Gentle Sleep

This is an 8-hour sleep meditation designed to be listened to through the night. Soft, invitations, guide you into rest, leaving generous space for silence and calm music. There is nothing to do and nowhere to go, only an invitation to be held by the quiet of the dark.

Music: Aurora by Scott Buckley
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

Transcript

Welcome to this deep rest track.

This meditation is designed for you to fall asleep to.

The veil of night has come to wrap the earth in darkness and you too are welcome to wrap yourself in your blankets to support yourself with your pillows to allow yourself to be welcomed into this practice of rest.

If you find yourself drifting away at any point,

Welcome it.

Welcome yourself into that state of rest and sleep and dreams.

Tonight there is no requirements of you.

There is no need for you to do anything.

There is no threshold you must cross.

No understandings you need to reach.

No fixing,

No improving and nothing you need to become in this moment.

You have already arrived.

As the day loosens its hold on you now,

You might imagine it as if it were a really heavy coach and that you begin to gently lift that coat from your shoulders.

You feel the weight of it drop.

Maybe a breath.

You can just allow the coat to fall.

No need to place it anywhere specific.

Just allowing it to fall to the floor and to lie where it lands.

Just know the night knows how to receive you.

You need only allow yourself to be received.

Imagine your body as a quiet landscape at the dusk of the day.

A quiet scene.

Soft light.

A sense that even the fields are resting now.

The paths are quiet.

The warm lights gently starting to flicker on in distant windows.

You feel a softness over your forehead.

As the muscles that have tightened to focus throughout your day gently smooth.

Like a calm body of water after a windy day.

You notice the muscles in your jaw soften and your tongue gently rest.

A soft resting suction to the roof of your mouth.

It's as if your shoulders remember they no longer need to carry the entire sky.

You sense your breath moving the way of a steady rhythmic tide.

Not waiting for instruction and not feeling any urgency.

Not stopping for anyone and with no apology.

You feel yourself step into rhythm with the movement of that tide.

As if you're riding the waves of your breath.

Like floating on a gentle sea.

You might notice that the stuff of our days follows us into this time.

Allow whatever has followed you here from the day to be.

You do not need to push it away.

Your thoughts may come like weary travelers.

Allow them to stop and rest a moment in your presence.

You don't even need to ask them their names or their stories.

You can just allow them to be.

In the same way you might sit in quiet familiarity with those people you know the best and have known.

For the longest time.

Know that even unfinished things deserve a rest.

And there are so many unfinished things.

And each one of those deserves its rest too.

There might be questions that remain unanswered.

And those questions deserve to sleep.

Know that nothing important will be lost by resting now.

And it's often the subconscious mind that is best able to answer.

To hold the unfinished things and the unanswered questions.

What is meant for you will know where to find you again.

May you be blessed now with the kindness and compassion that you so often extend to others.

May you be spared tonight from the sharp edges of self-judgment and criticism.

May any part of you that feels in any way that it has fallen behind,

Or that it is broken,

Or that it is too much,

Be held in great gentleness.

Please know that you are not falling behind.

You are not late.

You are not failing.

You are simply a human being.

And night understands this most of all.

The darkness has come to invite you into its deep enveloping stillness.

The night has come to gently extend the right of rest to you.

Night in this sense is a gentle companion.

The dark is not empty.

The dark is not a void.

It is full of listening.

It gathers the fragments of your day and allows the edges to be gently smoothed.

It makes room for all that daylight cannot hold.

Allow the night to keep a gentle watch over you.

You do not have to stay alert.

You can allow yourself to be gently held.

It's easy to become fixated on the idea of trying to achieve sleep.

But sleep is not something that you need to achieve.

It is not something you need to reach for.

It's something that arrives,

That emerges.

In this sense,

It wraps you in its deepest embrace.

This arrival comes when you stop reaching.

It is bestowed upon you like a blessing that you didn't know you were ready for.

Begin to sense yourself,

Your body,

As if you are sinking.

As if you could feel yourself dropping,

Dropping,

Dropping.

Not downward,

But inward.

As if you were being welcomed into a room deep within yourself.

