Sleep Story: Searching For Treasure

If you struggle with insomnia or are having a difficult time sleeping for any reason, this calming, soothing story will help you drift off into a peaceful, nourishing sleep. Dan guides you on a journey through lush green hills, beautiful wildflower meadows, and lush forests, on a quest to find a magical, healing treasure you have longed for your whole life. You will also meet three wise beings, who share their love and wisdom and help guide you on your quest. You will feel increasingly calm, relaxed, and at peace, eventually drifting off into a deep, restorative sleep.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this sleep story,

Searching for Treasure.

If you struggle with insomnia or are having trouble falling asleep for any reason,

This calming,

Soothing story will help you slowly drift off into a peaceful,

Restful slumber.

I hope you enjoy it.

So,

Let's begin.

If you're lying in bed,

See if you can make yourself just that little bit more comfortable.

Sink down into the mattress,

Giving up the weight of your body to gravity.

Adjust your night clothes so they feel just right.

Snuggle into the duvet so you feel cosy and warm.

Adjust your pillows so they're just how you want them to be.

Let your breath become slower and deeper,

Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Let your belly help you breathe so you feel it rising on the in-breath and falling on the out-breath.

Keep breathing for a few seconds.

And now I'm going to tell you a story which is all about the search for a precious treasure.

I'm going to take you on a journey through forests,

Alpine meadows and green hills,

Past rivers and lakes,

Until you reach your journey's end.

And on this journey you'll meet three wise beings who will offer you guidance and help on your quest.

As you travel through this inner landscape,

You may find yourself distracted from time to time by plans,

Worries or tomorrow's to-do list.

This is perfectly normal and not a problem at all.

When you find yourself distracted,

Gently bring your attention back to the sound of my voice.

The images I'm helping you conjure up.

The inner world in which you find yourself.

If that happens one time or a hundred times,

It's always the same.

Just notice you're distracted and gently escort your attention back to my voice,

Back to the story,

Back to your increasingly relaxed body and mind.

Let's begin our journey.

Imagine yourself standing at the base of a path which stretches off into the distance.

As you look down,

You see your feet standing on this path.

And as you look up,

You take in the green,

Gently rolling hills that stretch off to the horizon.

Spend a few moments enjoying the vivid,

Luscious green all around you.

Looking up again,

Take in the beautiful blue sky and puffy white clouds moving slowly across it.

Feel the warmth of the sun on your skin and the coolness of a gentle breeze.

Smell the sweet country air and summer scent of fresh-cut grass.

Listen to how peaceful it is in this calm,

Beautiful place.

Know that this is your safe place,

Where you're perfectly safe and protected,

And somewhere that only good things can happen to you.

Take that inner moment.

See if you can sense that calmness and safety in your body,

Even if those feelings are quite subtle.

Now,

Let's set off on your journey,

Walking at a slow,

Leisurely pace along this path.

As you walk,

Take in your surroundings,

The lush green hills,

Birds flying above,

Crickets chirping in the long grass all around you.

And as you continue with your journey,

Know that you're on a quest to find hidden treasure.

You're not sure what that treasure is or where to find it,

Just that you've spent your whole life looking for it.

You know in your bones that this is something you deeply need,

That it will bring joy,

Contentment and peace to your life.

And you've been searching for it every day of your life,

Everywhere you went and from every person you spoke to.

This treasure is your birthright,

The reason for your existence,

Something so wonderful that it will transform you completely when you find it.

And this is what you're searching for on this journey,

The treasure that lies at the end of this path.

Keep walking,

Taking a sip of cool,

Refreshing water from your water bottle when you're thirsty.

As you move along,

Notice the landscape start to change.

The hills become smaller,

Levelling out bit by bit until you find yourself moving through beautiful fields of wildflowers.

Take in the glorious colours you're immersed in,

Reds,

Greens,

Yellows and purples.

See the insects happily going about their business,

Bees and hoverflies buzzing from flower to flower.

Grasshoppers and crickets chirping,

Ants gathering food and scurrying back to their colonies to feed their young.

It's a vibrant,

Gloriously healthy scene.

Nature as it has been for millions of years,

Untouched by humans and so rich,

Diverse,

Pulsing with life.

Keep walking,

Enjoying this beautiful,

Nourishing scene all around you.

Then as you round a corner,

You notice a little old man sitting cross-legged under a tree.

As you get closer,

He smiles at you and beckons for you to join him.

So you sit in front of him,

Smiling back.

This man radiates great kindness,

Compassion and wisdom.

You sense that he can help you with your quest,

If you know just what to ask him about where to find the treasure.

Thinking hard for a few moments,

You decide to ask him exactly where this treasure is.

Are you on the right path?

Do you need to go in a different direction?

Is it buried somewhere in the roots of a tree,

Underwater?

He smiles again,

Pondering your question,

Before telling you that yes,

You are on the right path.

