Some nights,
It's our own worries that keep us awake.
Other nights,
It's the state of the world.
The world can feel unsettled.
Uncertain.
Hard to trust.
And those feelings can sometimes follow us into bed.
Leaving a part of us standing guard.
Still checking.
Still bracing.
Still listening out for what might happen next.
But tonight,
We don't need to keep watch all night long.
For a few hours.
We can let the world be where it is.
And allow ourselves to be here.
Here in this bed.
Here in this room.
Here,
In this moment.
Hey,
I'm Chibs Okarake.
And this meditation is for the nights when the news is still with us.
When the headlines are still echoing in the mind.
When fear and uncertainty are making it hard to switch off.
I'm not suggesting that what's happening in the world doesn't matter.
And I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't care.
In many ways,
The fact that we do care says something good about us.
It speaks to our humanity.
Our empathy.
Our conscience.
But caring doesn't mean we have to stay switched on all night.
Because staying alert all night won't make us safer.
It won't change what's happening out there.
It will only leave us more exhausted and less able to respond with clarity,
Compassion and steadiness tomorrow.
So tonight.
.
.
We're not pretending everything is fine.
And we're not going to force sleep.
We're simply going to help the body soften.
Help the mind put things down for a little while.
And create the right conditions for rest.
There'll be time tomorrow for the news.
But for now.
.
.
Nothing more needs to be read.
Nothing more needs to be checked.
And nothing more needs to be carried.
Because resting tonight isn't avoidance.
And putting everything down for a few hours isn't giving up.
It's simply a way of letting the nervous system recover.
So that tomorrow we can meet the world with a steadier mind.
And a more rested body.
Let's begin by getting comfortable.
And allowing the body to settle into the bed.
After that,
We'll gently slow things down with the breath.
And from there.
.
.
Will move through the body.
Softening.
Releasing.
And allowing sleep to come in its own time.
And just so you know.
This audio is designed to play all through the night.
So if you drift off,
That's exactly right.
After a while.
My voice will gently fade.
And gentle background sounds will carry you through until the morning.
And if you wake up later.
You can let the sound bring you back.
And as we go on through this meditation there'll be less and less to do.
Less effort.
Less thinking.
Less holding on.
For now.
Was simply arriving here.
With nothing else required of us tonight.
Taking a moment to settle in.
If there's any small shift that might help the body feel a little more at ease.
Maybe it's a pillow adjusted.
Or a blanket pulled closer.
Whatever it is,
We're welcome to make that adjustment now.
And if it feels comfortable.
We might gently close the eyes.
Or simply softening the gaze.
And letting the eyes close when they're ready.
Allowing the body to be held by the bed beneath us.
The mattress.
Underneath us.
The pillow beneath the head.
The white of the covers.
Letting a little more of our weight drop down.
And letting the body know.
But for this little while.
It doesn't need to stay on guard.
And now.
Just beginning to notice the breath.
No need to change anything about the breath.
Simply noticing that the body is breathing.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
And if it feels good.
Allowing the exhale to grow a touch longer than the inhale.
Not by much.
Just a small softening.
Breathing in.
And a longer breath out.
Breathing in.
And a longer breath out.
A soft signal to the body.
That it can begin to settle.
And if the mind wanders.
That's okay.
We can simply come back to the feeling of breathing out.
Without giving ourselves a hard time.
There's no such thing as getting it right.
It's whatever feels easeful.
That's enough.
And now.
As the body begins to settle a little more.
Seeing if we can take a gentle look at what's been here emotionally tonight.
Not the whole story.
Not every detail.
Just what's been sitting in the background.
The news can leave so many different kinds of feelings behind.
Sometimes there's worry.
Sometimes there's a heaviness in the chest.
Sometimes there's anger,
Or sadness,
Or a tired kind of helplessness.
Sometimes there's grief for things we didn't even know we were grieving.
And sometimes it's hard to tell what's there at all.
There's just a sense that something is.
So I invite you to gently ask.
What's most present right now?
If anything.
And if a word comes.
We can quietly name it.
Just one word.
Worried.
Heavy.
Unsettled.
Sad.
Angry.
Tired.
Or maybe just numb.
And if no word comes,
That's perfectly fine too.
We can simply notice.
Something is here.
Nothing is clear.
And we can leave it at that.
Whatever's true for us tonight.
We don't have to change it.
We don't have to fix it.
And we don't have to understand it.
Was simply allowing it to be here.
With a little more space around it.
And we might even quietly say to ourselves.
Of course this is here.
Of course I feel like this.
The world has been a lot lately.
And now.
Allowing the breath to fade a little more into the background.
As we gently bring our awareness into the body.
There's nothing to figure out here.
Nothing to get right.
Or simply noticing.
Softening.
And allowing.
Will move slowly through the body.
And will begin down at the feet.
Bringing our awareness to the feet.
And noticing whatever's there tonight.
Maybe you won't.
Coolness.
Heaviness.
Tingling.
Or perhaps very little at all.
And whatever we notice.
Allowing that to be enough.
Perhaps the feet softening just a little.
Resting a little more heavily.
And now moving our awareness into the lower legs.
Allowing the muscles here to loosen.
And do a little less.
And now into the knees.
And the upper legs.
Perhaps noticing the weight of the legs against the bed.
And allowing a little more of that white to drop down.
A little more effort draining out.
A little more softness arriving.
And from there.
Gently bringing awareness to the hips.
To the pelvis.
To the places where the body meets the bed most deeply.
These places can hold so much.
And they're gradually being invited to let go.
And if there's tightness here.
