Hello,
My sweet friends.
My name is Lauren Bernard,
And I am so happy you are here for this bedtime meditation.
This meditation is for all the kiddos who sometimes have trouble falling asleep,
Who might feel a little scared at night,
Who don't always feel safe,
Or who feel a bit anxious or nervous when it's time to close your eyes.
I want you to know,
These feelings are valid,
They are so valid,
And you are not alone in feeling this way.
I've worked with many kids and families,
And I know this is something many children experience,
And the most important thing is,
There are ways to help you,
And you are here,
Right now,
Listening to my voice,
In this very moment together.
So let's get cozy,
I'd like you to make yourself as comfortable as you can,
In your own space,
Perhaps in your bed,
Or on the couch,
Or anywhere you desire,
That you can get super comfortable.
Imagine building your own little nest,
Or a soft cocoon with your blankets and pillows.
You might even have an eye pillow that you add,
Or you can use a scarf over your eyes,
Or a cloth,
Or even a little blanket,
If that feels comfortable for you,
And safe for you,
To block out the light that filters through the eyelids,
And signals to our body that it's time for rest.
Snuggle in,
Wiggle around,
Until your body feels just right,
Let your arms and legs get heavy like there's rocks in them,
Let your whole body sink into your bed,
Or into the surface beneath you.
You don't need to do anything at all,
Except listen to my voice,
And let your imagination open like a storybook.
Can you begin to feel your eyelids become super heavy,
And drift slowly closed if they haven't already,
And if this feels okay for you.
Let's take a nice deep breath in through your nose,
And let it go with a long sigh out of your mouth.
One more,
Breathe in calm,
Breathe out any worries or fear.
Now,
On your next breath in,
Can you take two sips in through your nose,
A two part inhale,
Inhaling first sip,
Second sip,
And let it go nice and slow out through your mouth.
Let's do one more of those,
It's called a physiological sigh,
Breathing in two sips,
And let it all go.
Returning to your natural rhythm of your breath,
And know that that physiological sigh,
The two sip inhale,
Is a beautiful practice to do any time you're feeling anxious or upset,
Angry,
Mad,
Sad,
Whatever the feeling,
It's a beautiful way to calm ourselves down.
Now,
I would like you to imagine that tonight,
You are going to receive a very special visitor.
A visitor who comes only when you're ready to rest,
And who helps you feel safe,
Calm,
And peaceful.
This is the sleep fairy,
My very dear friend.
Can you start to picture and imagine them however you like?
What does your sleep fairy look like?
Maybe they're small,
No bigger than your hand,
Or maybe they're tall and glowing with light.
Do they have sparkly wings,
Or soft feathery ones?
What color is their hair?
Maybe golden like the sun,
Or deep and dark like the midnight sky,
Or maybe a fun color or multiple colors like the rainbow.
What about their eyes?
Are they twinkly like stars,
Or calm like the ocean?
And what kind of clothes do they wear?
A gown of moonlight,
Or a coat of soft clouds?
Or maybe the most beautiful dress,
Or suit and tie?
Take a moment here to imagine and create your own sleep fairy in as much detail as you can.
Your sleep fairy carries something very magical with them,
A tiny pouch filled with magical sleep dust.
This dust is made from stardust from the brightest stars in the sky,
And moonbeams,
The soft and gentle glow.
With just a sprinkle,
It helps you feel calm,
Relaxed,
And ready for the sweetest dreams.
Could you imagine the sleep fairy floating gently down to you,
Landing softly by your side?
They smile warmly,
And you can feel their kindness and love.
They take a little pinch of their sparkling dust and sprinkle it over your head,
Letting it drift down slowly.
As it falls,
It relaxes your whole forehead,
Your cheeks,
Your jaw,
Your whole face.
Another sprinkle drifts down to your shoulders,
Your arms,
Relaxing every muscle,
Every little part of you.
And another sprinkle lands on your chest,
Your heart space,
Your belly,
And your back,
Helping your whole body feel at ease,
Cozy,
And calm.
And finally,
The fairy sprinkles the dust over your legs and your feet,
Making them feel even heavier,
Making them feel warm and so very relaxed.
Now your whole body is covered in this magical sleep dust.
