
And rejuvenation.
That's right.
Rest,
Relaxation,
And rejuvenation.
Allow your body to rest for as long as you've set this time,
For as long as sleep you'd like,
Knowing when you rise,
You will feel rested and rejuvenated.
