Welcome to this eye rest meditation for sleep.
Use this meditation anytime that you have trouble falling asleep.
Or if you awaken and are unable to go back to sleep.
Allow this tool to help guide you.
And take you to a place of well being and restfulness.
Knowing that along the journey you may have various thoughts,
Emotions,
Beliefs,
Or sensations that arise.
We will welcome and note those things that occur in our awareness.
Simply allowing them to pass through and returning back to our state of peace,
Ease,
And well being.
To begin practice let's affirm that we are going to enter a restful sleep.
In the practice of eye rest you will hear me guide you towards your inner resource.
This is the felt sense of well being,
Peace,
And ease that naturally occurs in our body.
Take a moment now to draw your attention to your inner resource.
Remembering at all times that this is a feeling within you.
If it makes sense you can guide yourself towards this feeling through the use of images or visualization.
Maybe you recall a time when you were most whole,
Most complete,
When everything just felt okay.
Maybe that happens with a certain person or a certain place.
Allowing the images to create the sensations within the body.
Keeping with those sensations,
Guiding you towards your inner well being.
Take a moment and allow yourself to open to your environment.
Noticing the sounds around you.
The touch of air on your skin.
The touch of your skin against the surface beneath you,
Supporting you.
Welcoming the natural sense of your body breathing itself.
Feel the breath as it expands and contracts naturally.
Notice any physical sensations that might be present.
Any tightness or lightness in the body.
Any isolated areas that are most calling for your attention.
As you notice the sensations of the body can you start to relax into them.
Returning our attention back to our breath and the patterns of the breath.
I like to think of our breath as our rhythm section.
Can you start to notice closely as you inhale and you reach the top of the inhale and the body is full of breath.
Can you feel the natural pause that occurs at the top of your breath.
Notice the suspension that hangs there for just a brief second.
It's just like a roller coaster when it reaches its peak.
And there's a brief pause before coming down as you exhale.
Notice as the breath is released there is a sense of depth associated with that exhale.
Until you reach the bottom of the breath and that pause returns.
Suspending you.
Before the next inhale comes back.
Continue watching the pattern of your breath.
Allowing each exhale to let go a bit more than the last.
And as you notice the rhythm closely can you start to go from the witness of the rhythm to the oneness of it.
Can you become a part of it.
Closely following the in breath.
Surrendering to the out breath.
Notice how the breath intertwines with that natural sense of well being,
Peace and ease that you tapped into in your inner resource.
And begin to count down with the breath from eleven to one.
Each inhale and exhale counting as one full breath.
Eleven.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Letting go.
Releasing.
Three.
Relaxing into and being one with the breath.
Two.
Surrendering to the support that holds you.
One.
Being one with the oneness of your awareness.
Continue to breathe.
Counting down at your own pace.
And if any time you lose count,
Simply come back to the beginning and start again.
Duplicated to join in here.
Now begin to shift your attention to the physical sensations of your body.
Starting at the feet.
Bringing your attention to your right foot.
Toes.
Ankle.
Chin and calf.
Your right knee.
Your right quad.
And hamstrings.
Notice any aliveness in the entire right leg.
All is one collective sensation.
Sensing into the left foot now.
Into the left toes.
Noticing any tingling sensations,
Throbbing sensations.
Or however aliveness is most present in your body.
Shifting attention to the left calf.
Chin.
The left knee.
The left quad and hamstrings.
All one radiant sensation.
Shifting your attention to your pelvis.
Feel the weight of the pelvis.
Surrendering with each exhale.
Notice any sensation in the right glute.
Shifting your focus now to the left glute.
And noticing everything from the navel to the toes.
Feel the entire sensation of the lower half of the body.
Feeling your way through this exercise rather than thinking your way through.
Allow yourself to observe what your physical body wants to present today.
Shifting your attention to your torso.
Noticing the front of the torso from the navel all the way to the throat.
Notice the sensation of breath that moves through the front of the body with each inhale and each exhale.
Shifting your attention to the backside of the body from the shoulder blades all the way down to the low back.
Feeling the sensation of the surface supporting the body.
Maybe there's a warmth or a coolness to the body that you can sense.
Bringing your attention now to the right upper arm.
Right elbow.
Right forearm.
Wrist.
Right hand and fingers.
The entire right arm is vibrance alive sensation.
Shifting the attention now to the left upper arm.
Left elbow.
Left forearm.
Wrist.
Left hand and fingers.
The entire left arm has sensation.
Let go of thinking.
Allow yourself to feel your body as it is.
Notice sensations in the head.
Maybe in the jaw soften and relax the jaw.
Notice any sensations in the eyes.
Forehead.
Back of the head.
The entire head and neck.
All is one continuous bit of sensation.
And with your next exhale,
Start to notice the entire sensation from the crown of the head all the way to the toe.
Each exhale breath,
Can you let go?
Can you allow a bit of heaviness into the limbs and the torso?
Allow each breath to move you closer to surrendering to your restful state.
Noticing your inner source of well-being,
Ease,
Okayness that is always present.
Awaiting to be called forth into your field of awareness.
Notice the body breathing,
Releasing any thoughts that you might have.
Notice the softness of your belly with each inhale.
Notice your heart beating.
Steady.
At ease.
Each exhale another opportunity to release.
Take a moment and locate and notice your inner resource,
That inner well-being that is within the body.
Allow that to radiate through the body.
All the way from the heart out through the arms,
Through the legs,
To the neck and to the head.
Allow the entire body to be coated in ease,
Peace,
Comfort,
Well-being.
Letting go and allowing the body and mind to deeply rest and just be.
