This meditation is designed for those moments when we really want or need to fall asleep,
But that darn monkey mind decides to kick in just as we're getting comfortable.
It will encourage mindfulness of your thoughts,
Working to set them down one at a time,
And letting them float away.
Please know that this exercise is a skill,
So it might take some practice to learn,
But once you've taken the time needed to practice this skill,
It will make it easier and easier to set aside extra or charged thoughts and fall fast asleep.
To begin,
Feel free to find a comfortable reclining position.
See if you can't set aside any distractions that might come up for the next few minutes.
Settle in and begin by taking a few deep breaths in for a few counts,
About four or so,
And then breathe out nice and slow,
Maybe about six or seven counts.
Try that now.
In and out.
Good.
Try that again,
And keep going with that.
In for a few counts,
And out for a few more counts.
If that feels okay,
Keep going at whatever pace suits you in this moment.
We will get to the mind and our thoughts in just a second,
But first I want you to notice your body in this resting shape.
Take a few moments to feel where you make contact with something,
Maybe your bed or the floor or whatever comfortable place you find yourself.
Perhaps you'll notice the feel of clothing on your body,
Sheets pulled up all around you,
Any tactile sensation at all.
Keep breathing as you mindfully consider these sensations.
Let's see if we can't just take them one at a time while you keep breathing nice and slow.
As thoughts come up,
See if you can release any judgment about these thoughts.
In this mindful exercise,
We really try to separate ourselves from good or bad,
Right or wrong.
These are just thoughts.
So when one comes up,
Notice it,
Take it gently into your hands like a pile of cotton candy or a cloud maybe,
And then consider just setting it down in front of you.
Then maybe you want to give it a little nudge and see if it doesn't just float away.
Watch it mindfully and then just move on to the next thought.
When the next thought comes up here,
Same drill,
Allow the thought to come up and picture gently setting it aside.
Moving from thought to thought as you gently breathe in this relaxing space.
Now as we do this,
It's completely possible that you've gotten caught up in one of these thoughts,
Or maybe it's a charged thought,
It's a little stubborn,
Doesn't quite want to float away.
If it comes back up,
Keep going.
Turn the mind over and over toward this concept,
Toward this practice,
Setting it down with all the others.
And just as you've already done,
Giving it a little nudge on its way.
Before you do,
Keep breathing gently and mindfully.
Whenever you need to take a break from the thoughts,
Consider settling into your breath just a little bit more.
Deepen that inhale,
Slow the exhale,
And use that breath to ground into this moment.
From here,
Keep breathing and setting thoughts aside one at a time.
Eventually,
Thoughts might become more manageable and you'll find yourself more and more prepared to sleep.
I really hope you found this short mindfulness exercise helpful and I hope you sleep well.
Namaste.
