Hello and welcome to this meditation for sleep.
I am Colleen and I will be guiding you through this meditation.
Go ahead and get yourself nice and comfortable lying down in your bed.
Sorting your pillows,
Your blanket,
Making sure you feel as comfortable as possible.
You can take the first few moments here to arrive into your body.
To get any little wriggles or movement out so that the body can soften down.
I'll guide you to lie on your back but if this does not feel comfortable or is not possible you can lie on your side.
Let the body begin to soften down.
The shoulders relax away from the ears.
And we'll gently close down our eyes.
Bring your awareness towards your body.
Notice how it feels.
How does it feel to be in your body right now?
Can you notice any physical sensations that are happening within the body?
Perhaps the breath on the nostrils.
The coolness of the inhale.
The warmth of the exhale.
Can you notice the chest or stomach rising and falling with the breath?
Gentle coming and going.
What does your natural breath feel like?
Is it long or short?
Is it shallow or deep?
Can you begin to elongate your breath?
To deepen it.
To inhale through the nose towards the stomach.
To inhale through the nose towards the stomach.
And a slow release through the mouth.
And again deep inhale through the nose.
Slow releasing exhale breath.
Letting go of your day.
Letting go of any heaviness.
Allowing it to leave through your exhale breath.
Allowing the breath to become soft.
To find your natural rhythm.
Beginning to bring your awareness now back to your body.
Noticing the body connected to the surface beneath you.
The hold,
The support that it has.
Can you give yourself the permission to release a little bit more into that hold?
To let all of your muscles,
Your cells begin to release.
To let go of any grip that you might have.
Beginning to notice a wave of relaxation begin to spread through your full body.
Softening each cell it touches.
This wave of relaxation starts at the top of the head,
The crown.
And it begins to spread down into the forehead.
The space between the eyebrows,
The eyes,
The cheeks,
The jaw.
Softening through the mouth.
Down the throat,
The neck.
Feel the collar bones soften.
The shoulders.
Down the right arm.
Towards the right wrist.
The top of the right hand.
The palm of the hand.
The right thumb.
And each and every finger.
The right arm completely relaxed.
This wave spreads into the left arm.
Down towards the left wrist.
The top of the left hand.
The palm of the left hand.
The left thumb.
And each and every finger.
The whole left arm completely relaxed.
Feel the chest begin to soften.
Feel the shoulder blades soften down the spine.
The ribcage.
The back.
Feel the stomach relax.
A gentle rise and fall with no restriction.
Feel as each hip begins to relax.
Your whole upper body now completely soft.
Filled with calm.
Relaxing with each breath.
And feel your glutes soften down towards the surface.
Your right thigh.
Down to your right calf.
Your right ankle.
Top of the right foot.
Sole of the right foot.
And all of the right toes.
Your right leg now feeling relaxed.
The wave of relaxation travels to the left thigh.
The left calf.
The left ankle.
Top of the left foot.
The sole of the left foot.
And all of your left toes relax.
Feel all of the lower body melting down to the support beneath you.
The whole body filled with this wave of relaxation.
Every muscle.
Every cell.
Every fibre of your being completely relaxed.
Calm.
And in your mind imagine yourself walking on a path through a woodland.
The sun has just set.
The colours in the sky are changing.
It's a warm evening.
The gentle breeze kissing your skin.
Notice each step that you take.
Feel your feet on the earth.
Just you and nature.
There is nowhere else you have to be.
There is no one else around.
You feel completely safe and at peace in this place.
You notice as the animals are beginning to prepare for night.
The birds in the trees.
The squirrels rummaging in the ground.
Really take in this space.
Notice the colours of the sky.
Of pinks,
Of oranges and purples.
Notice the sounds that you can hear.
Feel yourself becoming calmer with each step that you take.
The path that you are on leads you to a small lake.
You are protected by the trees around you.
Sheltering you.
And you watch as the day turns into night.
As the world moves from the doing into the being.
You sit down under the shelter of a tree.
You feel the warm air around you.
And you can feel the night coming in.
The sounds of this woodland are beginning to settle.
Perhaps you can hear the gentle buzz of the insects.
Perhaps you can hear the sound of your own breath.
The sky is now lit up with the shine from the moon and the stars.
You feel as if the moonlight is radiating just towards you.
The moon with her loving,
Nourishing energy encourages you to rest.
You can feel her calming light radiate on your skin.
Her loving energy travelling into your cells.
You feel as if Mother Nature is whispering,
I am here.
It is safe.
You can rest.
You can let go of the day.
You can let yourself be still.
It is safe for you to relax.
It is safe for you to sleep.
And when the sun rises,
You will feel nourished and well rested.
But for now,
There is nothing else for you to do.
There is nowhere else for you to be.
Just here with your breath.
Here in your body.
Letting yourself sleep.
Letting yourself rest.
Thank you for listening to this meditation.
I wish you a wonderful,
Restful sleep and a beautiful day tomorrow.
Namaste.
