I'm just enjoying this time.
This is nothing to achieve.
There's.
.
.
No demand to fall asleep.
Sometimes I think it's better to try not to fall asleep because then your body will subvert and thwart your desires and make you fall asleep.
So see if you can stay awake.
Keep your eyes open as long as possible.
But in all seriousness,
Just enjoy yourself.
Let this be whatever you need right now.
Rest,
Sleep,
Laughter,
Tears,
Whatever you're calling for and whatever this moment can give you is what it needs to give you.
That it wants to offer.
Settling.
You don't have to be anyone or do anything.
Meditation isn't serious or complicated.
You can do it with a smile.
You can grin.
You don't have to force it.
You probably can't force it.
You can just be.
Let it happen.
Quit on life.
Slicko.
There is an ancient breath word,
Sela,
That we find often in Hebrew Bible.
We don't know what it meant,
But it was probably some kind of.
.
.
Thing like a breathing mantra.
You could try breathing in and exhaling with the word cella.
Thelma I'm just using this time to slow down.
Get heavy.
Become more quiet and more still.
Do less work.
Be less intense.
Laugh at yourself.
And the absurdity of all we do all day,
Every day.
So much effort.
Letting go.
Not holding on to it.
Giving up.
Taking a sacred pause.
Maybe you stretch,
Maybe you yawn,
Maybe you say that word cella again.
Inhaling deeply,
Exhaling slowly.
That's all this has to be.
A time for letting go.
Being kind with yourself.
Enjoying your own company.
Isn't that nice?
Just being with yourself.
If you could be your favorite person,
I know it's hard.
We tend to be our harshest critic,
But you could also be your favorite person.
Maybe even both at once.
Oops,
Did you fall asleep?
OK if you did,
And certainly OK if you didn't.
And when you get distracted,
Because you'll think about.
All the trouble tomorrow or all the trouble yesterday.
Or just random.
Silliness.
Come back to wherever you're lying down,
Wherever you're resting.
You can listen to my voice.
You can follow your breath.
Whatever is useful for you to slow down and discharge.
And recharge your heart.
And heal its brokenness.
Breathe into your heart.
And if at some point you fall asleep.
See if you can remember if you fell asleep on an inhale or an exhale.
Which breath did you fall asleep on tonight?
And in the meantime,
We start by forgiving.
You could hold on to all your anger and all your fights and all the people who've hurt you and disappointed you.
And the people who cut you off in traffic.
Cut in line at the grocery store.
You could seethe all night long if that's what you need to do.
Doesn't sound fun.
So maybe you experiment with forgiving.
With this idea of letting go.
Forgive those people who have harmed you on purpose or by accident.
By speech or by deed.
Not holding on as if to punish someone who doesn't even know they're being punished.
And since people have hurt you,
You've probably hurt other people,
Because we do.
That's the nature of being human.
Maybe you want to apologize.
Maybe you want to ask forgiveness.
Maybe.
You are ready to ask not to do it again.
Maybe you don't want to do any of those things.
So you can play with the ideas.
And not commit to anything.
May that be acceptable.
And you can feel the light fading.
Darkness descending,
The day ending.
And your eyes getting heavy,
Like there's salt in them.
Your body getting heavy,
Like your muscles don't want to fight anymore.
No more work,
No more work,
No more work.
Just falling into your resting place.
So heavy.
Life is tiring and it has to happen every single day.
So take some time to not do.
That could be rest,
That could be sleep,
That could be just enjoying the quiet.
Not everyone needs as much sleep as every other person.
Maybe for you it's not time to sleep and it's just a good time to rest and relax.
You can take a moment to.
Just acknowledge the universe.
And how universal it is,
How unique and united and shared in its physics and biology and destiny.
And we may feel small,
But it is all of a whole cloth.
We are part of a garment of destiny.
Tiny cell in the universal organism.
And by sharing in that oneness,
Maybe we feel gratitude and love.
Take a moment to acknowledge and to send out love.
At all moments,
To all things.
Feel that love in your heart.
And when you speak and when you lie down,
When you walk,
When you rise up.
Love.
For the continuity of existence.
And its grandeur.
May it be so.
And you are sheltered,
You are protected.
You are saved.
Covered?
Great wings,
Mighty shield,
Protect you.
Nothing to fear.
I think coming for you.
Seifen.
Fortress.
And great and good forces guard you at each moment.
Carrying you.
And you are strong,
You are sated,
You are honored.
You are freed.
Shielded.
Supported.
You take a deep breath,
We exhale.
Sama.
Breathing deeply in,
Slowly out.
Keeping it cool,
Keeping it slow and steady and heavy and also light.
Nothing to do.
No boxes to tick off.
No more achievements for the day.
Just a little boredom.
Maybe the beginning of dreams.
You lie down peacefully and in wholeness.
So that when the time comes,
No rush,
You'll get up.
Rejuvenated and peacefully and strong,
Complete.
You can go out of consciousness in peace and joy.
So that when the time comes,
You return to consciousness.
With peace and wholeness.
You lie down and when you rise up.
And great and good forces took care of those before us.
And they take care of you.
And they take care of our descendants that the universe cares.
The universe attends to you.
The universe thinks about you.
And wants you to do well.
Wants you to succeed and grow.
To do that you need to sleep.
When you're ready.
And the universe blesses you and guards you.
Breathe that in deeply,
Exhale it slowly,
Just slowing down.
No rush.
No consequence.
No goal.
No trophy.
Take it in,
Blessing and guarding.
And that the universe is shining on you to give you grace.
Feel it.
Did you almost fall asleep?
And the universe is looking towards you to give you peace.
How cool is that?
And you will sleep,
But the universe will go on,
And that's the amazing gift.
We don't have to make the universe work.
It's going to work.
It's going to manage itself.
You can let go.
And great and good forces are arrayed all around us while we sleep.
During the day,
So many questions,
So many worries,
So many doubts.
And at night,
You can deposit all of that on your right side.
With the great and good force responsible for question.
And all day long we wrestle,
We run,
We lift,
We struggle.
Physically and metaphorically.
And you can put down all that vigor on your left side with.
.
.
Great and good force responsible for strength.
And endeavors.
You don't have to be so tough now.
And a great and good force is holding out a light through the night at the foot of your bed.
And behind you,
Another fourth massages healing into your body through sleep.
An above you mystery.
Grandeur.
And all that is great and good and holy.
You drift into sleep like a song.
Maybe you shift and shimmy.
Scratch and stretch,
Yawn.
Any last gestures,
Any small movements,
Big movements.
And just take a deep breath in and exhale with the Salah.
Oh well,
I don't become a yarn.
Your bed is calling you.
The night is calling you,
And dreams are calling you.
You're just taking a break.
There's so much to do and now you just need a break.
Let your body do it.
We'll all be there when you're refreshed by sleep.
You don't have to worry.
The universe is going to keep going without you.
There's nothing to miss out on.
The universe was,
And it is,
And it will be.
There's nothing else.
You have a role to play.
Small and important.
You are treasured.
In this universe without beginning or end.
You are held.
And supported and gathered in.
And you can sleep with nothing to fear.
Continuing to breathe.
Letting it all go.
Again,
I'll go.
