How To Feel Joy Anyway: Guided Sleep Meditation

This guided meditation is a gentle practice for anyone moving through grief, injustice, overthinking, or emotional overwhelm, who still needs to rest and sleep. You’re invited to set an intention to watch your feelings without becoming them, cultivating the inner stance of a kind observer. Using the image of the sky and the weather, the meditation helps you remember that your thoughts and emotions are passing weather, while you remain the steady, spacious sky.
Through soft breath awareness, a slow, grounding body scan from head to toe, and the three touchstones of naming, grounding, and allowing, you’re guided to notice sensations and emotions with dignity, compassion, and clear seeing, rather than pushing them away or getting lost in them.

Transcript

Hi, Lauren here. In this space. We examine. How to feel joy anyway. How to feel joy no matter our surrounds. Watching the river of feeling and falling to sleep. Anyway. Welcome. This practice is for anyone walking through life that feels full of grief, Full of feeling or perhaps rumination, Overthinking, Ruminating. Perhaps you simply feel running thin on joy, Not feeling much joy, Well this practice is for you. Together today we'll look at ways to fall asleep. No matter what, Fall asleep despite injustice, Fall asleep despite rumination, Fall asleep despite grief. Falling asleep anyway. Looking at how to cope with suffering. Without being devoured. Before we start, Set an intention for yourself. I suggest that your intention is something about looking down upon your feelings. Without becoming. Your feelings. The skill of being able to watch. Before we start, Choose where to meditate, Perhaps in a chair or maybe in your bed. Choose, Prepare yourself, Wear loose clothing. And when you're ready, We'll start. Sit down or lie down. Comfortably and slowly. Reflecting again. As you become comfortable. On the words. Today, I will watch what I feel. Without. Becoming what I feel. Prepare yourself, Move around. Wriggle a little and settle yourself physically. As you consider your intention. Observe that you are watching. This intention rather than becoming the intention. Be the Gentle Watcher. Say it yourself. Silently Today I will watch what I feel without becoming what I feel. I will practice dignity. Compassion and clear seeing. Isn't that a lovely two words? Clear. Thing. To be able to profoundly see. Clearly with perspective. I will let joy be small and genuine, Not forced. I will let peace be the quiet answer that returns when I return to myself. Repeat this. Focus on these thoughts, These paradigms, Gently, Kindly to self. Be kind to yourself. Relax your body. Slowly progressively. Focus now on posture and breath. Posture and breath. Let your hands rest. Where they feel supported. Notice your hands. Let your hands go. Soften your eyes, Your eyelids. Allow your eyes to relax. If you can, Breathe through your nose. Slow and naturally. Be mindful with breath that your pattern of breathing is to suit you. Whatever is said in this meditation, Breathe in a way which suits you. This meditation is designed to be organic, To reflect who you are right now in this space. At times you may decide to change the words, Change the description of the words to suit you. Because here Now, Right now. You matter. You matter. Breathe in through your nose if you choose to do so. Slow. . . Natural. Breathe out through your mouth. If you choose to do so. Like a sigh. Through lips. Sigh. Or a page. Breathe in through the nose, Out through the mouth or any way which suits you. Now let your breath find its own rhythm. Its own way. And breathe in a way which you choose, You select. Now we are going to spend a couple of minutes watching without becoming. Ponder for a few moments on the words. Watch. Without. Becoming. The act of watching. Without becoming. Reflect on these words for. . . Several breaths. Watching without becoming. Imagine that your feelings are like weather. Passing through a sky of awareness. The sky, The blue sky is the awareness and the weather, The weather is thoughts, The weather is feelings, The weather might be attachment. Imagine the sky, Imagine the awareness. These feelings, These thoughts can be sticky like humidity that clings to the skin. Be mindful. You are not the weather. You are the sky. The weather exists. But you are the embracing sky. And you have the ability to observe. To watch. Relax, Release, Breathe. Let your body go. As you process, As you relax be mindful of being the observer here. Here we are not exiling the weather. We are simply remembering who we are. You might wish to say to yourself silently, Who am I? When we question who we are. We focus on the inquiry rather than the answer. We are content with the process of asking. Simply inquiring. That curiosity which fades wisdom. Who? Am I? Who am I? Relax, Release. We are allowing the storm. And also the break in the clouds. We allow the heartbreak We allow the rage and injustice. We allow the occasional ache of loneliness. We allow life. We allow humanity. Anyway. The concept of anyway. Joy. . . Anyway. Joy