Hello,
Sweetheart.
Bedtime has arrived.
That's a wrap for the day.
Let's start to settle mind and body for a good night's sleep.
Sleep cycles that repair,
Clean,
And rejuvenate your brain last about 90 or 110 minutes.
One hopes to have at least four or five of those per night,
So we'll prepare for and welcome that process.
It's also of spiritual benefit to reflect on and release the day,
So we'll do that too.
I like to be seated for a bedtime meditation.
I think that works best for night owls who have spent many hours lying in bed and not sleeping.
Seated meditation can shift and reset the habits of mind and body that have become deeply ingrained over the years during that time in bed.
If you're a morning person and can barely keep your eyes open come nighttime,
You might prefer to lie down.
Whether you're sitting up tall on a cushion or a chair or lying down,
Eyes can be closed and you can bring your attention to a few full breaths.
Once you've settled in,
Let your mind flash through a quick review of the day.
What happened from today's very beginning when you first awoke until now?
No need to re-engage in any drama or second-guess any choices.
Just be a witness to your own life.
Then you might acknowledge the emotional content of the day.
Were there moments of sadness,
Upset,
Boredom,
Contentment,
Happiness?
Were there touching moments?
Was anything funny?
Was anything beautiful or joyful?
Anything worth celebrating?
As you review the day,
Is there an emotional tone present in you right now?
We are spacious enough for all of that to come and to go.
In the next few breaths,
You can release the merit of the day,
Which is a Buddhist concept loosely translated as setting an inner intention or wish for all of the good actions,
Lessons,
And gifts from your day to be of benefit to all beings.
In this way,
You can let the day that is done fall into the past and send all of its benefits forward into the future,
Releasing the merit of the day.
And now bring your attention to the present moment.
Choose an anchor point for your attention.
The breath or maybe sounds as they land at your ears.
Or you might choose seeing,
Noting whatever you see with your eyes closed.
I call that watching the backs of your eyelids.
Whichever anchor you choose to be your focus,
Zoom in close,
Experiencing your senses directly in that little hang time of space right before analysis arrives.
Normally you experience sensory input and immediately there is a judgment of bad or good,
Pleasant or unpleasant,
Followed almost instantly with storytelling,
Thoughts,
Comparisons,
And an inner narrative filled with words.
That's all normal and human and fine.
Just for now,
As a very relaxed and easeful game,
See if you can keep refreshing your attention to your chosen anchor point.
What do you notice now and now and now?
What is arriving fresh in each moment in the space before words?
You can't do this wrong.
Just see how it goes.
We'll try for a minute.
You can stay here,
Noticing your present moment experience without judgment for as long as you like.
You can stop this recording and continue to sit until the feeling arrives that it's enough for tonight.
Then you can crawl into bed,
Lay your head on the pillow and drift off.
May you sleep well.
Your body and mind know how to care for themselves.
And you,
The witness to all of these days and nights,
Are part of the larger consciousness in which all of life unfolds.
You can rest there,
In your true home.
