8-Hour Body Scan For Insomnia (Extended)

Allow the weight of the day to slowly fade as this gentle guided meditation invites your awareness to drift through the body, one place at a time. With each moment of attention, muscles are encouraged to soften, the breath naturally eases, and the nervous system begins to settle without force or expectation.

This body scan is an invitation to rest rather than a task to complete. There is nothing you need to make happen and nowhere you need to go. Even if sleep feels distant, you are welcome just as you are.

Supported by the steady rise and fall of your breath and the sense of being safely held, your body is given permission to let go. From this place of comfort, ease, and deep relaxation, tension can melt away and sleep can arrive quietly in its own natural time.

Accompanied by music from Pablo Arellano

Transcript

Welcome to this extended body scan to support deep rest.

After the meditation,

My voice will fade and the music will continue to allow you to drift into sleep.

Take a moment to arrive just as you are.

Begin by setting yourself up in a position that feels truly comfortable for rest.

You might lie down,

Allowing the surface beneath you to fully support your body,

Or make any small adjustments you need,

Shifting,

Stretching,

Yawning,

Sighing,

Perhaps adding blankets or pillows,

Whatever you need to feel at ease.

There is no perfect posture here,

Only what feels right for you in this moment.

You can always adjust it later if your body asks you to.

Once you are settled,

Allow your body to be held.

Let the places where you meet the bed or ground feel heavy,

As if gravity is gently doing the work for you.

Feel secure here,

In your body,

Your body on the ground,

Letting go into the surface beneath you.

Allow your eyes to close or soften your gaze.

Take a moment to notice that you've already done something kind for yourself by pausing here.

This practice is not about making sleep happen.

There is nothing to force,

Nothing to achieve.

If sleep comes,

It comes.

If it doesn't,

That's okay too.

Be gentle with yourself and know that deep rest still counts.

Now gently invite your muscles to soften.

Imagine them loosening and lengthening,

As though they are slowly melting away from the ground,

Releasing,

No longer needing to hold themselves up.

There is nothing to brace against,

Nothing to grip.

Just a gradual easing,

A quiet letting go.

Now bring your attention to your breath,

Your natural breath.

No need to change it in any way.

Simply notice the calm,

Quiet rhythm of breathing in and breathing out.

Let the breath move the body instead of the other way around.

With each exhale,

Imagine the day beginning to loosen and gently releasing,

Its weight slowly melting away,

Tension softening,

Dissolving,

Being carried away.

The body relaxes a little more,

Settling deeper into rest.

Take another deep breath in,

And as you exhale,

Imagine your body becoming heavy,

Very heavy and sinking into the ground.

Heavy as though you have a thick blanket draped over you,

Gently pressing you into rest,

Surrounding your body like a comforting,

Warm hug,

Feeling soothing and peaceful as you lay in this tranquil space.

As you breathe out,

Body melting into the soft,

Receptive ground underneath you,

Heavy and sinking,

Completely relaxed,

Sinking deeper into this comfortable position,

Knowing there is nothing you need to do and nowhere you need to go.

This is a time to rest,

To soften,

To let the day slowly loosen its grip.

Sinking down into the ground a little deeper,

The weight of your body spreads downward and outward until there is no edge to hold.

Slowly merging with the soft surface beneath you,

You feel anchored,

Quiet,

And fully supported.

As we move through this body scan together,

There is nothing to fix or achieve.

You're simply offering kind awareness to each part of your body,

Allowing relaxation to arrive in its own time,

Inviting rest to arrive naturally.

If your mind drifts,

That's okay.

Sleep often arrives in these gentle moments of wandering.

Let yourself be nurtured,

Supported,

Held in this space of rest.

Allow your awareness to move through your body as you are guided.

Feel each body part to move on to the next when prompted,

Noting anything.

Simply noticing is always enough.

Do not worry if you cannot feel every body part.

Begin by bringing awareness to your mouth.

Notice the subtle texture of your lips.

Notice the soft meeting of the upper and lower lip.

Perhaps they are gently closed or resting slightly apart.

There is no effort required to hold them in any particular way.

Allow the lips to soften as though they are releasing the last effort of the day.

Invite the lips to loosen,

Releasing the tiny muscles in the lips.

Feel the inside of your mouth,

The warmth,

The moisture.

The quiet stillness.

Become aware of sensation in the roof of your mouth.

Sense the tongue.

Allow your tongue to rest heavily in the bottom of the mouth,

No longer pressing or lifting,

No longer shaping words.

If it is touching the roof of your mouth,

Allow it to slowly melt downward,

Spreading and softening,

Your tongue wide and relaxed.

Now bring attention to your teeth.

You may notice they are lightly touching or perhaps separated.

If there is any clenching,

Invite a small easy space beneath the tongue and between the teeth.

A slight gap or tension can dissolve.

Let the jaw become slack,

Loose,

Unguarded.

Feel the jaw muscles on either side of your face.

These muscles work hard every day,

Speaking,

Chewing.

Offer them permission to rest.

Imagine them softening,

Lengthening,

Gently dripping away from the bone,

Heavy and relaxed.

Allow the softness to spread into the cheeks.

The cheeks release downward,

Smoothing out.

The muscles here no longer need to support expression or reaction.

Gravity takes over,

Gently pulling everything towards rest.

Become aware of all surfaces inside of the mouth all together.

Notice the delicate sensation of breath moving in and out through your nostrils.