anyway. We remember watching is not cold detachment. Watching. Watching is warm clarity. The ability to say. Anyway. Watching is care with perspective. Relax your body now. Consider these thoughts. As The Watcher. Looking down. Consider, Relax, Release your body, Your whole body. What helps the watcher in you? 3 touch stones. Naming, Naming the thought, Naming the feeling. This is grief, This is anger, This is fear. Simple. Compassionate. Identifying, Naming, This feeling is. We demystify by naming. There are times in life when naming can be helpful. Name. Your feelings. Grounding, Feeling the body here and now. Knowing how your body feels and the ability to listen to your body. Your body expresses you. Expresses who you are and who you are to become. Who you are going to become. Your body reflects you. Feel your body. Feel your body here and now so the mind doesn't drown in the what-if. Feel your body here and now. How does your body feel? So firstly, Naming feelings. Secondly, Grounding. Thirdly, Allowing, Letting feeling move without forcing it away or forcing it to stay, Letting it shape, Shift and move. Firstly, Naming the feeling. Secondly, Grounding. Feeling your body. Noticing your body and thirdly allowing the evolution of feelings. Letting feeling move. Relax, Release. Relax, Release. Sit in these paradigms, This awareness. Monitor, Watch any attachment, Any stickiness, Any rising of human thought. Human feeling, Those feelings of possible irritation, Possibly jealousy, Anger, Grief. Recognise these feelings as profoundly human. Rising above these feelings and seeing these feelings as the weather and you are the blue sky. You are the sky. Breathe now, Relax. Your body and consider. Guidance on justice and joy. Relax your body. Being realistic about a world of injustice. Does not mean abandoning joy. Being realistic is a resource for the path. The path of life. Justice without joy burns out. Joy without justice drifts. Drifts away. We practice to hold both. Our hands are open enough to carry grief and still reach for what is good. Truly good. You practice to hold both. We carry grief and still reach with intention for what is good. Relax, Release your body. Consider these contemplations and as you consider these contemplations, Rise above them. Look down. You are the sky. You are the sky. Body scan from crown of your head to toes. Relax from the crown of your head to your toes. Moving slowly. Moving slowly. As you move through your body. Look at three processes. Notice sensations. Meet these sensations using three processes. Name ground and allow. Name the feeling. Ground the feeling. Allow the feeling. Allow you to be truly you. Because you matter. Because you matter relax release Consider naming, Grounding, Allowing. Breathe now. Crown and forehead bring awareness to the crown of your head. Notice any tingling, Any warmth. Or absence of sensation. Notice. Notice the scalp. As if a warm cloth were laid across your forehead. Marjus. Let the forehead widen, Relax, Unfurrow. Smooth your forehead. If you feel any tension. Any tension. Name is. Be mindful you are the sky, You can look down upon your feelings, Look down upon your feelings, Name them. Without attachment. Without involvement. Simply name. If tension is sticky. Name it tension, Stress. Stickiness, Name. Name it. Ground yourself with one steady breath. Allow it to be as it is. It is. What it is. Eyes and jaw. Feel your eyes. Relax your eyes. Let your eyes rest back. Rest your eyes. Unclench the jaw by placing the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Relax, Release. If there is any worry Name it. Worry. This is worry, And that's okay. Allow yourself to look down upon the feeling. Rather than being the feeling. Ground yourself with breath. Choose the pattern of breathing which suits you. Right now. Allow yourself. To be. Allow the worry to ebb or to stay. It is what it is. A human feeling, A human sensation. Throat and neck. Soften the throat. The throat is the passageway of our truth. Our life passes through our throat. Our throat is the foundation of our voice. Truth lies within our throat. If you sense words, Unspoken words, Or any words, Name these words. Perhaps you might say something like unsayable. Or spent. Feel the back of the nip lengthening. Lengthen. Perhaps a particular word is unsayable. Perhaps you feel exhaustion around a particular word. Acknowledge that. Notice that. Notice that by rising, Rising above the word. Words can be tools, Sometimes, Sometimes it may be more effective to place the tools away. You are the artist here. You are the artist. Of how to process words. Do what suits you. You matter. Relax, Release your body. Breathe, Relax your throat. Release your collarbones. Shoulders and upper back relaxed. Let the shoulders drop. One at a time. Relax your shoulders. Be aware that sometimes our shoulders can shoulder stress. Or an experience. We can hold grief or life experience upon our shoulders. For now, Let your shoulders rest. If you feel your shoulders are holding a burden Perhaps. Name it. Gently. Perhaps name it, Gently, Burden. Simply the word burden. I have burden