Breathing And Deep Relaxation For Sleep | Long Meditation

This is a sleep meditation to nurture your nervous system and help your body experience deep rest for nourishing, restoring sleep. We start with some deep breathing and then there's an extra long, extra nurturing full-body relaxation, followed by music to help you drift peacefully to sleep and stay asleep.

This is especially good for nights where anxiety might be keeping you awake and your body needs some extra time to fully relax and let go into sleep.

Transcript

This is a meditation to really nurture your nervous system and help you get some deep, Nourishing, Restoring sleep. Before we begin you might want to have a nice big stretch. Stretch in any way that feels good. Maybe clench and release your hands a few times. You might want to hunch and release your shoulders. Maybe yawn your jaw from side to side. If it feels good you might want to take a big full body yawn and stretch. Stretch in any way that feels good. And whenever you're ready, Get really comfortable lying down in a position you can stay fairly still in. We'll go through some deep breathing and then a full body relaxation. Make any adjustments you need to make sure you're extra comfortable. And whenever you're ready just close your eyes. Become aware of your breathing. If it's comfortable breathe in and out through your nose. Following the in-breath and the out-breath. Notice the way the breath feels as it enters and leaves your nostrils. Maybe the air cools your nostrils on the in-breath and warms your nostrils on the out-breath. Allow your jaw to completely soften. Let your tongue rest at the bottom of your mouth. Notice how the air feels as it enters and leaves your body. Notice how your body responds to the breath. You might feel your chest rising and falling. Maybe you can feel your ribcage gently expanding and contracting. Feel the breath naturally starting to slow down. Long steady in-breath, Slow smooth out-breath. Letting the breath go with as little effort as possible. If your mind wanders gently bring your focus back to the way the breath feels as it enters and leaves your body. Imagine drawing the breath right into the base of your stomach. If you find it difficult to breathe deeply, Just breathe as deeply as feels comfortable for you. Ribcage gently expanding. Feel your belly swell on the in-breath. Letting the breath go with as little effort as possible. Long steady in-breath. Muscles in your jaw softening and relaxing with the exhale. The muscles in your forehead release and relax with the exhale. You can let everything go. On your next in-breath imagine breathing into your back. With your lungs full, Hold the breath for as long as you can in a way that feels completely comfortable for you. Whenever feels most natural, Allow the breath to slowly release without effort. Feel tension releasing from your back with the exhale. Breathing into your back, Muscles melting and releasing with the exhale. Nothing that needs to be done. Nothing to be thought through. Let everything go. On your next in-breath imagine breathing into your shoulders. A nice big slow breath. At the top of the inhale, Hold the breath for as long as feels comfortable. Feel any weight on your shoulders lift with the long smooth exhale. You might feel tension or discomfort gently soften. Now breathe slowly imagining breathing into your head. With your lungs full, Hold the breath as long as feels comfortable and natural. Feel stress and tension disappearing with the out-breath. Long steady in-breath, Slow smooth out-breath, Letting the breath go with as little effort as possible. Muscles melting and releasing, Letting go of holding. Let go of trying to slow or control the breath and allow each breath to simply rise and fall when it chooses. Imagine that instead of you having to breathe, The breath is breathing you. The breath chooses when to expand and when to release. When to arrive and when to disappear. Your body can completely rest and let go, Supported by the surface beneath you. Your body is filled and emptied without you needing to do anything. Nurturing inhale, Stress carried away by the out-breath. The breath chooses when to expand and when to release, When to arrive and when to disappear. Muscles melting and releasing from your toes to your fingers to the top of your head. Imagine a point of light in the centre of your forehead. A single point of soothing light in the centre of your forehead. However you feel, Sense or imagine it is perfect. The light radiates calm awareness, Soothing nurture. Notice the muscles in your forehead release and relax in response to the light. Muscles relaxing across your brow bone and your temples. Around your eyes, Muscles softening and melting. Behind closed eyelids, Allow your focus to soften. You might feel a shift of focus from the front to the backs of your eyes. Allowing your eyes to rest completely. Muscles in your cheeks softening and relaxing. With your mouth closed, Allow your teeth to rest slightly open, Unclenched. Let your tongue rest at the bottom of your mouth. Muscles in your jaws softening and melting. Letting go of holding. The light naturally releases tension. Feel all the muscles in your face softening into a gentle smile. Feel your mouth gently soften. Every muscle relaxing and releasing without you needing to do anything. All the way to the muscles in the back of your head. Imagine a second point of light at the very top of your head. Radiating a calm peacefulness, A sense of ease. Nurturing soothing light. Calm awareness. Your mind completely at rest. Imagine muscles in your scalp releasing. Letting go of holding. Waves of relaxation. Travelling across your scalp. Around your ears. Your jaw. The right side of your head. The left side of your head. All the way to the back of your head. Skull bones heavy. Muscles melting and softening. Imagine a third point of light at the top of your neck. Where your spine meets your skull. Feel the muscles in your neck responding to the light. Left side of your neck. Relaxing, Letting go of holding. Right side of your neck. Tension dissolving and releasing without you needing to do anything. Gentle waves spreading all the way from your neck into the top of your back. You might feel gradual layers of tension unfolding. More and more subtle layers releasing. Tension you didn't even know you were holding. Gently, Gradually dissolving. Muscles in your neck and the back of your head heavy. Resting more and more deeply onto the surface beneath you. Muscles in your face light, Weightless. A sense of space and ease expanding within. Imagine nurture spreading from the point of light in your neck down your spine. A sense of peace spreading