So hi there,
Welcome to the session today.
So today we're just going to do some relaxation,
Some visualisation,
Just to make some space this evening for the mind,
For the body to get ready for sleep.
So to start with just finding a seated position and starting your meditation in the usual way.
Maybe if you'd like a prompt,
Just breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
And then when you're ready,
Just closing the eyes,
Feeling the space around you,
Feeling the weight of the body,
Any sensations you can feel,
Any aches or pains,
Just noticing them,
Just with an acceptance.
Allowing them to be there,
Noticing that they're there and then allowing yourself to move on.
And then once you've closed the eyes,
Just allowing the breath to come to its normal rhythm and allowing the attention to rest on the breath.
Just the rise and fall of the chest and just holding this soft awareness on the breath for a few moments.
And now I'd just like you to notice how you feel.
Let's start with the body again.
You've already started noticing how the body feels just now,
Any aches or pains you might have.
And now I'd just like you to notice what the mind is doing.
Are there a lot of thoughts?
Are they quite fast-paced,
Moving around a lot,
The mind changing,
Focusing on different things?
Maybe there aren't many thoughts.
Maybe there are,
But they're moving slowly.
Maybe there aren't many and it's moving quite fast.
Just noticing what's going on in the mind.
And if you feel yourself getting lost,
Just bringing the attention back to the breath,
Back to that rhythm and using that as a reference point to start exploring that again.
And once you think you've got a good idea of what's going on in the mind,
Just letting that go and returning to the breath for a moment,
Just for a little space.
And now I'd just like you to visualize yourself,
The body where you're sitting.
Feel those aches and pains and whatever's going on in the mind.
Maybe you feel slow and weary.
Maybe you feel still very buzzing and switched on.
Just feeling that,
Just allowing it to be there,
Accepting it as it is.
But then visualizing it just kind of like smoke,
Like steam,
Like vapor,
Just lifting away from all parts of the body.
That weariness or that buzzing or whatever it is you feel,
Just lifting away,
Drifting out from the body and lifting away,
Out into the universe.
And as you see this,
Just feeling,
If you can,
Just feeling that relief,
That burden,
Just lifting away freely of its own accord from you.
Now starting to feel that relaxation,
Just imagining it lifting away.
And then when you feel like you can feel it lifting away,
Just imagining the last few dregs of it just lifting away in that smoke,
Lifting away in that vapor,
And finally releasing.
As you are released from that buzzing or that weariness and feeling that warm,
Relaxing energy of life within you as you release the day and allow yourself that space now to relax and begin winding down for sleep.
Now in that space of calm,
Just returning the attention to the natural rhythm of the breath,
Feeling now that warmth,
That relaxation,
That release.
Feeling the body now winding down,
Just feeling the limbs begin to release,
Go limp maybe,
Just releasing that control as the body relaxes and winds down for sleep.
And then when you're ready,
Just becoming aware of that space around you again,
Maybe the sounds,
The sensations,
Starting to breathe deeply in through the nose and out through the mouth just a few times.
And then when you're ready,
Either on the in-breath or on the out,
Just gently opening the eyes,
Opening the eyes,
Coming back to the space you're in,
Maybe just stretching,
Turning the head left and then right,
Whatever feels most comfortable for you.
And with that,
I hope that this has been useful.
I hope you can feel nice and relaxed now,
Ready for bed,
Ready for sleep.
So thanks very much for joining me today,
And I hope you sleep really well,
And I'll see you next time.
Bye-bye.
