Deep Sleep Through Breath, Body Scan, And A Moonlit Journey

This meditation is eight hours and 20 minutes, in total, specifically designed to guide you through an entire night of tranquil slumber. It includes elements of Yoga Nidra (yogic sleep) such as breath awareness, body scan, and guided imagery. The first 20 minutes include a vocal narration with no background sounds or music. After that, the voice stops, and the remainder of the track includes a compilation of beautiful, relaxing, contemplative music tracks to watch over you as you sail into sleep. Music track credits: Chris Collins at Indie Music Box.

Transcript

Welcome,

And I'm so grateful that you chose me to share these next moments with as you prepare for a restful,

Rejuvenating sleep.

Our journey will contain elements of what's called Yoga Nidra,

Which is an old yogic practice that combines a body scan and guided imagery,

And it's traditionally done lying on your back.

However,

I want you to find whatever position makes you feel most comfortable and most at ease.

This time for rest is so very important.

We will,

Together,

Try to make it a soft descent into quiet stillness,

Utter peace,

Complete tranquility.

And for the first portion,

It will be just my voice,

With no background sounds or music.

And once I finish,

I'll leave you to continue your journey into sleep with beautiful,

Relaxing background music to carry you through the evening or the day.

As we begin,

It's important to set a clear intention in the present.

I'd like you to repeat this intention three times,

Either out loud or in your mind.

I am having one of the most restful,

Deep slumbers I can remember.

Once more,

I am having one of the most restful,

Deep slumbers I can remember.

And finally,

I am having one of the most restful,

Deep slumbers I can remember.

Great.

Now let's take a breath and just let your body settle comfortably into the surface that supports you.

Remember that right now,

There's nothing to hold together,

There's nothing to manage from the day,

There's nothing to fix,

No calls to make,

No Zoom meetings to join,

No chores.

The only place you need to be is here with me in this moment in time.

So when you're ready,

Allow your eyes to gently close and feel the outside world grow dim and disappear around you as your magnificent inner landscape begins to open.

I'd like you to bring your awareness to the natural rhythm of your breath.

Inhale slowly through the nose,

And exhale softly through the mouth.

Again,

Draw in a steady inhale that comfortably fills your lungs and chest and belly,

And pause for a moment of stillness,

And then release completely,

Letting the breath flow out as the body softens and relaxes.

Now allow the breath to settle into its own effortless rhythm,

Each cycle flowing into the next like gentle tides along the shore.

The breath is really life's quiet genius.

It arrives at birth,

Sustains you in every moment of your life,

Even as you sleep.

It carries oxygen,

The gift of the trees,

The whisper of the ocean,

The music of the wind.

Each breath is a conversation between you and the living world.

So inhale once more,

Receiving life as you do,

And exhale,

Offering peace in return.

And through this sacred rhythm,

Body and spirit remain joined,

The endless bridge between the seen and the unseen,

The mystical connection between the past,

The present,

And what is to come.

So rest your attention here for several breaths.

Don't try to change anything,

Simply allow it to be as it is.

I hope as you breathe you can feel how the inhale nourishes and how the exhale releases and relaxes.

Allow a moment of gratitude for this simple miracle happening every moment without demand.

Indeed,

Each and every breath is a miracle.

So now as the breath flows easily on its own,

Let's begin our gentle journey of awareness through the body.

As we focus on each area,

Take a moment to acknowledge how you feel.

If muscles are tight,

Allow them to relax.

If joints are painful,

Imagine the pain dissolving.

If you feel stress or anxiety,

Allow it to fade,

Replaced by peace and calm.

Don't feel under any pressure to complete this journey.

If the appeal of peaceful slumber overtakes you,

By all means embrace it.

There's always the next time to take this journey again.

So we'll begin at the part of our body that so often grounds us to the earth and its wisdom and resilience,

Our feet.

Imagine that a beautiful,

Loving,

Warming energy touches your toes.

And as it does,

Feel each one relaxing.

The muscles unwinding,

The joints uncurling.

This energy,

From the highest good,

Slowly moves from the toes to the ball of each foot,

And then to the soles,

Then the heel,

Making them warm and heavy against your support.

