Hello,
Welcome.
I'm Sarah from Metaya and this is the guided evening meditation.
I hope that it will help you to fall asleep.
In any case,
Finding some rest in your body.
And maybe also resting your mind a bit before you go to sleep.
So firstly,
Start by finding a position that feels comfortable.
A position in which you can fully relax.
It doesn't require any energy for you to hold yourself.
You may choose to lie down.
On your back,
On your belly or on your side.
Or if you prefer to stay awake during the meditation,
You can also sit in a chair.
And allow your hands to rest wherever they feel most comfortable.
And if it feels okay,
I invite you to gently close your eyes.
Feeling the weight of your eyelids.
Becoming heavier and heavier Letting your eyes to rest.
And before we begin,
I would like to invite you to let go of any expectations you may have about this meditation.
There is nothing you have to achieve.
You do not have to feel calm.
And you do not have to stop your thoughts.
Or forcing yourself to fall asleep or failing in a certain way.
In the next few minutes we will simply allow Posing.
And some rest.
This is your time.
It's a moment of self-care transitioning from all the daily activities to something more peaceful by yourself.
And remember that if at any point you need to adjust your position,
That is completely okay.
Follow the cues of your body.
It knows what it needs.
And now gently bring your attention to your breathing.
There is nothing you need to change.
Simply notice that your body is breathing.
Notice where you feel your breath most clearly.
Perhaps you notice the air moving through your nose.
Fresh oxygen.
Perhaps you notice your chest rising and falling.
Or the gentle movement of your belly.
And as you are noticing,
Maybe you can also feel a slight movement like a wave.
Starting in your belly and then as your belly is falling Your chest is rising again.
A small subtle movement.
And if it feels comfortable,
Allow your breathing to become just a little slower.
Take a slow breath in through your nose and gently breathe out through your nose.
Again,
Breathing in slowly.
And breathing out slowly There is no need to take very deep breaths.
Comfortable breath and a slow rhythm are enough with every exhale imagine giving your body just a little more permission to rest Nothing needs your attention right now.
Nothing needs to be solved.
You are just here,
Safe,
Warm.
And breathing.
And now I would like to invite you to think back over your day.
You do not have to search for something big or extraordinary.
I will just ask you one simple question.
Was there one moment today that felt pleasant?
Perhaps a smile from someone you love.
Or you enjoy the warm drink.
You went for a nice walk.
You listen to your favorite music.
Or felt the sunshine on your skin.
Whatever comes to mind is enough.
And stay with that memory and that good feeling for a few breaths and notice what you remember.
And notice how your body feels while you think about it Allow yourself to enjoy this moment again.
And now gently bring your attention back to your breathing.
As we continue,
We will slowly bring awareness to different parts of your body.
And there is nothing you need to change,
Simply notice what you feel.
Firstly,
Bring your attention to your feet.
Notice where they make contact with the pad.
And perhaps they feel warm.
Cool or heavy.
Or maybe you notice very little.
All experiences are welcome.
It's not about what you feel.
Just bringing some attention to your body.
And now allow your attention to move into your lower legs.
Slowly going up to your knees and your upper legs.
And if it's possible for you just bring some ease,
Releasing any tension that might be still present there.
Feeling that you can completely sink in to your mattress.
Feeling the heaviness of your legs.
And now going further bringing the awareness to your hips your pelvis.
Feeling the support underneath you and see if it's possible for you to allow yourself to be held by the bed.
So that you can let go of any holding,
Any tension.
And now bring your attention to your belly.
Notice how it gently rises as you breathe in and softly falls as you breathe out.
Simply allow it to happen.
And breathe every exhale you might feel that you are sinking in a bit more into your mattress.
Relax.
And if there are thoughts.
Popping up.
You just acknowledge those as thoughts.
And then you bring your attention back to your body.
Noticing your chest.
Your shoulders.
Your arms and your hands.
And if you notice any tension in your shoulders,
Simply see if they are willing to soften a little.
Just gently,
You don't need to force it,
You are only letting them to soften with every exhale dropping in a little more And finally.
Bring your attention to your neck.
Your Joe.
On your face.
Allow your jaw to soften.
Let your tongue rest comfortably inside your mouth.
Relax the muscles around your eyes.
Pulling the weight of your eyelids.
And allow your forehead to become smooth.
And notice your whole body resting Support it.
Breathing.
Exactly as it is,
Exactly as you are.
And as you rest here,
I would like to leave you with one gentle thought.
Sleep is not something we can force.
The harder we try to fall asleep,
The more awake we often become.
Sleep is something we allow.
It is a gradual process of letting go.
Letting go of the day and of the need to keep doing.
Letting go of the need to keep solving.
So in many ways falling asleep is an act of trust.
And trusting that for a little while it is safe to rest.
You can stop and it is safe to simply be as you have done it for the last couple of minutes.
So the beautiful thing is that your body already knows how to do this and the fact that you sleep night after night reminds us that your body already knows how to let go.
And even if falling asleep feels difficult sometimes,
That ability has never disappeared.
And maybe it's comforting to know that you do not have to make sleep happen.
You are simply creating the conditions that invite sleep to come naturally.
In its own time.
And if thoughts appear,
That is completely normal.
Our minds are designed to think.
You do not have to make your thoughts disappear.
Simply notice that your mind has wandered and when you are ready,
Gently guide your attention back to your breathing.
One breath at a time,
One exhale at a time And whatever today has brought,
It is enough for now.
The day is complete.
And what has not been finished today can wait until tomorrow.
Tomorrow we'll still be here when you wake up.
So for now there is nowhere you need to go and nothing you need to do.
Simply continue breathing gently and allow yourself to rest.
And remain exactly where you are.
And allow sleep to come naturally in its own time.
Sleep well.