A cozy corner that feels like being embraced by the heart of a home.

This room has no mirrors,

No clocks,

No expectations.

Just the warm glow of the embers.

You can imagine a comfy chair.

One that feels as though when you are sitting in it,

That it completely and perfectly holds your form.

As if this chair was made for you.

And that it belongs to you.

This is a room that is only for rest.

If you notice your wakefulness returns.

Can you imagine that wakefulness like a candle?

Like a candle that is briefly lit.

A warm flicker of light,

Noticed,

Then gently blown out.

Know that you are safe to drift once again.

Safe to feel yourself supported,

Safe to feel yourself held.

Safe to feel the gentle rhythm and movement of your breath.

That once again starts to drop you deeper and deeper inwards.

Allow the images behind your mind's eye to softly guide you.

As you travel along the thread that leads you into the subconscious mind of dreams.

As if you are being softly carried away by that thread that takes you into dream state.

May your sleep be wide and untroubled.

May your dreams be kind or mercifully absent.

May your body remember its ancient wisdom.

That wisdom for repair and renewal.

May the veil of darkness do what words cannot.

Nothing is required of you now.

Nothing is required of you now.

May your sleep be wide and untroubled.

May your dreams be kind or mercifully absent.

May your sleep be kind or mercifully absent.

May your body remember its ancient wisdom.

That wisdom for repair and renewal.

May the veil of darkness do what words cannot.

Welcome to this deep rest track.

This meditation is designed for you to fall asleep to.

The veil of night has come to wrap the earth in darkness.

And you too are welcome to wrap yourself in your blankets.

To support yourself with your pillows.

To allow yourself to be welcomed into this practice of rest.

If you find yourself drifting away at any point,

Welcome it.

Welcome yourself into that state of rest and sleep and dreams.

Tonight,

There is no requirements of you.

There is no need for you to do anything.

There is no threshold you must cross.

No understandings you need to reach.

No fixing.

No improving.

And nothing you need to become in this moment.

You have already arrived.

As the day loosens its hold on you now,

You might imagine it as if it were a really heavy coat.

And that you begin to gently lift that coat from your shoulders.

You feel the weight of it drop.

Maybe a breath.

You can just allow the coat to fall.

No need to place it anywhere specific.

Just allowing it to fall to the floor.

And to lie where it lands.

Just know the night knows how to receive you.

You need only allow yourself to be received.

Imagine your body as a quiet landscape at the dusk of the day.

A quiet scene.

Soft light.

A sense that even the fields are resting now.

The paths are quiet.

The warm lights gently starting to flicker on in distant windows.

You feel a softness over your forehead as the muscles that have tightened to focus throughout your day gently smooth.

Like a calm body of water after a windy day.

You notice the muscles in your jaw soften.

And your tongue gently resting.

Suction to the roof of your mouth.

It's as if your shoulders remember they no longer need to carry the entire sky.

You sense your breath moving.

The rhythm.

The way of a steady rhythmic tide.

Not waiting for instruction.

And not feeling any urgency.

Not stopping for anyone.

And with no apology.

You feel yourself step into rhythm with the movement of that tide.

As if you were riding the waves of your breath.

Like floating on a gentle sea.

You might notice that the stuff of our days follows us into this time.

Allow whatever has followed you here from the day to be.

You do not need to push it away.

Your thoughts may come like weary travelers.

Allow them to stop and rest a moment in your presence.

You don't even need to ask them their names or their stories.

You can just allow them to be.

In the same way you might sit in quiet familiarity with those people you know the best and have known for the longest time.

Know that even unfinished things deserve a rest.

And there are so many unfinished things.

And each one of those deserves its rest too.

There might be questions that remain unanswered.

And those questions deserve to sleep.

Know that nothing important will be lost by resting now.

And it's often the subconscious mind that is best able to hold the unfinished things and the unanswered questions.

What is meant for you will know where to find you again.

May you be blessed now with the kindness and compassion that you so often extend to others.

May you be spared tonight from the sharp edges of self-judgement and criticism.

