Surrender Into Self-Acceptance

Most of us move through the day with a gentle undercurrent of resistance. And then, when your head finally rests on a pillow at night, this resistance remains and you wish you are already asleep. In this practice, let us rest in the energy of self acceptance so you can receive the healing capacity of the night.

Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the Soothing Sleep series here on Insight Timer.

My name is Fleur Chambers and it's my pleasure to share in your evening meditation practice.

If you're like most of us,

I'm guessing you move through your days with a gentle undercurrent of resistance,

Perhaps wishing you could get more done,

That situations or conversations had turned out differently.

Or maybe for you there's a theme of wishing you were different,

Perhaps more productive,

Patient,

Self-assured,

Experienced,

Unique or kind.

And then when your head finally hits the pillow after a long day,

Perhaps this feeling of resistance is still there as you lay in bed,

Wishing you were already asleep,

That your mind would stop replaying the day or planning for tomorrow,

That you felt more relaxed or satisfied.

And so my greatest tip for sleep is to intentionally invite the energy of acceptance into your bedtime routine.

For when we offer ourselves a well-deserved break from all the striving to get more done,

To be more than we naturally are,

Relief and relaxation wash over us in equal measure.

The best part,

When we cultivate this experience of acceptance as we lie in bed,

Our bodies soften,

Let go and return to their natural state of equilibrium and balance.

And when we enter the world of dreams from this open state,

We experience the type of sleep that restores,

Heals and regenerates our body.

So are you ready to rest in the energy of acceptance?

Awesome.

So please,

Settling in and noticing if you could be 10% more comfortable.

Extra pillows,

Blankets,

Dimmed lights,

All nighttime creature comforts are welcome here.

Maybe readjusting,

Enjoying one final stretch before you find stillness.

Wonderful.

And just noticing how even this small act of settling in can feel soothing.

Just as a bird tends to her nest,

You too can tend to your place of sleep with a sense of pride,

Comfort and connection.

Closing down your eyes if you like,

This simple gesture,

An invitation for your awareness to move from your external world to your inner world.

Long,

Smooth inhale,

Long,

Smooth exhale.

Just one intentional breath,

Signalling to your nervous system that it's safe to arrive here.

And beginning by acknowledging all the parts of you who've been present in your life today.

Perhaps your busy self,

Yourself who has felt tired,

Spread thin or pulled in all directions.

Maybe acknowledging yourself who has felt productive,

Enthusiastic or purposeful,

And welcoming all the different parts of you into your practice.

Here in this moment,

There's no need to push any pieces of you away.

They're all welcome here.

And if you're able,

Perhaps even offering these parts of you a gentle smile,

Allowing your awareness to land on your breath.

The steady rise and fall of your chest,

The rhythmic expansion and contraction of your belly as the air flows in and out.

And if your mind wanders,

That's okay.

Coming back time and time again to your breath,

To your body,

And to your intention to be here.

Noticing how your back body accepts each breath,

Your side body too,

Whole body breathing.

Nothing for you to do but witness its perfect timing.

Sensing into the possibility that you are being breathed.

Your breath,

A beautiful teacher,

Revealing just how gentle and easy life can be if you let go of the resistance.

Sense8 World deepening now as you notice colours and shapes move across your closed eyes.

Subtle tastes within your mouth,

The feel of your clothes or bedsheets on your skin.

And with a gentle sense of curiosity,

Noticing the places where your body rests on the surface that supports you.

Perhaps the back of your head,

Shoulder blades,

Hips,

Thighs,

Calves,

Heels,

Long smooth inhale,

Long smooth exhale.

Allowing yourself to let go a little more into this sense of support,

Of being held.

And now together let's scan our bodies with the intention of softening the physical and emotional resistance that's built up over the day.

If your mind wanders or you drift in and out of awareness,

Don't worry,

Simply come back to my voice,

Your breath and your intention to let go,

To soften,

To surrender.

Beginning with the space above your eyes,

This area where we hold so many thoughts,

Our to-do lists,

The high expectations.