Or discomfort.
That's OK.
Tonight.
We're simply mating the body as it is.
Breathing here.
And allowing the hips to be held.
Now slowly moving our awareness into the lower back.
Perhaps noticing any places that still feel like they've been working Let's see if the bed can take a little more of that white now.
Seeing if the lower back can do a little less.
Seeing if the belly can soften a little more.
Now widening our awareness to include the whole back.
All the way up to the shoulder blades were allowing the whole back to be held.
And supported.
And now bringing our awareness around to the belly.
Noticing the gentle movement there as the body breathes We're allowing the belly to be soft tonight.
There's no need to hold it in.
No need to brace.
Was simply letting the belly rise.
And fall.
In its own time.
And now moving to the chest.
Her ribs.
The heart space.
Noticing whatever's present here.
Perhaps movement.
Perhaps tightness.
Or perhaps very little at all.
And whatever is here.
Allowing this area to soften around it.
We're breathing into the chest and allowing the exhale to smooth the edges a little bit.
And now moving up into the shoulders those shoulders that so often carry the day.
Perhaps allowing the shoulders to drop away from the ears.
Even just a fraction.
Allowing them to unburden a little.
To remember that they don't need to hold everything tonight.
And from the shoulders.
That's moved gently down through the arms.
And into the hands.
We're allowing the fingers to uncurl.
Were allowing the arms to grow heavy.
And now bringing our awareness to the neck.
The throat.
The jaw.
And if there's any gripping in the jaw.
Allowing a little space there.
And if the throat has been tied or guarded.
Allowing it to do a little less.
And now moving our awareness into the face.
The eyes.
And the forehead.
Softening all the tiny muscles around the eyes.
Softening the space between the eyebrows.
Just letting the whole face be quiet and now.
Allowing the whole body to come into awareness.
The whole body lying here.
The whole body being held here.
And if some parts of the body are deeply relaxed.
And other parts aren't quite there yet.
That's perfectly okay.
We're simply allowing whatever softening is available tonight.
So for the next few moments.
Just resting here,
Inside the whole body.
Letting the bed hold us.
Letting the breath move on its own.
And letting the body continue unwinding.
In its own time.
There's even less to do now.
For this little while.
We can let the world be where it is.
And allow ourselves to be here.
Nothing more needs to be checked right now.
Just this bed.
This room.
This breath.
This moment.
And if thoughts come.
That's okay.
Thoughts can rise.
And thoughts can pass.
While we stay here.
And perhaps just for tonight.
Seeing if we can begin to set some of it down.
Not forever.
Not pretending.
Just for these few hours of rest.
Right now.
We don't need to process any of it.
We just need to stop carrying it through the night.
So if it helps.
Imagining there's a small table.
Or a quiet shelf.
Beside the bed.
And one by one.
We can place things there for the night.
The Headlines.
The worries about tomorrow.
The imaginary conversations.
Those things that we've been turning over and over.
We're not throwing them away.
We're just placing them down.
Where they can wait.
While we rest.
And if we want to pick them up again in the morning.
They'll still be there.
So for these few hours.
We're allowed to be a person.
Not a witness.
Not a watcher.
Not someone keeping vigil for the world.
Just a person.
In a bed.
Allowed to sleep.
And if it feels good.
Noticing how this room is holding us tonight.
The Wolves.
The door.
Quiet around us.
The world is doing whatever the world does tonight.
But here.
Inside this room.
Nothing is asking anything of us.
Just the soft weight of the colours.
Just the steady support of the bed.
Just the quiet.
Of the night around us.
Not because everything in the world is solved.
Not because it doesn't matter.
Just because.
For now.
You're being held.
And the night will carry on without us needing to do anything.
And from here.
The words can begin to thin is less to follow now.
Less to listen for.
Less to do.
The body keeps softening.
The mind keeps quieting.
And sleep.
Keeps gathering.
Quietly.
In the background.
No need to reach for it.
No need to try.
Just allowing the body to keep resting here.
And allowing the night to do what nights do.
Heavy.
Soft.
Held.
Sinking.
Drifting.
Nothing more required.
Nothing more to carry.
Just rest now.
And now.
A few gentle phrases can drift softly in the background.
You don't have to repeat them.
You don't have to remember them.
They can simply be there.
Quietly.
While you sleep.
I don't need to keep watch tonight.
It's safe for me to rest now.
The world can wait until morning.
I can care about the world.
And still sleep.
Resting tonight isn't giving up.
I can put the world down for a few hours.
Nothing more needs to be carried right now.
My body is allowed to soften.
My mind is allowed to grow quiet.
Sleep can come in its own time.
The bed is holding me now.
Peace moment.
Is enough.
I am hell.
I am safe in this moment.
I am resting now.
I don't need to keep watch tonight.
It's safe for me to rest now.
The world can wait until morning.
I can care about the world.
And still sleep.
Resting tonight isn't giving up.
I can put the world down for a few hours.
Nothing more needs to be carried right now.
My body is allowed to soften.
My mind is allowed to grow quiet.
Sleep can come in its own time.
The bed is holding me now.
This moment.
Is enough.
I am hell.
I am safe in this moment.
I am resting now.
And from here.
My voice will begin to fade.
And gentle background sounds will stay with you.
Through the rest of the night.
There's nothing more to hold on to.
Nothing more to follow.
Letting go of any effort to listen.
Letting go of any effort to stay.
Just the room now.
Just for bed now.
Just the breath now.
Just the breath.
Coming and going.
All by itself.
Soft.
Held.
Safe.
Rest.