And if you just keep looking,

When you're ready,

Eventually all will become clear to you.

When he's finished speaking,

Spend a few moments just sitting with him,

Absorbing the calm,

Kindly energy that radiates from his smiling face.

Then thank him for his help,

Get up and continue on with your journey with renewed energy and a sense of purpose,

Knowing you're on the right track.

As you walk,

Again the landscape changes.

So on your left is a wide,

Slow-moving river.

And on your right,

Trees start dotting the landscape,

Springing up from the wildflower meadows.

Enjoy the river,

Sun glinting off the surface,

Fish idling in the shallow pools,

A kingfisher's dazzling,

Iridescent plumage catching your eye.

As he plunges into the water and emerges with a silvery fish in his beak.

As you keep moving along the path,

You notice another figure seated in the shade of an oak tree.

And as you draw closer,

You realise this is an old woman,

Again smiling at you and gesturing for you to sit.

Take a seat and drink in her wise old face,

Broad smile,

Green eyes glinting as she holds your gaze.

Again,

You think hard for a few moments about what to ask her,

Before deciding to explore what exactly you're looking for.

Is this treasure something precious,

Like silver,

Gold or jewels?

Is it something magical,

Like a healing balm or elixir?

Is it a rare kind of food,

Like a mushroom,

That possesses healing properties?

The old lady nods slowly,

As if all of these possibilities may be true,

Before telling you that in some ways this treasure is all of those things,

In others not.

But when the time is right,

You'll know exactly what it is and why it's so precious.

As you take in her wisdom,

Allow yourself to enjoy her presence,

Her wrinkled old face,

The calm,

Loving energy she radiates.

Then thank the old woman for her help,

Say goodbye and continue on your way,

With the sense that you're getting ever closer to the treasure you seek.

Notice the river flowing into a great shimmering lake,

Which stretches away to a tree-lined bank in the near distance.

Take in the peacefulness of this huge body of water,

The sun glinting off its surface,

Waves rippling across the lake and breaking gently on sandy beaches at the water's edge.

Your path begins to climb gently,

Entering a rich,

Verdant forest.

Enjoy the majestic trees rising all around you,

The mossy ground,

Birds chirping in the branches overhead,

Streams trickling by.

And as you round a corner,

You see your final guide,

A young boy with a shaven head and flowing saffron robes,

Sitting under one of the great trees.

Smiling,

He invites you to join him,

And as you sit,

You notice the animals gathered all around.

Squirrels,

Rabbits,

Deer,

Chipmunks.

All sitting calmly,

Basking in the serene energy radiating from this gentle-eyed boy.

Knowing this is your final question,

You think hard,

And then ask him where you can find this treasure you've sought your whole life.

Smiling serenely and brown eyes shining,

He doesn't speak,

Instead pointing directly at you.

Following the direction of his finger,

You look down and realise he's pointing directly at your heart.

And then your mind lights up with the sudden,

Profound knowledge that this treasure you've always sought,

Thinking it must be somewhere outside you,

In some person or some thing,

Was actually inside you the whole time.

You've carried this precious cargo in your heart from the moment you were born.

You just forgot it was there,

As we all do,

Thinking we were somehow flawed,

Not good enough,

Broken and needing to be fixed.

Joyful tears flow down your cheeks at this knowledge,

Because this too is treasure,

What the Buddha described as waking up from the dream we all inhabit.

The distorted way we see ourselves,

Other people in the world.

To see those things with great clarity,

Exactly as they are,

And not how we dream them to be.

The boy gestures to a bed nearby,

With soft blankets and pillows laid on the ground.

You lie down,

Gazing up through the leaves and branches at the depthless blue sky and fluffy white clouds overhead.

Sinking deeper into the soft,

Comfortable bed,

You place a hand over your heart,

Feeling the pulsing energy of this newly discovered treasure within.

And you know,

Deep in your bones,

That this treasure is more precious than gold,

Silver or diamonds.

It's a rich,

Vital energy flowing through you,

At your core.

And this energy is profoundly wise,

Loving and compassionate.

It embraces every part of you,

Even the tricky parts,

With great tenderness and care.

This energy is also deeply healing,

So it can bathe all the hurt parts of you,

Every painful experience in your life,

In a warm,

Golden light that soothes and restores all the wounds you carry,

Making them whole.

You continue to lie there,

Letting this knowledge reverberate through you,

Sinking deeper and deeper into the soft bed,

Your muscles getting heavier as you give up the weight of your body to gravity.

Sinking deeper and deeper,

Muscles getting heavier,

Breathing slower,

Mind and body deeply relaxed,

Until you fall slowly,

Slowly,

Into a deep,

Restful,

Restorative sleep.

Thank you for listening,

My friend,

And sweet dreams.

Reviews

Definitely would recommend. Listened to last night and despite a stressful day had a good night’s sleep. Calming and an imagery that I could continue after listening to the meditation as I was falling asleep. Thank you 🙏