Good evening meditators,
Yogis,
Those seeking sleep.
Let's make sure that we're making the whole body comfortable as we find our way into bed.
We've plumped the pillows,
Maybe shaken the duvet around,
And as we lay ourselves into a comfortable resting position,
It might be the back of the body,
We might be on our sides curled up into a fetal pose,
Or maybe laying like a starfish on the front with the arms and legs quite wide.
We'll spend these opening moments finding that position,
The one that calls to us,
We're not overthinking it,
We're just following the body into a place that feels comfortable and supported.
And as we settle into this position,
We want to commit the full weight of the body into the mattress,
Feeling how the muscles and the bones and all the vital organs just begin to relax from the day that has been and gone.
There is no need to hold on to anything in the body,
Instead we're just encouraging and inviting everything to sink down,
To become nice and heavy,
Really giving away the weight of the whole body and feeling how the support underneath us softens as it takes us,
As it holds us.
And as we let the physical body drift and melt downwards,
You can also get a sense of the skin softening,
The outer edges of the body just relaxing and releasing,
Downwards into the mattress,
Towards the earth,
Knowing that there is nothing for us to do here,
Nothing to achieve,
Nowhere to get to,
Nothing to put any effort into as we continue to release.
And as we continue on this journey towards precious sleep,
Towards the welcome embrace of rest and quiet,
Let us continue to invite the body into a place of surrender.
Bringing our awareness now to where the head meets the pillow,
Of the skull and the brain,
And allowing that heaviness just to reach downwards,
Drop completely into a space of surrender,
Nice and heavy,
Nice and easy.
The moment we allow the eyeballs to soften,
Turning them down towards the cheeks,
So that the muscles around the eyes relax,
There is no effort involved in keeping the eyes anywhere in place.
We are literally beginning to withdraw the senses,
Signalling to the mind,
To the brain,
That this is our time for rest and quiet.
And as we continue to relax around the eyes,
Relax the third eye and the forehead,
Relaxing the temples,
Relaxing the scalp,
Relaxing the ears,
Continuing that relaxation throughout the whole face as we soften into the cheeks,
Allowing the lower jaw to drop away from the top teeth.
And while we keep the lips together,
The mouth is open and soft,
The tongue also relaxed,
Shedding itself of any expression that's been built as we invite ourselves another layer deeper into this place of stillness and sleep.
And as we move our awareness down and deeper into our relaxation,
We allow the muscles around the neck to lift up their weight effortlessly,
Easily into this place of sleep.
The muscles of the arms and for the skin to soften,
For any sense of the outline of your body just dissolving,
The body becoming effortlessly heavy,
Effortlessly relaxed.
We're just opening the door.
And as we move our attention down the arms,
We relax the four fingers,
We relax the middle fingers,
And relaxing the little fingers.
And with all the fingers relaxed,
We relax the palms of the hands,
Motionless,
Both hands sinking down in and deeper into your relaxation.
A gentle sense of spaciousness just.
The muscles that surround the spine,
They're also melting into a space of deeper rest and deeper relaxation.
And as all the muscles of the torso and across the chest,
Deep relaxation of all the organs of the body,
Settling in,
Heading towards a deep sleep.
And as we go deeper into the body and deep in the legs,
Nice and sleepy.
And this relaxation deep and deep and deep,
Deep relaxation in the feet,
The toes relaxed,
The toes relaxed.
Now in a deep state of sleep,
Sleepy relaxation,
The weight of your body to just keep on.
There is no need to focus or think,
Just letting the mind drift.
Gently drifting to a state of relaxation.
Nothing to resist,
Nothing to change.
A soft,
Easy feeling.
Your body is so heavy,
It's so easy just to go back to sleep.
Thoughts might be drifting,
But you're so tired and feeling very sleepy.
It's no longer easy or possible to focus.
You're drifting back to sleep,
Drifting back towards this deep,
Falling asleep.
As you fall asleep,
Any other thoughts just pleasantly drifting away?
So sleepy,
Nothing to focus on.
It feels so good to surrender to that heaviness of sleep.
So serene.
It's just a place that makes you happy.
A place that is safe.
And it floats ever so gently into this peaceful landscape of sleep.
Feel how the land open you as you feel your body drifting back and trusting that you'll soon be coming to rest.
Softly resting,
Sinking down.
So peaceful.
Drifting down.
Sinking down into sleep.
So deeply asleep.
