Thank you for joining me for this guided sleep meditation.
As we drift into the night,
Just take a moment to get comfortable.
Let your body find its natural resting shape.
There is nothing you need to fix.
There is nothing you need to reach.
Just arrive,
Taking one slow breath in through your nose,
And exhale gently through your mouth.
Again,
Breathing in and out.
Let your shoulder soften,
Your jaw unclench.
Let the space between your eyes grow quiet.
And just imagine that you are laying outdoors,
Safely cradled by the earth.
The ground beneath you warm and steady,
As it holds you so effortlessly.
Above you,
The sky stretches wide and deep and velvet and alive.
You can feel the earth breathing your breath,
Breathing your body so slow,
So steady,
So patient.
With each breath you take,
Your body remembers how to rest.
Nearby,
The forest hums so softly.
Tall trees sway gently,
Their leaves whispering in the dark.
The sound is low and rhythmic,
Almost like a lullaby.
Older words,
Ancient,
Mysterious.
The air smells of pine and damp soil.
It's moonlit.
The plants are so beautiful.
Cool,
Clean and comforting.
And as you breathe,
Imagine the air moving around you and above you,
Washing over your thoughts,
Softening the edges of your day.
And just start to picture small points of light drifting through the forest.
As you become more and more consciously aware,
You realize that they are fireflies.
Stars that have wandered down towards earth.
They move slowly,
Playfully,
Without any urgency.
One starts to drift closer and closer towards you.
It glows so softly,
Not bright,
Just enough to guide.
As it floats gently downward from your forehead,
To your throat,
To your chest,
It finally settles on your belly.
As it settles,
Your breath deepens naturally.
Your body knows this place.
As you breathe,
The roots begin to grow,
Not from effort,
Just from ease.
Soft roots extend from your back,
Your hips,
Your legs,
Winding so gently into the earth.
They connect you to the cool soil,
To the underground streams,
To ancient stillness.
You don't need to hold yourself anymore.
The earth is holding you now.
Somewhere in the distance,
Water moves,
A slow river or perhaps the ocean breathing against the shore.
Its rhythm matches your breath,
The in and out.
Thoughts may come and go just like clouds.
You don't need to follow them,
Just let them drift past the stars.
Nothing needs your attention now.
The forest grows quieter and quieter,
And the night deepens.
The plants around you release their nighttime fragrance,
And you start to smell and you notice lavender,
Moss,
Night blooming flowers just open for the moon.
Everything knows when to rest,
Including you.
If sleep comes,
Let it come naturally.
If you remain awake,
That's okay too.
Your body is learning the way.
It's learning that you are safe,
You are supported,
You are exactly where you need to be.
Let the night carry you now,
Deeper and deeper into rest.
And as you drift,
You feel so good now,
So supported,
So safe,
At ease.
And you just keep on drifting,
Drifting down and down.