into all the muscles in your back. From your spine to your fingertips to your toes. Imagine breathing all the way to the edges of your body. Breathing into the top of your head, Your fingertips and your toes. Expanding the space within. But if you react telespaces as you can see, Point of light in your left shoulder releasing tension from the muscles across the top of your shoulder across the back of your left shoulder blade all the way across your collarbone shoulder blade heavy nurturing, Soothing light softening the muscles in your back from within imagine a point of light imagine a point of light in your left elbow your left wrist and the palm of your left hand muscles softening tension releasing along the length of your arm arm bones heavy, Muscles melting onto the surface beneath you you might feel a sense of spaciousness expanding within you points of light shining like stars within allow your fingers to rest in their natural curl bring all of your focus to the point of light in the palm of your hand and let your mind simply rest on this point you might feel tingling or pulsing warmth or coolness lightness or heaviness your mind completely at ease, Resting in the palm of your hand fingers naturally curling, Completely resting letting go of holding soothing light from the palm of your hand to the tip of each and every finger nurturing soothing light, Calm awareness heart-to-heart conversation heart-to-heart conversation heart-to-heart conversation a point of light in your right shoulder releasing the muscles in the right side of your back softening the muscles in the right side of your back from within shoulder blade heavy, Muscles melting onto the surface beneath you releasing all the way from the front of your neck along your collarbone to your shoulder tension draining out of your body like water draining out of a bath in your right arm imagine a point of light in your elbow your wrist and the palm of your hand muscles softening, Releasing, Letting go along the length of your arm arm bones heavy allow your fingers to rest in their natural curl letting go of holding, Softening bringing all of your focus to the point of light in the palm of your right hand and let your mind simply rest on this point you might feel tingling or pulsing heaviness or heaviness, Warmth or coolness your mind completely at ease a sense of calm from the centre of your hand to the tips of your fingers all of the little muscles in your hand softening, Each and every finger releasing nurturing, Soothing light, Completely at rest point of light in the centre of your chest nurturing the space within allow your mind to rest completely on the light in the centre of your chest muscles melting, Tension dissolving spaciousness expanding melting onto the surface beneath you head heavy, Jaw relaxed, Belly soft, Gently swelling as you breathe a new layer of tension releasing from your head, Your face, Your jaw your neck, Your shoulders, Your arms, Your back muscles softening and melting over heavy bones your whole body letting go, Stress and tension draining out of your body like water draining from a bath your whole body letting go, Stress and tension draining out of your body like water draining from a bath a point of light in your belly, Belly expanding and contracting around the light nurturing into your core your whole body letting go, Stress and tension draining out of your body like water draining from a bath feel your lower back releasing, Muscles softening, Letting go of holding a sense of space and ease expanding within your body letting go, Stress and tension draining out of your body like water draining from a bath a point of light in your left hip, So that you can relax a point of light in your left hip socket a point of light in your left knee, A point of light in your left ankle legs heavy, Muscles melting onto the surface beneath you a point of light in your left foot, Nurturing, Soothing light, Calm awareness releasing across the top of your foot, The sole of your foot a point of light in your right hip socket a point of light in your right hip socket, Soothing light in your right knee, In your right ankle leg bones heavy, Point of light in your right foot releasing and relaxing across the top of your foot and the sole of your foot legs heavy, Letting go of holding muscles melting from your hips to your feet to your toes stress and tension draining out of your feet like water draining from a bath a point of light in your right hip socket points of light in your feet your ankles, Your knees, Your hips, Belly, Your chest points of light in your hands, Elbows, Shoulders, Your neck your forehead and the crown of your head bathing your entire body in gentle waves of calm awareness feel a spaciousness inside you imagine this spaciousness extending and expanding all around you you might want to imagine the points of light inside you like a constellation of stars in the night sky an infinity of stars above you and all around you imagine once more the breath is breathing you the breath chooses when to expand and when to release, When to arrive and when to disappear you might like to imagine the whole cosmos or universe is breathing you with the inhale the universe breathes into you and with the exhale simply withdraws the breath allow each breath to simply rise and fall when it chooses nurturing, Restoring breath you're filled and emptied without needing to do anything a perfect part of a universe that wouldn't be whole without you notice a spacious stillness beneath and throughout each breath a stillness from which the breath emerges, Expands and returns the breath grows out of the stillness and then rests and settles back into the stillness the breath ends sounds. If your mind wanders come back to the breath, The uniqueness, The specialness of each and every breath, The way it feels as it enters and leaves your body. I'm going to leave you here wishing you a wonderful sleep. Enjoy simply resting, Floating, Recharging, Settling into the stillness within you and all around you, Nourished by the breath. Nothing can collection buy back You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You

Reviews

What a beautiful mediation, so calming and soothing with a lovely gentle voice, I love that it's longer as it sometimes takes me a while to get asleep, it didn't though with this one! Thank you 🙏

🙏🙏🙏Nurturing and Restoring🙏🙏
I REALLY APPRECIATE this meditation!

wonderfully helpful for calming and sleep. thank you so much.

👌🏾👌🏾

Very restful - and I was surprised that your coaching to (paraphrasing badly as I was half asleep) let our breath / the air carry itself in and out" vs. having us do the breathing made relaxing so much more doable, thank you!