Just letting your body and self be embraced by quiet and stillness.
You're not frozen.
You're not silent.
Those are not possibilities.
Your mind is calm but not inactive.
Neurons always going.
You can't resist them,
Nor would you truly want to.
Set realistic expectations.
Sometimes sleep is hard.
Sometimes it comes quickly.
Sometimes it's disrupted.
Sometimes you have sweet dreams.
Sometimes a cat steps on your forehead.
It doesn't have to be any one thing.
Maybe just comfortable is enough.
And soothing.
And not fighting for it to be anything but that.
Yawning always helps me to relax my body.
Brings a lot of oxygen in.
Let's your chest stretch out all those stiff muscles.
You could yawn.
You could use the ancient breath words cella.
Or both.
Cella.
You can just let your thoughts flicker.
Wander.
Dissipate.
You can't think of nothing,
But you don't have to think of anything in particular.
Just let it unravel.
Check in with your body.
What parts are stiff?
What parts are already relaxed?
What parts might need extra attention?
You could draw your breath to those parts.
Imagine using your oxygen and breath to massage those sore parts.
Slowing down.
Not doing any work.
There's no work to do.
That's the whole point.
You may not sleep,
But you are giving yourself time not to be active.
It is possible your body doesn't need sleep.
And it just needs time off.
No walking.
No putting away dishes.
No scratching the dog.
Just using less energy and falling into gravity.
That might be what you need tonight.
Yawning.
Exhaling with cella.
Mysterious ancient word that was used to accompany the breath.
So,
We'll start by letting go.
Frustrations and angers and resentments and disappointments.
Days can be good and bad.
Sometimes all at once.
And inevitably,
In any day where you encounter other people,
They'll probably rub you the wrong way at least once.
And you could bear that grudge all through the night,
But I don't think it helps you sleep.
So,
Tentatively,
Forgive.
Try it on for size,
As they say.
Let go of the will to punish other people.
They would suffer for their mistakes.
You can always tell them to go to heck tomorrow.
But for now,
You can let go.
And maybe you want to be a little bit honest with yourself.
You probably screwed up a little,
Too.
We all do.
All the time.
May this be acceptable.
And you probably feel your eyes getting heavy.
Maybe just the beginning of that.
The light growing dim.
The itchiness of slumber coming into your eyelids.
Oh,
They're getting heavy.
Maybe you want to try to keep your eyes open.
Sometimes that makes it even harder to stay awake.
If you try to stay awake.
Be lighthearted with it.
It's just one moment.
Just one moment in one evening,
Perhaps.
Just enjoy where you are.
Your place of rest.
Somewhere good and safe.
And you will have sweet dreams and restful hours,
Whether you sleep or not.
And the light of the world is fading.
Your consciousness starts to drift and lose focus.
Play with it.
Enjoy it.
Before you fall asleep,
Take a moment to acknowledge how glorious,
Grand,
And coherent is the universe in which we live.
All coming from one great origin.
All sharing common stuff.
Atoms and molecules and cells.
It is all one at a fundamental level.
Acknowledge.
Maybe that acknowledgement fills you with gratitude and love,
Even compassion for the world.
Breathing.
Going so slowly,
You forget to think.
So softly,
Moments of dreams just slip in at the edges.
And you feel love for all the things around you in all the moments of your day.
Morning to night.
Everything that was,
Was,
And everything that will be is not yet.
You just float.
You are protected.
Beloved.
Embraced.
Sheltered beneath great wings and a true shield.
Nothing to fear.
Nothing to preoccupy you right now.
Great and good forces carrying you through the night.
You are sated and full.
Your needs are met.
Breathing in and exhaling with a cella.
Cella.
With blessings.
Then you lie down with peace and wholeness and tranquility.
And when the time comes,
You will wake up wholly tranquil,
At peace.
Breathing.
Resting so quietly.
With a gentle stillness and a generous awareness.
You are all you need.
And you can go out of this conscious time and eventually come back into consciousness when it's right.
But for now,
You can slip away.
And great and good forces watch over you.
They watched over those who preceded us in time.
Our ancestors.
And they will watch over those who come next.
The world going on.
And you,
A part of the play.
And the universe blesses you.
And safeguards you.
Read that and take that idea to heart.
And the universe looks upon you,
Shining grace down on you.
Take that joy and wonder in.
And the universe looks towards you.
Offering you the precious gift of peace,
Wholeness and rest.
All for you.
And you can sleep knowing that the universe will not leave you alone,
But be there for you.
Unceasing.
And great and good forces guard you as you will sleep.
Letting you let your guard down as they watch you.
All day you have so many questions,
Doubts and concerns.
And you can put all of those anxieties down with the great and good force to your right that will hold all the questions.
And during the day you exert,
You have vigor.
You strive mightily.
Maybe you fight.
Maybe you push.
Let all that energy down.
Put it down to your left side.
With the great and good force responsible for vigor.
The great force holds a nightlight before you to shepherd you through the realms of sleep and dream.
And as you sleep,
You will be healed.
The great force resides behind you,
Massaging you with healing through your skull and scalp and body.
Letting it all in.
And above you and around you,
The greatest mystery of existence.
A loving universe.
Before you fall off,
You might want to shift,
Adjust.
Do any last motions.
Shimmy and shake,
Whatever you need.
Go to a most relaxing spot.
Yawn and exhale with Sela.
Stretching out.
Falling in.
Dissipating and disappearing.
And the universe goes on.
No beginning,
No end.
And you floating beloved within it.
And you can give your body and spirit over to the care of a loving universe.
With nothing to fear.
