Hi,
I'm Laura Hayes.
We're here together for a five-minute sleep meditation.
This can be used if you happen to wake up in the middle of the night and are having a hard time struggling to fall back to sleep.
So settle in,
Take a deep breath,
And likely if you're awake in the middle of the night,
Your mind is already moving.
There's nothing wrong.
Waking up is human.
Your body is not broken.
You are safe.
Right now,
There is nothing for you to solve,
Nothing to plan,
Nothing to fix.
Just this moment right here.
Take a slow breath in through your nose,
And a long,
Easy exhale through your mouth.
Again,
Inhaling gently,
And exhaling.
Now let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
Notice the weight of your body in the bed,
The mattress holding you,
Your sheets or blankets resting over you.
You do not have to hold yourself up.
You're supported.
Now bring your attention to your forehead.
Soften it.
Let the space between your eyebrows start to widen and smooth.
Unclench your jaw,
And let your tongue just rest naturally in your mouth.
Allow your shoulders to melt down into the mattress,
Arms heavy,
Hands relaxed.
As you breathe,
Feel your chest rise and fall.
And if your mind begins to start listing tomorrow's to-do list,
Or replaying a conversation or situation,
Just gently say in your mind,
Not now.
You can come back to that in the morning.
For now,
Your only job is resting.
You can imagine your thoughts as clouds drifting across the dark night sky.
You don't need to chase them.
You don't need to push them away.
Just watch them pass.
And if a thought hooks you,
Softly return to your breath and let it go.
Inhale and exhale.
Now imagine a dimmer switch inside your mind.
Each time you breathe out,
Turn the switch down just a little bit more.
From thinking to noticing.
From noticing to feeling.
From feeling to simply being.
If sleep comes,
Let it come.
And if it doesn't,
That's okay too.
Rest is still restorative,
Still healing.
Your body knows how to sleep.
You don't need to force it.
One more slow breath in.
And a long,
Smooth exhale out.
Feel the heaviness in your legs,
Your hips,
Your back.
Let gravity do the work.
You are safe.
You are held.
You can let go.
And if your mind wakes again later,
You can return to this softness.
For now,
Just rest.