here. I shoulder burden here. Ground yourself with breath and allow. I have burden here, I ground myself, I allow the shape-shifting of burden. Heart and chest. Rest your attention at the centre of your chest, Your heart space. This is the hearth of tenderness. And the mating, The mating place of opposites. Grief is here in the heart, You might say to yourself silently, Grief is here. Grief is here. If numbness is here, You might say, Numbness is here. This is you. This is you, Do what resonates with you, What helps you here. The start of the process of managing. Is to see. How opposites can be held in our heart at the same time. And that's okay. Breathe. There is an allowing here. No pushing away, Nothing is pushed away here. There is an ongoing opening. Open. Opening. Always opening. Always opening. Breathe now. Allow time to pass. Let it pass. Let it go. Ribs and sole plexus. Notice the movement of ribs. The tide of breath. At the solar plexus where anxiety can buzz. Say to yourself, Energy. Energy. This is energy. Energy. Ground yourself by lengthening gently your exhale. Be comfortable. Lengthen your exhale. Belly and lower back. Soften the belly enough for breath to arrive. Soften your back enough for breath to arrive and move through the lungs. And soften the belly. Feel the contact with the surface beneath you, Whether you are seated, Whether you are lying down. Notice the contrast between your body and the support beneath it. Feel gravity. Feel gravity. Through this process, Be the observer episode. Relax your body. Completely relax your body while allowing the journey. Each time we meditate it's going to be different and that's okay. Pelvis and hips, Bring awareness to the pelvis, The hips, Feel the weight of the pelvis, The hips. If there is any ancestral grief. Or perhaps generational grief? It might sit here in the hips. Let it go. Notice, Let it go. Understanding that letting go. Long-term grief. Possibly ancestral grave? Possibly generational grief. That takes time. Allow time. Allow time, Relax. No rush. Ground yourself. Upper legs and knees. Sense the length and strength of your upper legs. Let your knees be soft hinges. Relax. Ground, Relax. Possibly name? Relax, Anchor yourself ground. Relax. Allow. Relax. Name. Ground. Allow. Name, Ground, Allow. Notice any restlessness. Often there may be low-level agitation. Irritation, Stickiness. Notice. Rise above. Rise. Above. Calves, Lower legs, Ankles and feet. Relax, Release. Relax the toes. Release your whole body, Your complete body release. Notice notice the constellation of sensation. All the different sensations in your body. The sensations of changing, Unlatching, Relatching. Watch without becoming. The skill of watching without becoming. Breathe. Work with the stickiness. Relax, Release your body. Arms, Legs, Feet, Hands, Relax, Release. Face, Top of the head, Relax, Release. Legs, Arms, Let go. Last card. Stickiness Sometimes a feeling sticks. Perhaps anger. Perhaps sadness. Perhaps a sense of shame. When it does widen. As if you have a camera, Widen the frame. Imagine you have a camera taking pictures of your life. Widen the frame. Broaden the frame. Move your attention to the edges of the picture. The edges of the sensation. Ask yourself with curiosity. What else is there here? What else can I say? What else is here? What is at the edge of the picture of your life? Be curious. Label lightly. Ah! Anger is here. Sadness is here. See the difference. Between. The feeling and awareness. Say to yourself, The difference is dignity. The difference is dignity. The line is dignity. Consider now for several breaths, Dignity. Now soften the center. Picture the feeling as a knot in a rope. Each breath loosens. For Nosh. Loosens a strand of the rope. We do not yank. We do not pull. We soften. Relax your body, Head to toe. Invite movement. Let your body release. Let your body anchor. Let your body say. Listen to your body, Listen to your body Invite movement. Emotions are kinetic permission helps them transform. Give your body permission to move. And with this movement we release emotion. Release emotion. And warmth. Imagine yourself imagine placing a hand where feeling lives. Offer the phrase silently i see you I'm here. Not to fix, Just to be a companion. During this time I see you, I'm here. I see you. I'm here. I see you, I'm here. Looking down upon feelings. The balcony. Imagine stepping out now to a quiet balcony. That overlooks the landscape of your inner life. You are standing upon the balcony and you look upon the landscape of your life and it is beautiful. No matter what, It is beautiful. There is beauty there. See. Recognize the beauty as you stand upon the balcony you see clearly. Without attachment. You still care, But you're aware there is pain. You look from the balcony. You can name patterns. You can name patterns without blaming. Yourself or others. These patterns may belong to others, These patterns may be your own, It's okay. Name the patterns. As we name patterns we reduce, We manage attachment. It's okay. There is profound understanding. Within this process. You see clearly, Without the