Welcome to this sleep meditation.
As you snuggle into your bed now,
Make your body as comfortable as you possibly can.
Really nestling in so that you can just let the weight of your whole body drop into the bed.
And when you're ready,
Begin to slow your breath right down.
Breathing in really low into your belly.
And breathing out with a long and soft sigh.
And really take your time.
Inhaling like you have all the time in the world.
Feeling the movement of your breath.
And with every exhalation,
Breathing in,
Withdrawing from the whole world and everything in it.
Breathing in,
Belly rises.
Breathing out,
Belly drops.
Feeling your breath directly.
And let your body take as many of these low,
Releasing breaths as it needs.
As you receive and feel these words,
Nothing is being asked of you.
Nothing to control.
Nothing to manage.
Nothing that you need to figure out to let the whole story of your life and to trust that life will take care of itself.
Allowing everything to be completely free.
Every sound.
Every thought.
Every feeling.
Just let it all come.
And just let it all go.
Just as when we unplug a fan and it takes time to wind down to a stop.
Imagine now that you're unplugging from the world.
Switching off from thinking.
The energies of your mind and body slowly winding down.
Just like that fan.
Feel the places where your body meets the bed.
That plane of contact between bed and body.
Feel the space between your body and the bed.
The sensation where your head meets the pillow.
And let the full weight of your head melt into that support.
Notice the feeling of the covers or clothes.
Touching the skin.
And now let your breath be natural.
Not controlling it.
Not changing it.
But giving your full attention to the feeling of your breath.
Not thinking about your breath.
But can you feel the sensation in the inner passageways of your nostrils.
Noticing the parts of your body that move as it breathes.
Feeling the breath directly as body breathes all by itself.
Just quietly noticing breath coming in.
See if you can stay.
Feeling the sensation in your nostrils.
The touch of air on the throat.
Noticing the texture of the breath.
The temperature.
Breath arising and dissolving within you.
And now beginning to count your breath.
Inhaling,
Counting one.
Exhaling,
Counting one.
Inhaling,
Counting two.
Exhaling,
Counting two.
And now counting your breath in this way.
Going at your own pace.
And any time you lose count simply begin again from one.
Taking your time to count your breath.
Starting again from one.
Any time your mind wanders no matter how many times you lose count.
No judgement.
Just gently coming back.
Body.
Breathing.
And let your breath be natural.
Just body breathing all by itself.
Welcome the feeling inside the mouth.
The space inside the mouth.
Softening.
Feel the inner walls of the mouth.
The immediate sensation inside the mouth.
Let the sensations come to you.
Root of the tongue.
Softening.
Hinges of the jaw.
Loosening.
Falling softly away from the upper jaw.
Settling into stillness.
Softening of the whole face.
Pure sensation.
Skin.
Releasing its weight.
None of this is to be done.
Just words arising.
Body responding.
Noticing.
A softening of the outer ears.
A softening of the inner ears.
An effortless listening.
Dissolving in awareness.
Let everything come.
Let everything go.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Space between eyebrows.
Softening open.
Feel the weight of the eyes.
The hollows of the eyes.
Eyes softening back.
Muscles around eyes.
And letting go.
Or behind eyes.
And give it up.
The sensation behind eyes.
Expanding in awareness.
Softening.
Back of the head.
Pure sensation.
Base of the skull.
Top of the neck.
Back of the neck.
One global sensation.
Wide open.
Unlocated.
Completely free.
And now welcoming.
Letting go.
The experience.
The actual feeling.
The current sensation.
Let everything come to you.
And give the sensation space.
See if you can stay.
And any time you leave.
Just gently coming back.
Second finger.
Little finger.
Right side of back.
Right side of chest.
Soul of right foot.
With the immediate sensation.
Soul of right foot.
The whole right side of body.
Back of left arm.
Let the feeling come to you.
Of left hand.
Let the sensation be free.
Of sensation.
Second finger.
Shoulder.
Of left foot.
Alive with sensation.
Of left foot.
Softening.
Even more.
The whole body.
A mass of sensation.
Of vibration.
A pulsation.
As heart beats.
Simply here.
Perhaps mind is busy.
Noticing.
Awareness.
And even if mind is active.
Body.
Deeply at rest.
Welcome the feeling of the breath.
A whisper.
Of sensation.
Notice the momentary pause.
Each breath.
Just before.
Inhalation.
Exhalation.
And just before.
Exhalation.
And now attention.
And just giving it all up.
Understanding it all.
Trusting that all is well.
Trusting that all.
Just letting it all.
How to sleep.
Peacefully.
