Deep Rest For Insomnia

Do you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep? This meditation is designed to use the breath and guided relaxation to allow the body and mind to find a restful place again. Simply find a comfortable seat or lying position and be guided through your body, releasing tension and allowing yourself to be supported back to a place of rest. Guided softly from a peaceful kind and spacious place.

Transcript

Finding a way to let your body be comfortable,

Whether it be in bed,

On a couch,

On the floor.

Just finding a place that feels comfortable to you at the moment and maybe a place that you can move a little bit.

If you feel some jittery energy in your body,

Lying down just really let your body have a little shake.

Just shaking your hands or your feet or wiggling your torso and then taking a nice deep breath in all the way to the bottom of your lungs and as you let go feeling your whole body rest onto the surface that you're sitting or lying on.

And even though it can feel frustrating and exhausting to wake up in the middle of the night when you really want to be asleep,

Just know that you can rest and your body can rest in this moment here.

And that together we can just do some little breathing and visualizing to give yourself a chance to get yourself back to sleep or at least let your body find a place of deep relaxation.

Which in many ways is just as rejuvenating as deep sleep as well.

So trusting this process and if you don't feel a hundred percent comfortable now just let go of the idea of feeling comfortable and go with the process anyway.

So taking a nice deep breath in again whenever you're ready and filling up from the bottom of your lungs coming up and up and up towards the top of your chest.

And when you feel like you've had enough breath take a little bit of an extra sip of breath in and then let it all go.

This is a beautiful way of tapping into the relaxation of the body.

So when you feel ready and in your own time you're taking a deep breath to the bottom of your lungs and you're filling it up all the way to the top and then you take that extra little sniff of air in and then you let it all go.

Doing this in your own time.

See if you can make this in breath through your nose.

So you're breathing in through your nose in in in in in in take an extra sniff in and then letting go through your mouth and trying to make that out breath as long as you can.

When you feel like you've gotten to the end of the out breath just feel your body let go even more.

Sometimes there's a little bit of extra breath that can come out at the end of where you think you've already finished.

If you need to take a little rest breath in between these do so.

We're just going to do a few of these deeper breaths.

This gives the body a signal to let go.

So let your body let go into the surface that you're lying or sitting on and then we'll take a breath in together our last one.

When you're ready taking a breath in through the nose all the way in filling your whole body up from the bottom of the lungs to the top.

Take an extra little sniff in and then letting go.

Feeling the whole body let go as you breathe out.

Feeling that let go and let go and let go.

Even further you might find that there's a little still point or a quiet place before you need to breathe in again.

Just notice that.

If you want to take another deep breath you can.

Otherwise let your body do its own breathing.

There's no need to think about it and we'll move on.

So just trying to be breathing through your nose but just letting the body rest now and breathe as it wants to.

Sometimes the body responds by wanting to breathe a little faster and sometimes the body will really let go and breathe slower.

It's not important.

And you can do another of these deep breaths at any time through this whole session.

So now just letting the body be rested and bring your attention to your feet.

Whether they're on the bed or on the floor.

Just be aware of your feet and see if you can scrunch them up.

Scrunch the toes,

Scrunch the toes.

Take a little breath in and then as you breathe out let the feet relax.

Have another go of that.

So we're contracting and then relaxing.

So really contract,

Feel your feet tight,

Scrunched up into little balls.

Breathing in,

Nice deep breath and as you breathe out let them go.

And then have the same feeling in your legs as if you're gripping the muscles onto the legs and creating two very long straight stiff legs.

Contract those muscles,

Contract,

Contract.

You feel your calf,

Your quads,

Your buttock muscles,

All the muscles are pulling into the bone.

Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out let them go.

Have another go with your legs.

They don't need to be straight,

You can also squish them in tight towards you.

But you're contracting the muscles nice and tight around the legs pulling them into the bone.

Hold,

Hold,

Hold.

Nice deep breath in through the nose and as you breathe out let them go.

Feeling your jaw relax,

Feeling the skin on your face relax,

Feel your shoulders relax.

And now bringing your attention to your belly and this time you want to tighten your belly.

Really suck your belly button back towards your spine,

Really pulling it in and now taking a nice deep breath in.

It's really hard with a tight belly.

Breathing in and then letting go,

Feel your belly let go.

Softness through the belly.

And then we'll breathe into our chest.

Will you take a nice deep breath through your nose and really feel your chest like we did before.

Really lift the chest open,

Really push it open,

Make it as wide as you can and then let it go.

Now we want to bring the shoulders up towards the ears.

Lift them right up,

Squeeze them in,

Maybe clench your jaw.

Really pull those shoulders right to the ears.

Feel your jaw clenching.

Nice deep breath in through the nose and as you breathe out let those shoulders drop down,

Jaw relax.

Your mouth is loose and relaxed,

Your tongue is relaxed,

Your shoulders are relaxed.