Now it moves up to the ankles and the shins,

And up to the calves,

And with each breath,

Absorb this warm,

Healing energy as it relaxes each body area.

And now it reaches the knees,

Putting each of them at ease.

And feel the strength of your thighs as they yield to this mystic embrace,

And onto the hips and pelvis,

Softening into stillness.

And now let your awareness follow this calming energy as it gently travels upward along the spine,

Through the lower back and abdomen.

And just rest here as you breathe naturally,

Taking a moment for your spine,

With all of its interconnected nerves,

To decompress.

Continue to breathe naturally and comfortably.

Feel how the navel rises and falls with each breath,

Effortless and calm,

Dependable,

Rhythmic.

And as we move to your heart center,

Marvel at how the chest expands and contracts,

With just a fraction of a second between the two.

Feel how the heart quietly pulses with each inhalation.

And now the calming energy moves from the center line of your heart space across to the shoulders,

Slowly traveling down each arm,

The upper arms and biceps,

Past the elbows,

Down each forearm,

To the wrists and to the hands,

And allow them to rest open,

Palms turned upward,

In gentle surrender.

Perhaps you can even feel the warmth in the palms as their chakras beam life force energy outward.

So now we move back to the chest and follow the calming energy up to the neck,

Relaxing the throat,

Easing the jaw,

Allowing the cheeks perhaps to fall slightly.

And then release the tongue,

Follow it from the tip all the way to its back,

And try to intentionally allow it to relax.

Feel the eyes calm in their sockets and the ears relax,

Allow the warming energy to smooth the forehead and ease any tension across the brow.

Finally,

Let softness spread across the scalp and upward through the crown of your head.

The loving energy that entered at your toes now exits through your crown chakra just above your head and makes its way back to the divine as a column of the purest white light energy you can ever imagine.

The beautiful natural circle is complete,

And as the energy leaves you,

It leaves your entire body breathing as one,

A field of stillness,

Alive and radiant,

Yet tranquil and relaxed and at peace.

And now our journey will continue as I ask you to allow your awareness to dissolve into beautiful imagery.

Imagine that you are standing on a quiet beach beneath the luminous,

Magical full moon.

The night air is rich with the scent of salt and sea.

The rhythmic tide seems to move in harmony with your own breathing.

With each time you inhale,

You draw in peace from the tranquil,

Dark,

Moonlit horizon in the distance.

And each time you exhale,

Old fragments of the day sink gently into the sand and disappear.

You begin to walk slowly,

Intentionally,

And barefoot along the silvery shore.

The sand is cool beneath your feet and the moonlight paints a shimmering path before you.

Each step that you take feels lighter,

Clearer,

And somehow more free.

After a while,

You find a resting place,

A soft cradle of sand,

And you lie down.

The earth beneath you,

Strong and welcoming and supportive.

Above you,

The vast sky glows with stars,

All twinkling with your breath in the same eternal rhythm.

From the crown of your head,

The light of the moon begins to pour softly through and around you,

Cascading down your face,

Your heart,

Your chest,

Your arms,

Your belly,

Your legs,

All the way to your toes.

Your entire body is illuminated with a cool,

Silver calm from the energy of the mystical full moon.

You feel at one with everything,

Body,

Breath,

Soul,

Earth,

Sea,

And sky.

In this moment,

There is only peace,

A tranquil stillness.

Your breath continues quietly,

Steady,

Natural and wise,

Carrying you deeper and deeper into rest.

Let words dissolve,

Let thoughts dissolve,

And as I leave you on our journey,

I leave you with calming sounds and peaceful rhythms.

Trust that the sound of the music will guide you beyond the edge of waking,

Into the vast quiet of deep and rejuvenating sleep.

And as you succumb,

Know that you are safe.

Know that you are whole.

Know that you are deeply at peace.

Know that you are beautiful and loving.

Rest now as the night embraces you and as your breath,

The miracle of your breath,

Continues unceasingly and keeps watch to allow you to sail off into a tranquil,

Deep,

Restful slumber.