Boat Ride To Deep Sleep

Take slow-paced amble along the riverside and then sleep in a boathouse looking out at the stars in the clear summer's night. Allow your mind to be taken away to a peaceful state which will help to relax and eventually sleep.

Transcript

On a quiet summers evening,

You walk along a path beside a rivers edge.

The sun shines down its warmth as it dips down below a red cloudless sky.

The scent of the air is sweet,

With all the green riverside foliage dotted around.

Your pace is of a peaceful amble,

Each foot wandering on to the next step.

You watch the very slow current of the river trickle past as it reflects the redness of the sky in its white wash sparkles.

House boats are evenly spaced out at the edge of the river.

You take notice of each one,

Seeing the character placed into them.

Some are very large and some are quite small,

But each one looks homely.

You smile at some of the names on the vessels which place fun into these floating houses.

Walking in the warm heat of this summers night,

The air barely moves,

Which allows the scent of the calming salty water to be inhaled,

Freeing your lungs into a tranquil rhythm.

Scattered rhododendrons ornimate the base of each small bridge you walk beneath.

The sweet and sometimes spicy notes are relaxing as you breathe them in under the cooler arches of the river.

The pink and red colours of geraniums reflect the shade of the dusky sky above,

Creating a feeling of warmth and vibrance all around.

Every now and then you see the captains of the houses and exchange a pleasant smile and wave as you continue on to your boat up ahead.

On the bend of the river,

Your boat house is anchored next to a grassy area,

The reflection of the water wavering on its hull.

Your small narrow boat is also homely,

Decorated exactly the way you want it,

With all the furnishings you could ever want inside.

Being near water is where you find your own peace,

You relax the best in these surroundings.

As you near your home,

You see some swans dipping their heads into the water,

Effortlessly floating with the current.

In your pockets you have some food for them,

Reaching in you deal out the supper time snack for these beautiful birds.

No sooner does the food touch the water,

The swans swim over,

Lapping out the delicious snack you have provided for them.

It doesn't take too much time at all for them to eat what they find,

They nod with thanks as they continue on down the river.

Upon reaching your boat,

You step aboard,

Opening the living quarters you place down any possessions or shopping you have brought.

Keeping the doors open to air the comfortable space,

You decide that you want to move the boat a little further down the river.

Using the engine,

It quietly chugs into life.

The shadows of the trees at the side of the river are now quite low as the sun burrows down through the horizon.

The introduction of fresher air can be breathed in in this moment.

You take a breath before you throttle forwards.

Moving your boat into the middle of the river,

A refreshing breeze is felt upon your face from the movement.

Following your way along,

Today's memories and experiences seem to float away.

You get lost in the beauty of all you see in this moment.

As you move the steering wheel through each bend of the river,

New scenes are revealed to your every sense.

On occasion you hear and see people walking the riverside path and wave to each other.

In parts of the banks,

There are reeds and different coloured flowers growing wildly within the untouched landscape before you.

Turning a bend,

The large bricks that make up a tall castle are observed,

Windows so big and a turret standing far into the sky.

On top of the castle,

Birds begin to nest for the night as the last of the sun's rays sink down deep.

A squirrel hops and bounces along the waters edge,

Looking for a treat to take to his or her own bed,

Its furry tail disappearing sometimes in the long grass verges.

Travelling into night,

Into a sleepier atmosphere,

You pass another boathouse,

The curtains being drawn as you float by.

You feel like the keeper of the night,

Observing the hibernating behaviour all around.

Up ahead,

The sails of a spectacular white and red windmill turn slowly.

The magnificent structure also has windows and a door.

You decide to berth your boat here for the night,

Slowing down the engine,

Navigating your way to the waters edge.

You moor up,

Securely latching a rope to a bracket and turning off the power to your boat.

Quiet is all you hear in the intermittent chirps of far off crickets.

The air is now cooler,

Which is inhaled much deeper,

Creating a sense of tiredness.

Picking up a blanket from the floor,

You step off your houseboat and onto land.