We'll bring that contraction or tension into the arms and the hands so you can squeeze your arms into you or squeeze them long and straight but we're making a fist.

Contracting through the arms,

Really stiffening,

Stiffening,

Stiffening through the arms.

Taking a deep breath in and letting go.

Feeling them completely let go.

Bring your attention back to the shoulders and the jaw,

Feeling them relaxed as well.

And then see if you can lift your head back as if you're sticking your chin out and you're contracting the back of your neck.

Maybe lift your shoulders up as well,

Chin up,

Back of the head back,

Shoulders up.

Really pulling everything tight to the back of the neck there.

Deep breath in and as you let go let it all relax.

And then coming to your face,

Scrunching up your eyes,

Scrunching up your face,

Clenching your jaw,

Press your tongue to the top of your mouth.

Feeling even your ears and your scalp tight,

Pulling in towards your skull.

Deep breath in and as you breathe out let it all relax.

Just one more time with the jaw and the forehead.

So really clenching your jaw and really scowling,

Really bringing your eyes together and your forehead scrunched up and letting go.

Feel your jaw relaxed,

Feel the tongue in the bottom of the mouth.

Your lips are closed but the back of your teeth are not touching.

Just imagine the skin on your face just becoming soft and letting go.

Being aware of your eyeballs in the sockets,

Just resting back into the sockets,

Feeling those tiny little muscles around the eyes let go.

Feeling the skin around your eyes and your forehead,

Just letting go,

Softening.

Feeling the skin on your scalp where your hair touches in,

Just feeling it all soften as if your skull is just being let a little bit loose inside there.

Just imagining that your brain inside your skull is just becoming soft and resting on the back of your skull on the inside.

Feeling the jaw loose again,

Feeling your throat and your neck just soften,

Relax,

Jaw relaxed again.

Just be aware of the gentle flow of air through the nose,

Through your sinuses,

Through the back of your throat,

Into your lungs.

Just be aware of that gentle flow,

Whether it's fast or slow,

Just noticing it,

Feeling your throat beautifully soft,

Open.

And then just imagining and noticing how your head is just resting either on the pillow or the floor,

Just resting your head,

Resting your shoulders back,

Your neck,

Noticing how your left arm is heavy and relaxed,

Noticing how your right arm is heavy and relaxed,

Just allowing your chest to rise and fall softly with your breath,

And your belly soft,

Receiving the breath and letting go.

Noticing your pelvis,

Your pelvic bowl,

That beautiful space in the lower part of your belly,

Soft and relaxed.

Imagining your left hip,

That ball and socket,

Just imagining that joint just letting go ever so softly.

All the muscles around your left hip and your left buttock,

Just letting go,

Becoming soft.

And that softness,

Heaviness and relaxation spreading down through your left thigh,

Front of the thigh,

Back of the thigh.

Feeling your knee relax,

That joint space in your left knee opening half a millimeter,

Just letting go.

Feeling your left calf and your left shin bone heavy and relaxed.

Your left ankle,

Your left foot,

The toes on your left foot,

Feeling the whole left leg heavy,

Rested and relaxed.

Bringing your attention to your right hip,

Feeling that ball and socket of the right hip,

Feeling it let go and become loose and soft.

Feeling the right buttock and all those muscles around that right hip,

Letting go,

Becoming soft.

And that softness,

That heaviness,

That restedness extending down the right thigh,

Feeling the front of the thigh,

The back of the thigh.

Your knee joint on the right,

Just opening that tiny little bit,

Just letting go.

Your right calf and your right shin bone letting go.

Your right ankle,

Your right foot and your right toes,

Just resting.

Taking a nice deep breath in through the nose,

Just a gentle one and as you breathe out,

Notice your whole right leg letting go.

Noticing the whole left side of your body,

Your left arm,

Left torso,

Left leg,

Heavy and relaxed.

Notice the whole right side of your body,

Right arm,

Right torso,

Right leg,

Heavy and relaxed.

Notice that your head and your jaw are relaxed and letting go.

Notice that your torso and your arms are heavy,

Letting go.

Notice that your legs,

Both legs are heavy,

Letting go.

Taking a deep breath in through your nose and as you breathe out,

Feeling your whole body from top to toe,

Letting go.

Softening,

Resting,

Like ice to water,

Like water to gas,

Letting go.

Becoming aware that your body is resting and rejuvenating beautifully.

Whether you're awake or asleep,

Giving yourself the space to feel rested in this moment.

If any thoughts arise,

Allowing them to just drain out of your head,

Like all the tension has drained out of your body,

Trusting that you will be able to get to that when you need to.

But now,

Allowing your body to sink back,

Allowing your body to be in full rest.

Taking a deep breath in through your nose,

Just a gentle one,

That extra little sniff through your nose and then a long breath out,

Either through nose or mouth.

Feeling a beautiful wave of relaxation,

Washing through your whole body and allowing yourself to rest in this moment.