May any part of you that feels in any way that it has fallen behind or that it is broken or that it is too much be held in great gentleness.

Please know that you are not falling behind.

You are not late.

You are not failing.

You are simply a human being.

And night understands this most of all.

The darkness has come to invite you into its deep enveloping stillness.

The night has come to gently extend the right of rest to you.

Night in this sense is a gentle companion.

The dark is not empty.

The dark is not a void.

It is full of listening.

It gathers the fragments of your day and allows the edges to be gently smooth It makes room for all that daylight cannot hold.

Allow the night to keep a gentle watch over you.

You do not have to stay alert.

You can allow yourself to be gently held.

It's easy to become fixated on the idea of trying to achieve sleep.

But sleep is not something that you need to achieve.

It is not something you need to reach for.

It's something that arrives that emerges In this sense it wraps you in its deepest embrace.

This arrival comes when you stop reaching.

It is bestowed upon you like a blessing that you didn't know you were ready for.

Begin to sense yourself your body as if you were sinking as if you could feel yourself dropping,

Dropping not downward as if you were being welcomed into a room deep within yourself a cosy corner that feels like being embraced by the heart of a home.

This room has no mirrors no clocks no expectations just the warm glow of the embers you could imagine a comfy chair one that feels as though when you are sitting in it that it completely and perfectly holds your form as if this chair was made for you and that it belongs to you.

This is a room that is only for rest.

