Welcome to this meditation to help you drift off to sleep or to help you get back to sleep if you've woken up.
I know and completely understand what it's like when you can't sleep.
And I want to reassure you that even if sleep doesn't come,
Your mind and body will get the rest they need just by following the guidance in this meditation.
According to sleep experts,
NSDR or non-sleep deep rest can be just as restorative as sleep itself.
It can help you drop into a natural sleep and has many other clinically proven benefits for your mind and body.
It brings deep relaxation to your nervous system and can leave you feeling recharged as though you have slept for many hours.
Sleep might not be under our control,
But rest is.
So I invite you now to shift your focus to just resting here quietly.
Making your body as comfortable as you possibly can,
Nestling into your bed and making any final adjustments that you need to so that you can make a commitment to giving your mind and body that deep rest.
Right now,
I invite you to drop all the stories of your day,
All the stories of your life and all the stories of the world.
That any problems that may be running in your mind always feel so much bigger in the middle of the night.
So right now,
Trusting that anything important will take care of itself,
Be open to the possibility that this moment is just as it should be and that all is well.
Even if that makes no sense to your mind,
Expect your mind to wander and see if you can let that be okay.
Just keep coming back to hear,
To this whole moment,
Every sound,
Every sensation,
Every feeling,
Every movement of mind,
But not getting involved,
Offering no resistance to what is.
Leaving it all alone,
Softening into the very simple and completely effortless space of just being.
Feel where your body makes contact with the surface beneath and just let the weight of your whole body into that support,
Body so grateful to be held and to be relieved of all responsibilities and all demands,
Body pouring like liquid into the support beneath.
Feel where your head meets the pillow,
Giving the full weight of your head to that support and let's take a few really slow,
Really low breaths,
Deep down into your belly,
Slowing your breath and really taking your time,
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Just letting it all go,
Inhaling,
Feeling the sensation in the inner passageways of your nostrils,
The slightly cooler air and the slightly warmer air leaving.
Just let your breath be natural,
No need to change it.
Just quietly noticing the feeling of your breath,
Not thinking about your breath,
But feeling it directly,
Body,
Breathing,
Forgive yourself instantly anytime you leave and just keep coming right back to here,
Welcoming the feeling inside the mouth,
The space,
The tongue,
The inner walls of the mouth,
Inside the mouth,
Hinges of the jaw,
Loosening,
Lower jaw,
Dropping softly away,
Settling down,
Softening,
Skin,
Releasing its weight,
And,
None of this is to be done,
This is an undoing,
Just words arising,
Body responding,
A softening of the outer ears,
A softening of the inner ears,
Just let the words come to you,
Left eyebrow,
Space between eyebrows,
Feel the weight of the eyes,
Eyes giving up their weight,
Softening back into the support of each socket,
Noticing any tension around and just giving it all up,
The sensation behind eyes,
Softening and expanding in awareness,
As you completely give up,
Letting go,
Trying to figure anything out,
Nothing needs to make sense,
Softening,
Softening,
Pure sensation,
Base of the skull,
Back of the neck,
The whole head,
A massive sensation,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
The simple experience,
Giving up the weight of the arms,
Back of the arms,
Let the sensations come to you,
And give the sensations time,
Time,
Welcoming whatever arises,
The simple experience,
The current sensation,
How do you know,
Right now in this moment,
Referring only to the direct feeling,
Giving the sensation space,
The immediate feeling,
Second fingers,
Little fingers,
Wrists,
Forearms,
Right side of the back,
And letting go,
Tailbone,
Softening down,
The gentle rise and fall of your body as it breathes,
Let there be a softening,
Softening,
Deep down in the belly,
Right buttock,
Giving up,
Shins,
Heels,
Knees,
Of feet,
The current sensation,
Of feet,
With sensation,
Big toes,
Second toes,
Little toes,
With sensation,
Waves of vibration,
Giving up,
Clenching,
And holding,
Whole body,
Giving up,
All striving,
Achieving,
Remembering,
Giving up,
Your experience in any way,
Giving up,
Giving up,
Trying to make,
Just giving it all up,
Right now there is nothing to do,
There is nowhere to control,
Nothing to wait for,
Or even hope for,
You don't have to figure anything out,
Anything important,
Your body knows how to sleep,
And right now I invite you,
Of holding,
Of letting,
Slip away,
Surrendering,
Of sleep,
Or just continuing to rest here quietly,