Just a few feet away is a grass patch.

You place your blanket down,

Unfolded and take a seat,

Leaning up against the warm bark of a large oak tree planted firmly in the ground.

As you stare and gaze all around,

Watching and observing,

Listening and feeling the calm atmosphere,

Distant lights turn off one by one.

The darker sky of night closes the curtain on today with pin cushion stars starting to twinkle in a deep blue velvet.

Seeing the windmill sails turning ever so slowly,

The fresh moon is seen clear and in focus.

Perhaps a yawn or a breath of relief to retreat is experienced in this moment.

Everything being so peaceful.

Looking around,

You can see for miles past the windmill,

Valleys peak and trough well back in the distance.

The land mostly flat with a few houses dotted here and there.

As you listen to your breathing more closely,

You notice it has slowed down,

Each breath now deep and calm,

Relaxing and soothing in every way.

With night now in full exhibition,

The Milky Way streaks across the sky,

Shooting stars trail a light show for you to bring every level of emotion and feeling down.

Venus and Neptune are but the brightest stars,

Shining their light to remind you that you're not alone.

Looking down,

You stroke the blades of the green grass with your hand,

Seeing them instantly spring back up,

Rustling almost silently.

Taking in every beautiful element of this moment,

You notice the reflection of the night sky on the rivers surface as it trickles past you and your boathouse.

Tonight in some way,

You can sleep amongst the stars,

Your boat travelling the galaxy and floating through space.

Deciding to return to your boat,

You pick up the blanket and step aboard your boathouse once again.

Now inside,

Closing the door,

You see the plush furnishings of your home,

A few potted flowers,

A couple of candles and a clean scent fills the room with calmness and stillness.

Getting ready for bed now,

You tidily place your clothes,

With outstretched arms you stretch,

Releasing any remainder of today away.

Looking in the silence of this moment,

You observe what is around,

Making sure that everything is in its place.

As your eyes peruse the room,

You notice your breathing is as calm as can be and your muscles weary but relaxed from the days outing.

Climbing into bed,

You pull the blanket up to a comfortable place on your body and place your head down into your thick,

Soft pillow.

Now quite late,

The emerging night time air refreshes every breath you take,

Making you feel a little tired,

No more thinking is needed for today.

You are content with what you have achieved today,

Even if taking time for yourself,

Your self image is balanced,

As too is your mood,

Your perspective and your peace within.

Tranquility couldn't be any more peaceful than it is in this moment.

Blowing out the candles,

You let your eyes adjust to a darker scene.

Lying on your side,

You look out of your window,

Seeing the last light of the windmill turn off,

You feel in sync with everything around.

The sky now filled with the delights of night,

Tonight is a clear night.

As you watch the shooting stars trail down and fade away,

Your mind begins to drift and your breathing becomes deeper.

In this moment,

There is no sound except the subtle white noise of your calm breathing.

Listening out makes you only more tired.

As this picture perfect scene animates night,

You observe far off car lights passing the hills in the distance as they slowly travel away,

Your eyelids follow downwards in the direction of your feet.

No sound is heard,

Just a play of hypnotic images that help you to drift off more easily.

Each car that slowly scrolls past brings your eyelids down more and more.

There is no need to resist anymore,

Your body is automatically relaxing and your mind is floating into the state of sleep.

Let whatever thought pass and allow your mind to go wherever it wants.

Lethargic and also feeling heavier,

You let go a little more.

You are finding it hard to stay awake or even to keep your eyes open,

They now prefer to remain closed.

Every breath deeper,

Your body sinks down with contentment and your head dipping further into the most comfortable pillow.

Silent,

Safe and very at ease,

You allow your mind to slip further into a beautiful state of unawareness.

You let go of the hand that is loosening freely as the hinges of your wrists let go.

Preparing to sleep has never been so effortless as it is in this moment.

Drifting into the blissful glimpses as you become unaware,

You free your mind of anything which allows you to experience this moment to the full.