If you notice your wakefulness returns can you imagine that wakefulness like a candle like a candle that is briefly lit a warm flicker of light noticed but then gently blown out know that you are safe to drift once again safe to feel yourself supported safe to feel yourself held safe to feel the gentle rhythm and movement of your breath that once again starts to drop you deeper and deeper inwards allow the images behind your mind's eye to softly guide you as you travel along the thread that leads you into the subconscious mind of dreams as if you are being softly carried away by that thread that takes you into dream state May your sleep be wide and untroubled May your dreams be kind or mercifully absent May your body remember its ancient wisdom that wisdom for repair and renewal May the veil of darkness do what words cannot Nothing is required of you now Nothing is required of you now May what you could not finish today be finished by the rest you allow yourself May what you have carried for too long be laid down without any need for explanation You are not required to hold the shape of day for any longer Let it loosen Let it soften Let it dissolve into the mercy of sleep May your body be blessed for all the quiet ways it keeps you alive for the work it does without asking to be seen for your breath that continues even when you forget it yourself May each place where you hold tension be met with warmth May each place where you feel the fatigue of days be met with permission Permission that invites you to rest now You have done enough May your thoughts be slowed like the birds that settle into the hedges at dusk Nothing needs solving in the darkness of night Nothing needs deciding in this hour May your mind release its grip it holds on all of tomorrow's May sleep arrive before understanding May any parts of you that feel left behind be met with compassion May the part of you that holds doubt be allowed to rest May the part of you that holds fears be held without needing words Allow yourself to feel tiredness and know that that tiredness deserves tenderness As the night deepens may you allow yourself to sink with it May you feel the world go quiet around you as your senses draw deeper inwards May the dark be gentle wide and kind You are not alone You are accompanied You are accompanied by rest itself And if you should wake even briefly allow it to be a wakefulness without alarm without trepidation May you be gently reminded that there is nowhere to go nothing to fix nothing waiting that cannot be attended to tomorrow Allow the gentle blanket of sleep to take you again as easily as a tide returning to the shore May your sleep be wide and untroubled May your dreams be kind or mercifully absent May your body remember its ancient wisdom That wisdom for repair and renewal May the veil of darkness do what words cannot Nothing is required of you now Nothing is required of you now May what you could not finish today be finished by the rest you allow yourself May what you have carried for too long be laid down without any need for explanation You are not required to hold the shape of day for any longer Let it loosen Let it soften Let it dissolve into the mercy of sleep May your body be blessed for all the quiet ways it keeps you alive for the work it does without asking to be seen for your breath that continues even when you forget it yourself May each place where you hold tension be met with warmth May each place where you feel the fatigue of days to be met with permission Permission that invites you to rest now You have done enough May your thoughts be slowed like the birds that settle into the hedges at dusk Nothing needs solving in the darkness of night Nothing needs deciding in this hour May your mind release its grip it holds on all of tomorrows May sleep arrive before understanding May any parts of you that feel left behind be met with compassion May the part of you that holds doubt be allowed to rest May the part of you that holds fears be held without needing words Allow yourself to feel tiredness and know that that tiredness deserves tenderness As the night deepens may you allow yourself to sink with it May you feel the world go quiet around you as your senses draw deeper inwards May the dark be gentle wide and kind You are not alone You are accompanied You are accompanied by rest itself And if you should wake even briefly allow it to be a wakefulness without alarm without trepidation May you be gently reminded that there is nowhere to go nothing to fix nothing waiting that cannot be attended to tomorrow Allow the gentle blanket of sleep to take you again as easily as a tide returning to the shore May your sleep be wide and untroubled May your dreams be kind or mercifully absent May your body remember its ancient wisdom That wisdom for repair and renewal May the veil of darkness do what words cannot Nothing is required of you now Nothing is required of you now May what you could not finish today be finished by the rest you allow yourself May what you have carried for too long be laid down without any need for explanation You are not required to hold the shape of day for any longer Let it loosen Let it soften Let it dissolve into the mercy of sleep May your body be blessed for all the quiet ways it keeps you alive for the work it does without asking to be seen for your breath that continues even when you forget it yourself May each place where you hold tension be met with warmth May each place where you feel the fatigue of days to be met with permission Permission that invites you to rest now You have done enough May your thoughts be slowed like the birds that settle into the hedges at dusk Nothing needs solving in the darkness of night Nothing needs deciding in this hour May your mind release its grip it holds on all of tomorrows May sleep arrive before understanding May any parts of you that feel left behind be met with compassion May the part of you that holds doubt be allowed to rest May the part of you that holds fears be held without needing words Allow yourself to feel tiredness and know that that tiredness deserves tenderness As the night deepens may you allow yourself to sink with it May you feel the world go quiet around you as your senses draw deeper inwards May the dark be gentle wide and kind You are not alone You are accompanied You are accompanied by rest itself And if you should wake even briefly allow it to be a wakefulness without alarm without trepidation May you be gently reminded that there is nowhere to go nothing to fix nothing waiting that cannot be attended to tomorrow Allow the gentle blanket of sleep to take you again as easily as a tide returning to the shore May your sleep be wide and untroubled May your dreams be kind or mercifully absent May your body remember its ancient wisdom That wisdom for repair and renewal May the veil of darkness do what words cannot Nothing is required of you now Nothing is required of you now May what you could not finish today be finished by the rest you allow yourself May what you have carried for too long be laid