You feel this sense of calm come over you,
Feeling safer,
Feeling peaceful,
And so ready for sleep.
The sleep fairy begins to gently whisper a little message into your ear.
Whenever you need me,
I am always here.
Just think of me,
And I will come with my fairy dust to help you rest,
Relax,
And drift into peaceful dreams.
Believe and know that you can call upon your very own sleep fairy every single night.
They are your special friend,
Here to help you feel safe and cared for,
No matter what you do.
As you rest in your cozy cocoon,
The sleep fairy begins to hum a lullaby.
The sound is soft,
Like a breeze through the trees.
Or the gentle waves of the ocean at night.
The melody wraps around you like a blanket made out of clouds,
Reminding you that you are held here.
You are loved,
And you are cared for.
The lullaby goes on and on,
Steady and calming.
The lullaby can be your very own favorite song for bedtime,
Or any tune that you know you love.
And maybe the sleep fairy hums it ever so gently,
Or maybe the sleep fairy tells you to close your eyes,
Rest your head,
Drift away to dreamland.
Close your eyes,
Rest your head,
Drift away to dreamland.
Close your eyes,
Rest your head,
Drift away to dreamland.
Over and over,
The sleep fairy lulls you with their words,
With their song,
Or their tune,
Like a gentle rocking.
And your body feels so heavy and relaxed,
That you naturally start to drift away to slumberland,
To dreamland,
Into deep sleep.
The sleep fairy's lullaby allows your body to become heavy and warm,
And carries you deeper into a very sleepy state,
If it hasn't already sent you to dreamland.
This sleepy state,
Where the sweetest dreams are waiting for you,
The lullaby guides you as you drift ever so sweetly deeper into the state of deep sleep,
Into dreamland.
The sleep fairy stays nearby,
Keeping watch as you float into the sweetest,
Most peaceful sleep.
Listen to the lullaby as you rest here,
Sweet one,
You are not alone,
We are here together with your sleep fairy.
You are loved so very much,
You are part of the great big magic of the universe,
And tonight,
And always,
You rest within it,
Held,
Peaceful,
And calm,
Connected to the sun,
And the moon,
And this beautiful earth we live on.
We are all connected,
If you are still awake,
You may wish to restart this meditation,
And go through it again,
But remember,
You can always call upon your sleep fairy,
Any time you may need to.
If you wake up in the middle of the night,
The sleep fairy can guide you back into the sweetest dreams,
Lulling you back to sleep with ease.
Never forget that you are a very special soul,
You are a very special soul here,
To do great things,
And that sometimes,
There are hard things that we have to overcome that make us stronger,
And make us know what the good things feel like.
Some of the harder feelings,
We wouldn't know what the good feelings are,
Honor however you feel,
Your feelings are valid,
And you are worthy and deserving of working through the hard feelings,
To reach the feeling of love,
And peace,
And joy,
And safety.
Imagine,
Your sleep fairy here with you,
In the beautiful night sky,
That without darkness,
You wouldn't see the light,
If the sky wasn't dark,
The stars wouldn't shine,
And the moon wouldn't shine,
You need the darkness to see the light,
And you are the light,
Sometimes we have to work through the darkness,
To be able to shine brightly,
Like the brightest star in the sky.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be peaceful,
And may you be free.
You may return to this meditation anytime you need to.
This meditation was requested by my own two children,
Who love to listen to guided meditations to help them fall asleep at night.
I thank them for encouraging this beautiful idea,
And I hope that this meditation brings them joy,
And peace,
And deep rest,
Feeling calm and secure at night time.
And with that hope,
I hope it also helps many,
Many other kiddos that also need a little help and support at bedtime.
Thank you so much for being here with me,
For your practice,
For this meditation,
For knowing that this is a beautiful tool to use at such a young age,
To know the power of meditation,
And stillness,
Calmness in the mind,
Body,
And soul.
Now,
May you continue to practice self-care and self-love,
Now and throughout your whole life,
From my heart to yours.
Rest well,
Shine brightly,
That tomorrow is a new day,
A fresh start,
A new beginning,
And you have the choice to make it so incredible,
And awesome,
And spread your love and kindness into the world.
Namaste.
