Welcome to this meditation for sleep.
Make your body really comfortable now.
Closing your eyes and mentally repeating these words.
Right now I allow my mind and body to be completely relieved of all cares,
All duties,
All demands and all responsibilities.
And I trust that my body knows how to sleep.
Rest assured that life is taking care of itself.
So that right now there's nothing to control or manage,
Nothing to plan or remember.
And it's enough just to be here exactly as you are.
Let's begin with a few slow and deep breaths.
Inhaling through the nose,
Right down into your belly.
And exhaling with a long and soft sigh.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Inhaling low and slow.
Exhaling,
Just letting it all go.
Deep breath in.
Long breath out.
Inhaling,
Belly rises.
Exhaling,
Belly drops.
And now let your breath be natural.
Body breathing all by itself.
No effort required.
The energies of your mind-body system settling down naturally.
Give your body the gift of your full undivided attention.
Feel where your body makes contact with the surface beneath.
And just let the weight of your whole body fall into that support.
Feel the touch of the clothes or blanket on the skin.
The sensation where your head meets the pillow.
Just the feeling.
And let the full weight of your head be held.
Tongue resting in the mouth.
Hinges of the jaw loosening.
Eyes softening right back.
The feeling behind eyes softening.
Shoulders sinking down.
Upper body resting open.
A softening deep in the belly.
Hips releasing their weight.
The whole right leg.
Whole left leg.
Giving up the weight of the legs.
Not thinking about the body but feeling it directly.
The simple experience.
Whole right arm.
Back of right arm.
Whole right hand.
Let the feeling come to you.
The immediate sensation.
Palm of right hand.
Give the feeling time.
Palm of right hand.
Whatever's there right now.
Palm of right hand.
The whole left arm.
Handing over the weight.
Back of left arm.
The direct sensation.
Whole left hand.
Right now in this moment.
As pure sensation.
Palm of left hand.
The current feeling.
Not the image or the memory.
But the actual feeling in this moment.
Palm of left hand.
Tingling and alive.
Palm of left hand.
The whole body.
Pure sensation.
Right now I invite you just to rest here and do absolutely nothing.
Let your body sleep.
Or simply rest in the welcoming,
Soothing,
Healing balm of just being.
Dear friend,
Right now,
Nothing is being asked of you.
Life is taking care of itself.
Tomorrow will take care of itself.
Trust that your body knows how to sleep.
Give up that last trace of holding.
And just let yourself drop into a peaceful,
Deep sleep.
Sleep well,
Dear friend.
Sleep well.