down without any need for explanation You are not required to hold the shape of day for any longer Let it loosen Let it soften Let it dissolve into the mercy of sleep May your body be blessed for all the quiet ways it keeps you alive for the work it does without asking to be seen for your breath that continues even when you forget it yourself May each place where you hold tension be met with warmth May each place where you feel the fatigue of days be met with permission Permission that invites you to rest now You have done enough May your thoughts be slowed like the birds that settle into the hedges at dusk Nothing needs solving in the darkness of night Nothing needs deciding in this hour May your mind release its grip it holds on all of tomorrows May sleep arrive before understanding May any parts of you that feel left behind be met with compassion May the part of you that holds doubt be allowed to rest May the part of you that holds fears be held without needing words Allow yourself to feel tiredness and know that that tiredness deserves tenderness As the night deepens may you allow yourself to sink with it May you feel the world go quiet around you as your senses draw deeper inwards May the dark be gentle wide and kind You are not alone You are accompanied You are accompanied by rest itself And if you should wake even briefly allow it to be a wakefulness without alarm without trepidation May you be gently reminded that there is nowhere to go nothing to fix nothing waiting that cannot be attended to tomorrow Allow the gentle blanket of sleep to take you again as easily as a tide returning to the shore May your sleep be wide and untroubled May your dreams be kind or mercifully absent May your body remember its ancient wisdom that wisdom for repair and renewal May the veil of darkness do what words cannot Nothing is required of you now Nothing is required of you now May what you could not finish today be finished by the rest you allow yourself May what you have carried for too long be laid down without any need for explanation You are not required to hold the shape of day for any longer Let it loosen Let it soften Let it dissolve into the mercy of sleep May your body be blessed for all the quiet ways it keeps you alive for the work it does without asking to be seen for your breath that continues even when you forget it yourself May each place where you hold tension be met with warmth May each place where you feel the fatigue of days be met with permission Permission that invites you to rest now You have done enough May your thoughts be slowed like the birds that settle into the hedges at dusk Nothing needs solving in the darkness of night Nothing needs deciding in this hour May your mind release its grip it holds on all of tomorrows May sleep arrive before understanding May any parts of you that feel left behind be met with compassion May the part of you that holds doubt be allowed to rest May the part of you that holds fears be held without needing words Allow yourself to feel tiredness and know that that tiredness deserves tenderness As the night deepens may you allow yourself to sink with it May you feel the world go quiet around you as your senses draw deeper inwards May the dark be gentle wide and kind You are not alone You are accompanied You are accompanied by rest itself And if you should wake even briefly allow it to be a wakefulness without alarm without trepidation May you be gently reminded that there is nowhere to go nothing to fix nothing waiting that cannot be attended to tomorrow Allow the gentle blanket of sleep to take you again as easily as a tide returning to the shore May your sleep be wide and untroubled May your dreams be kind or mercifully absent May your body remember its ancient wisdom That wisdom for repair and renewal May the veil of darkness do what words cannot Nothing is required of you now Nothing is required of you now May what you could not finish today be finished by the rest you allow yourself May what you have carried for too long be laid down without any need for explanation You are not required to hold the shape of day for any longer Let it loosen Let it soften Let it dissolve into the mercy of sleep May your body be blessed for all the quiet ways it keeps you alive for the work it does without asking to be seen for your breath that continues even when you forget it yourself May each place where you hold tension be met with warmth May each place where you feel the fatigue of days be met with permission Permission that invites you to rest now You have done enough May your thoughts be slowed like the birds that settle into the hedges at dusk Nothing needs solving in the darkness of night Nothing needs deciding in this hour May your mind release its grip it holds on all of tomorrows May sleep arrive before understanding And if it happens that in the deep hours of rest you wake briefly May you feel accompanied A familiar and supportive hand is lightly resting upon your back Reminding you to rest now All is well All is well And you are held May any parts of you that feel left behind be met with compassion May the part of you that holds doubt be allowed to rest May the part of you that holds fears be held without needing words Allow yourself to feel tiredness And know that that tiredness deserves tenderness As the night deepens May you allow yourself to sink with it May you feel the world go quiet around you as your senses draw deeper inwards May the dark be gentle,

Wide and kind You are not alone You are accompanied You are accompanied by rest itself And if you should wake even briefly Allow it to be May there be a wakefulness without alarm Without trepidation May you be gently reminded that there is nowhere to go Nothing to fix Nothing waiting that cannot be attended to tomorrow Allow the gentle blanket of sleep to take you again As easily as a tide returning to the shore May your sleep be wide and untroubled May your dreams be kind or mercifully absent May your body remember its ancient wisdom That wisdom for repair and renewal May the veil of darkness do what words cannot Nothing is required of you now Nothing is required of you now May what you could not finish today be finished by the rest you allow yourself May what you have carried for too long be laid down without any need for explanation You are not required to hold the shape of day for any longer Let it loosen Let it soften Let it dissolve into the mercy of sleep May your body be blessed for all the quiet ways it keeps you alive for the work it does without asking to be seen for your breath that continues even when you forget it yourself May each place where you hold tension be met with warmth May each place where you feel the fatigue of days be met with permission Permission that invites you to rest now You have done enough May your thoughts be slowed Like the birds that settle into the hedges at dusk Nothing needs solving in the darkness of night Nothing needs deciding in this hour May your mind release its grip it holds on all of tomorrows May sleep arrive before understanding