Each breath in brings yet more sleep filled sensations and every breath out is of relief,

Heaviness and peace.

Listening to the silence,

You become one with all around,

Almost merging into the air that you breathe,

The space in the room and the stillness that is felt.

Your back and lower back muscles resist no more as they slide downwards into comfort,

Making your hips and legs feel ever so heavy.

You notice the reflection of the night sky in the water that your boathouse floats upon.

It's as if you are travelling the galaxy,

Slowly gliding through the universe.

The soft ripples in the water make it quite a tiresome effort to focus upon,

So you turn on your back to look out of the window above.

Resting even more heavily now,

Your eyelids begin closing down as you watch into space and time.

There is no sense of time in this moment,

All you feel is the sensation of the here and now,

As your eyelids dip down and close for longer each time,

Your head steadily sinks further.

Every silence can be observed as you float in and out of awareness.

The stars that glisten and shimmer only relax your eyelids more,

Until you see them no more.

With each breath,

Your neck loosens each weary muscle,

Your head burrows deeper without resistance.

You feel safe and calm in this tranquil state.

Deepening the focus of relaxation you feel,

Your chest and the tops of your arms melt into looseness,

Allowing your arms to automatically slide at your side to rest.

Your mind now in between sleep,

Your back,

Lower back and hips pleasantly ache into place,

Leaving your legs every reason to let go.

With no more to think about,

Less to concern yourself with,

You only delve deeper into this pleasing and pleasant sleepy state.

Your ankles,

Now feeling warm,

Hinge your feet into a place of comfort,

Giving your toes all the space to be as free as they wish.

Heavier but also lighter,

Without any tension,

Your wrists allow your hands to become limp,

With each finger feeling the light touch of sleep.

Although you heavily relax,

There is also a lightness,

As if floating on air as your muscles relax ever so much.

With no tension and your mind now in a beautifully sleepy state,

You clearly feel your body float on the air that you breathe,

Each breath of unawareness deepening as you drift further into the dream world.

You are perfectly safe,

Relaxed and full of restful sensations.

As you drift more and more into sounds that cannot be heard and sensations that cannot be felt,

You finally let go into sleep.

As the night continues to rest your body and calm your mind,

Its ambience will keep you asleep,

Refreshing every part of you for tomorrow.

Feel the peace as you now sleep a good night's sleep.

As you drift more and more into sounds that cannot be heard and sensations that cannot be felt,

You finally let go into sleep.

You You You You

Reviews

Very peaceful. I would love to have it be a little ( or a lot) longer! Thanks Christian, as always. Looking forward to more!!! October,2023— one of my very favorite meditations for sleep…1/19/24– I love this one

Thank you for a lovely relaxing experience.

This transported me to staying on my family's boat when I was in college. I lived on it for my spring and summer sessions in Philly. I loved it! Thank you! 😎😎

Thank you

Always my go to. Swans and stars. You are a master ~

This is very nice. Think I will be bookmarking it! Thank you 🙏

How delightful! I half expected to hear occasional plops as herons speared fish for their dinner. I LOVED the swans. A lovely peaceful and soothing meditation, delivered in Thomas' warm and calming voice. Thanks!

I’m sure it was wonderful. Only aware of the first few lines before I floated away....zzzzzz

Very relaxing and soothing voice. Thank you for sharing!

Very poetic, calming voice 🌿thank you

This meditation is wonderful. I would tell you about the whole thing, but my husband and I have never stayed awake through to the end. We've been sleeping better than we have in a long time. Thank you for this soothing meditation!

Soothing and calm during a difficult night. Thank you

I fell asleep before the end!

Loved the imagery and how it created a relaxing atmosphere.

I love your calming voice and the imagery reminded me of my childhood on my parents houseboat. Thank you!

Thank you Christian. I don't know where I went in the boat but I did float off somewhere & now it's 7am! 💤💤💤💜🙏🕊

Hi Christian
Another great meditation from you , thanks so much , i look forward to your next
Namaste
🙏