No need to control the breath,

Simply feel it pass through,

Steady and quiet.

Notice your eyes.

Feel the eyelids resting over the eyes.

Light yet weighted,

Like soft curtains laid gently over the eyes.

Let the tiny muscles around the eyes loosen,

Especially at the corners.

Eyes radiant with light and wisdom.

The eyes themselves sink back into their sockets,

As if floating in warm water,

Supported and at ease.

Move your attention to the forehead.

Notice if there is any lifting,

Any holding.

Invite the skin of the forehead to smooth and spread,

Like warm wax softening.

Become aware of the eyebrows.

Let the space between the eyebrows widen and soften.

Feel the temples,

The side of the head.

These sensitive places relax,

Releasing any subtle pulsing or pressure.

Your whole face now feels heavy,

Slack,

And deeply at rest.

Bring awareness to your ears.

Feel the wrinkles and folds of the ears.

The backs of the ears.

Aware of your ears hearing.

Notice sounds without reaching for them.

Sounds can come and go,

Passing through without effort.

The muscles around the ears soften.

The inner ear settling into quiet.

Now move upward to the scalp.

Feel the skin at the top of the head loosening,

As though it gently expands.

Any tightness here melts away.

Each hair resting without effort.

The back of the head is resting and relaxed.

Your entire head feels supported and balanced.

Let this relaxation flow down into the neck.

Feel the front of the throat soften.

No need for swallowing or holding.

The sides of the neck release,

Lengthening gently.

The back of the neck widens and spreads.

Allowing the head to feel fully supported by the pillows beneath you.

Together,

Heavy and relaxed.

Bring your attention now to your right shoulder.

Notice its shape,

Its weight.

The shoulder has carried much today.

With your next exhale,

Allow it to drop slightly.

Sliding away from the ear.

The muscles here soften and grow warm,

Releasing their grip.

Let awareness move down into the right upper arm.

Feel its heaviness.

The muscles no longer need to hold themselves up.

They release and settle,

Gently dripping from the bone.

Bring attention to the right elbow.

Notice any holding here.

Invite it to soften.

Bending or resting exactly as it wants in this place of ease and rest.

Tension dissolves.

Bring awareness to the right wrist.

Resting naturally,

Free of effort.

Perhaps warm,

Perhaps cool.

Resting open.

Softening.

Bring attention to each right finger as they relax one by one.

The thumb releasing its constant readiness.

The first finger softening,

No longer pointing.

The second finger growing heavier.

Loosening,

Releasing subtle tension.

Gently at rest.

Feel now the whole hand relaxed and at ease.

Notice the whole right arm and hand together.

The entire right shoulder,

Arm,

And hand feel warm,

Heavy,

And deeply relaxed.

Shift your awareness to the left shoulder.

Notice its position and weight.

With an exhale,

Allow it to drop and soften.

Sliding down and away from the ear.

Muscles here relax,

No longer holding the day.

Move into the left upper arm.

Feel it growing heavy,

Sinking into support.

The muscles soften and lengthen.

Dripping gently away from the bone.

Bring attention to the left elbow.

Allow it to loosen.

Resting without effort.

Now become aware of the left forearm.

Feel its full length and weight.

Each left finger relaxes one by one.

Now the whole left hand relaxed and at ease.

Notice the whole left arm and hand together.

The entire left shoulder,

Arm.

Both arms now rest equally.

Heavy and supported.

The shoulder braids spread lightly and soften.

The back melting downward like warm fabric,

Settling flat and wide.

Allow attention to drift into the middle back.

Space opening between the ribs.

Sense the low back,

Resting and at ease.

Rising and falling naturally with each breath.

The muscles here release and spread.

Supported fully.

Feel its heaviness.

The large muscles melting and settling.

The front of the knee.

Invite the knee to soften.

Release and hold.

Become aware of the right calf.

Feel it lengthen and relax.

Sinking into the surface beneath you.

Notice the right ankle.

Loose and unbraced.

The sole softens.

Notice big right toe.

Second toe.

The entire foot feels warm and still.

Shift your awareness to the left hip.

Feel it settling downward.

Supported and heavy.

Muscles here soften and melt.

Releasing their effort.

Bring attention to the left knee.

Feel it spreading and resting.

Bring awareness to the top of the foot.

Notice the big left toe.

Second toe.

Toes release and rest.

Quiet and still.

Heavy and relaxed in this resting body.

Your whole body feels heavy and grounded.

As if the surface beneath you is doing all of the work.

There is nothing left to do.

Settling as sleep arrives in its own gentle time.

If sleep hasn't come yet,

That's okay.

You are still resting.

Your nervous system is still settling.

You don't need to watch for sleep.

You don't need to check if it's happening.

Your awareness can continue to soften.

Spreading through the body like a warm glow.

Everything that needed attention has been met.

You are held and grounded.

Let this sense of ease continue.

Your body knows how to rest.

Sleep knows how to wander into this moment.

Trust this quiet settling.

Allow yourself to drift exactly as you are.

Following your body's natural rhythm.

As it gently leads you into sleep.

Let go of the sound of these words now.

Supported and safe.

Melting into the surface beneath you.

Your breath is easy.

There is nothing more you need to do.

Rest here exactly as you are.

Letting sleep naturally arrive in its own time.

Quiet as you are surrounded by this feeling of softness and stillness.

Drift into sleep or simply rest here quietly.

You are exactly where you need to be.