stickiness of ink. You still care but there is perspective within the care. You choose what aligns with justice, Even if emotion wishes to shout. You choose what aligns with justice even when emotion wants to shout. From the balcony watch a feeling move below you. Notice the way it moves, Shapeshifts, How it moves, Possibly in density, Possibly in color. Notice. From your balcony Notice the edges of a sticky feeling. Notice that edges mean ending. Every sticky feeling has an ending. See the ending, As you do so relax, Release your body. Relax your body. Relax, Release your body. We walk for justice, Not because we are free of pain. But because we are faithful to life. Joy is not a reward. Joy is a companion through the journey of life. Sometimes joy is a strong sunrise. Often joy can be a pilot light. That never quite goes out. Practice micro joys, A sip of water with full attention, Sunlight upon your hands, A sentence that lands with kindness. What are micro joys in your life? Those little soft joys. Consider micro-joice. Consider the practice of micro-choice. Now consider one thing, One call, One kindness, One boundary, One breath. Something you can let go of. Perhaps it's an issue around a colleague around words. A neighbour. One thing. Right now. You can let go of. In the arithmetic of change, Small, Small is real. Breathe, Let go. Breathe, Let go. Relax your body. Relax your body. Consider right now offering yourself three phrases. Watching is enough, Care is enough, This breath is enough, I am not the weather, I am the sky that welcomes weather. Watching is enough, Care is enough, This breath is enough, I am not the weather, I am the sky that welcomes weather. Watching is enough. Care is enough. This breath is enough. I'm not the weather. I'm the sky that welcomes weather. Watching is enough, Care is enough, This breath is enough, I am not the weather, I am the sky that welcomes weather. Watching is enough. Care is enough, This breath is enough, I'm not the weather I'm the sky that welcomes weather. Watching is enough, Care is enough, This breath is enough, I am not the weather, I am the sky that welcomes weather. Watching is a no care is enough, This breath is enough, I'm not the weather, I'm the sky that welcomes weather. Consider. Say to yourself silently. In a world both beautiful and unjust. May you walk with fierce tenderness. May your joy be honest and sufficient. May your peace be the answer that returns whenever you remember to watch. In a world both beautiful and unjust. May you walk with fierce tenderness. May your joy be honest and sufficient. May your peace be the answer that returns whenever you remember to watch. Gently breathe. Gently breathe. Relax, Release. Explore how to witness sticky emotions, Hold grief and injustice with compassion and still make room for authentic joy and peace. No matter what. These are companions. They always walk together. And that's okay Be resilient. Support your nervous system, Regulate your nervous system. And create a grounded path. Towards justice. Existing in the presence of joy. The presence of joy anyway. Relax, Release, Let go Relax your body. Whole body, Arms, Legs, Hands, Feet, Let go, Let go, It's okay. Let go, Let go, It's okay, Relax your body your complete body. The way you are now is okay. You can walk your path. You will find your way. It's okay. It's okay existing in the presence of joy. The presence of joy anyway. Relax, Release, Let go Relax your body. Whole body, Arms, Legs, Hands, Feet, Let go, Let go, It's okay. Let go, Let go, It's okay, Relax here your complete body. The way you are now is okay. You can walk your path. You will find your way. It's okay. It's okay existing in the presence of joy. The presence of joy anyway. Relax, Release, Let go Relax your body. Whole body, Arms, Legs, Hands, Feet, Let go, Let go, It's okay. Let go, Let go, It's okay, Relax your body your complete body. The way you are now is okay. You can walk your path. You will find your way. It's okay. It's okay existing in the presence of joy. The presence of joy anyway. Relax, Release, Let go Relax your body. Whole body, Arms, Legs, Hands, Feet, Let go, Let go, It's okay. Let go, Let go, It's okay, Relax your body, Your complete body. The way you are now is okay. You can walk your path. You will find your way. It's okay. It's okay existing in the presence of joy. The presence of joy anyway. Relax, Release, Let go Relax your body. Whole body, Arms, Legs, Hands, Feet, Let go, Let go, It's okay. Let go, Let go, It's okay, Relax your body, Your complete body. The way you are now is okay. You can walk your path. You will find your way. It's okay. It's okay existing in the presence of joy. The presence of joy anyway. Relax, Release, Let go Relax your body. Whole body, Arms, Legs, Hands, Feet, Let go, Let go, It's okay. Let go, Let go, It's okay, Relax your body your complete body. The way you are now is okay. You can walk your path. You will find your way. It's okay it's okay let go, Let go, It's okay, Relax your body your complete body. The way you are now is okay. You can walk your path. You will find your way. It's okay it's okay