Just settling in.
It's been a long day and it's time to rest.
So lower your energy state.
If you're standing,
Sit down.
If you're sitting,
Lie down.
If you're lying down,
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath and let it out.
Yawn or stretch.
Just coming in.
Oh boy,
It was a long day,
And now it's time to rest.
You might sleep,
You might not.
That's not in your control,
But you can rest.
You can lie down.
Be still,
Get quiet.
There's no requirements,
But that is a strong recommendation to just get quiet and still.
Not silent.
Not unmoving.
Those aren't possible.
Not unthinking,
That's required to die if you want to stop thinking,
So you will be thinking.
Maybe you can avoid lingering on any particular thought and just hopping.
Drifting in your thoughts.
You can't turn off your thoughts.
That doesn't work.
So just get calm.
Get steady and still and enjoy this moment.
You don't have to sleep,
You can't make that happen.
You could try to stay awake.
That sometimes works to make you fall asleep.
If you squeeze yourself into every position to try to stay awake,
Eventually you'll give up.
But you can't force sleep.
Why would you want to?
Let it come when your body needs it.
Or stay awake and listen to more meditations or read a book.
Or just enjoy the quiet time to yourself.
While the rest of the world sleeps.
You don't have to do anything.
You don't have to do meditation.
You can just get out of the way.
Get bored.
Get easy.
Get lazy.
Get silly.
Stretch and pop and fidget.
Maybe you yawn?
Maybe you exhale with the air.
Ancient breath word cella.
Selah.
Maybe you wiggle your toes,
Your fingers,
Or scratch your nose.
Or just wonder what you might dream if you were sleeping.
Or what breath you'll fall asleep on.
Will it be an inhale or an exhale?
But letting go.
Letting go of the day that was or anything to come.
Because it's not here.
It's not real.
It's not material.
It can't be.
Because it was or isn't yet,
But it isn't now.
Maybe your day stunk and you want to just crumple it up into a ball and.
.
.
Chuck it behind you.
Maybe it was a great day and you just need to gently let it go.
Maybe you have anxieties ahead and you can remind yourself that things tend to work out better.
A lot better in reality than they do in our mind.
You just circulate your attention around your body,
What feels good,
What feels tight.
Where is it sore?
Where is it strong?
How are you happy?
Where do you keep happiness in your body?
Sinking in.
Whether you're in a chair or a couch or a bed,
Just sinking in.
Maybe you're saying this from a sleeping bag in a tent.
I'm just sinking into the earth and the ground.
It's getting heavy.
Letting your muscles not work,
Feeling the gravity on your body more and more.
And then maybe your spirit gets light.
As your body gets heavy and your thoughts drift like smoke.
Go in.
Let go of the outside world and go inside.
Your sweet,
Sweet home of your body.
Your safe space.
Nothing can hurt you.
Just time with your breath.
Maybe you can be a little bored.
A little bit dopey.
Maybe you can relax your facial muscles.
Or smile a little.
Maybe you're ready to forgive.
There are in every life and every day people who injure us.
People who spoil our hike with their phone playing.
People who say nasty things or shortchange us bump into you.
Cut you off.
You can go to bed angry.
I don't know that that would be fun.
You're welcome to do it.
Or you can try to forgive.
Try to let go a little.
Or forgive a lot.
And then maybe you'll be angry again tomorrow and you'll forgive again,
Because it's never a completed process.
Just breathing.
It's breathing and letting go of what was.
And you know you make mistakes,
And you can dwell on them.
Or you can ask forgiveness.
How to do better next time.
Or maybe you're stuck on it and you're not ready to ask forgiveness.
So you just imagine that one day maybe you'd be ready.
It's okay.
May it be acceptable.
And you just drift.
Just let go and float out towards the moon and your eye gets so heavy.
Feels kind of dirty,
Like you need to close it.
Oh,
It's heavy.
Your pupils stretch and grasp for the last of the light,
But it's fading.
Then good thoughts come,
Bad thoughts leave,
And you just enjoy the moment.
Just breathing in deep,
Out slow.
Letting your body relax.
Getting heavy,
Letting go to gravity.
Having the earth pull you down with its gravity.
That's all you need.
And we take a moment to acknowledge that the world is full of wonder.
But yet all connected,
So diverse,
And yet.
So coherent.
All from the same stuff,
Atoms and molecules,
Some of which from the Big Bang.
All from the origin.
Mysterious and distant.
Incomprehensible.
And yet,
That can be reassuring.
That the world shares a common origin and material and stuff.
And you're a part of it,
Even while you sleep.
And you'll notice this feeling when you get up and when you lie down.
Whether you walk or sit,
You'll sense that.
It's all one.
Magical and mysterious.
And you're sheltered.
Protected by wings and a shield.
Nothing to fear.
No injury,
No calamity.
Just you and safety.
You have a refuge.
And health,
And guardians.
Great and good forces,
Guardians that can carry you.
If need be.
You're strong.
Free.
And sated,
Full of goodness.
Full of capacity.
You have enough.
If you fall asleep while you're listening,
Just let it go.
Nothing I will say is that important.
No particular moment needs to be held up for.
Take a deep breath with an exhale on Salah.
And you lie down peacefully.
So that when the time comes,
You'll get up peacefully.
We'll have enough.
Will be complete.
You'll be shielded.
Protected and rescued.
Safe when you go out of the day and safe when you come into another day.
It's tall and wholesome.
Provided for.
Let the sleep come.
It's waiting for you.
Patiently.
When you're in the hand of a loving universe,
You are attended to and protected.
And gathered up.
Held tight.
Great and good forces preceded us,
Taking care of those before us.
They look over you right now.
And they look over those who come next.
The world is attended to and beloved.
Just breathing deeply.
Slowing down,
Taking your time.
Maybe you don't want to fall asleep.
Maybe you just want to meditate.
That's great.
Let me just do this again and again all night.
Maybe that's better for you than sleeping.
Who knows?
And the universe is blessing you and guarding you.
Absorb that,
Take it in.
And the universe is shining upon you,
Looking to you with grace.
All that deer.
And the universe looks toward you to offer you peace.
Everything you need is there.
It can be so.
And great and good forces look over you as you sleep.
Through the day you have questions and doubts.
Curiosities,
And they might keep you awake,
But you could put them down at your right side with a great and good force responsible for questions.
And all day you struggle,
You do push-ups and pull-ups and carry groceries.
Laundry and luggage.
Wrestle.
Literally and figuratively,
You need so much strength.
You can let go.
Submit,
Let that vigor down,
Set it on your left side with the great and good force responsible for heroism and vigor.
And another force holds a light for you through the night at your foot.
Behind you,
A force for healing.
Massaging rest and healing into your temples and body.
Filling you up as you sleep or just rest.
And above you an incredible mystery that surpasses understanding.
All around you.
Maybe you want to stretch or fidget one more time.
Say a sweet prayer in your heart,
Something kind to yourself.
Getting quiet and exhaling on a cella.
The universe goes on.
It was,
It is,
And it will be.
And nothing else,
No beginning,
No end.
You are carried in it.
You can rest your spirit and your body.
In the hand of a loving universe with nothing to fear.
Just keep going and going.
Letting go and letting go.
Blessings.