As best you can,

Really softening this space above your eyes and know that as you do,

You're sending a clear message to your body that you're ready to let go.

Softening also the tiny muscles around your eyes,

Noticing how this small act changes the feel of your eyeballs.

Softening the small muscles of your cheeks,

These muscles that engage and contract all day as you express yourself,

As you present a certain image to the world.

But here in this moment,

You're safe to soften your cheeks,

To take off your mask,

To relax your face.

Inviting a gentle sense of space between your upper and lower teeth as you let go of tension in your jaw,

This place that holds our ideas about right and wrong,

About how life should be,

How we should be.

Really softening your jaw.

Long,

Smooth inhale,

Long,

Smooth exhale as you soften your shoulders almost from the inside out.

These shoulders that carry your burdens and responsibilities,

The pressure you place on yourself to do things well,

To be productive.

With each breath,

Really offering these shoulders a moment to soften,

To surrender into the peace of this moment.

And noticing as you let go of the resistance held within your shoulders,

A space naturally opens within your chest.

As best you can,

Inviting a softening of your heart,

A gentle letting go of the burdens,

The heavy emotions,

The interactions of the day that left you feeling uneasy.

This sense of gentle opening,

Of letting go,

Landing deep within your stomach as you breathe a sense of lightness into this place that holds your worries,

Regrets and fears.

This experience of softening,

Landing on your hips and pelvis,

Melting away the self-doubt and criticism.

This gentle energy of acceptance flowing down your legs and arms like a springtime breeze.

Feeling the energy of acceptance travelling all the way to the tips of your fingers and toes.

Mind quiet,

Body soft,

Heart open as you welcome the energy of acceptance deep into your being.

Maybe it has a colour,

A texture,

Breathing this energy of acceptance in,

Breathing it out,

Really connecting in a way that feels natural for you.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing it to weave its way through your emotional and energetic body like a golden thread of presence and peace.

Really feeling into its rhythm,

Its melody as it whispers to you that right here,

Right now you are exactly where you are meant to be.

You are safe to surrender into the fullness of this moment,

Into the restorative power of the darkness.

Allowing the energy of acceptance to hold you,

To be your companion as you drift into the world of deep sleep so that you can experience the healing capacity of the night.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to hold you,

To be your companion as you drift into the world of deep sleep so that you can experience the healing capacity of the night.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Allowing this energy of acceptance to land deep within your nervous system.

Reviews

Very good Fleur. Great way to prepare for sleep on Sunday evening before the work week ahead.

Perfect meditation for bedtime to shed away any guilt or self judgment and relax into self compassion and self acceptance. Thank you. 🦄🌈🐞🦄🌈🐞🦄🌈🐞🦄🌈🐞💚

This was very relaxing and soothing. Thank you! 🌈 ♥ 🙏 🕊️ 🙌

Very nice.

Lovely fleur, thank you!

Very relaxing and definitely took my mind off things. Thank you.

Excellent!💖💖💖💖

Thanks for this beautiful sleep meditation Fleur!
It was just what I needed to regain balance.

Thank you, helps me drift to sleep

Lovely meditation! Very helpful 🙏🏼

Fleur is one of my favorite teachers on the app. A lovely nighttime meditation including a body scan. Thank you!!!

This is so perfect for addressing the day and all the layers we need to decompress from. Many thanks soul sister

I don't remember... So it must have worked!

This was lovely. Learning to let go so that deep and restful sleep can happen is so important. Thank you Fleur for guiding me to this peaceful state of being. 💕

Calming thanks Fleur ❤️

Lovely way to end the day working through the resistance that has accumulated as the day passed to gently releasing it in this nice meditation. Acceptance is one of the major lessons in my life as I'm sure it is for many others as well. Thank you very much, Fleur, for participating and creating in this series. You are deeply appreciated 💗

Wonderful..as always. Thank you Fleur💚🙏🍀🇱🇺

Drifted off, thank you for the soothing peace 💙

I slept very well after listening to your music meditation. Thank you!

Fell asleep before ended.