Meditation for Sleep Before you begin this meditation,
I recommend that you make sure you have all of your electronics tucked away and that there are no bright lights in the room.
Laptops,
Phones and tablets are all a reminder of the stresses and obligations of your day.
So not only turning them off,
But putting them away out of sight.
As you prepare to get into bed,
Consciously connect with your breathing,
Slowing down and taking the breath in and out,
Filling you up and releasing.
In this way,
You can slow down your mental activity before you even hit the covers and this can be a relaxing way to enter this meditation and to approach bedtime.
Let's begin by lying down on the bed.
Stretch your legs slightly.
Place your hands resting on the centre of your stomach with the palms face down,
Consciously relaxing the muscles around your eyes and let your eyelids shut gently.
Begin now by taking three really deep breaths.
Even in these first few breaths,
You may notice that your mind wants to go off into everything you have to do tomorrow.
These are thoughts about the future.
Right now,
You can let them go.
Return your awareness to your breathing.
Let them go.
Return your awareness to your breathing.
Return your awareness to your breathing.
Return your awareness to your breathing.
Thoughts of your past may arise,
Perhaps the things you did not get done today or things you wish you had not said.
Let those thoughts go.
Allow them to drift away and return your awareness to your breathing.
Return your awareness to your breathing.
Return your awareness to your breathing.
Return your awareness to your breathing.
Return your awareness to your breathing.
If there is one particular issue or concern that continues to play through your mind,
Then take this opportunity to look at that storyline closely.
Let it play out for a moment,
So that it's no longer having to push for attention.
Give that storyline your entire awareness.
Notice the thoughts,
Notice the issue.
Return your attention to your breath and let the thoughts around the issue slip away.
Breathing.
Breathing.
Breathing.
Breathing.
Breathing.
And now we're going to help your body prepare for sleep by taking you through a short body scan.
Begin by just being aware of the muscles in your feet,
In your legs,
And bring a sense of relaxation to them.
And slowly move up through your legs and into your torso.
Allow your muscles there to just relax.
Relax your hips,
Relax your back muscles,
Your shoulders,
And relax the muscles in your chest.
Bring the same awareness and relaxation to the muscles in your arms,
In your palms,
In your fingers.
Relax the muscles in your neck and in your throat and see if you can bring a sense of letting go.
Bring a sense of ease to the muscles in your forehead and the creases in your forehead.
Gently relaxing the muscles around your eyes and in your cheek and letting go of your jaw.
You can relax the back of your tongue and clear a path for clear,
Free breathing.
Return your attention now to your eyelids,
Allowing them to relax and then come back to your breathing.
You do not need to contort your body in any way.
You only need to relax and let the body be here now in its natural state.
Breathing and breathing,
Helping you to relax now into a deep,
Contented sleep.
Thank you.
