Deep, Peaceful Sleep

Welcome to this meditation.

As you snuggle into your bed now,

Make your body as comfortable as you possibly can,

Really nestling in,

So that you can just let the weight of your whole body drop into the bed.

And when you're ready,

Begin to slow your breath right down,

Breathing in really low into your belly,

And breathing out with a long and soft sigh.

Really take your time,

Inhaling like you have all the time in the world,

Feeling the movement of your breath,

And with every exhalation,

Withdrawing from the whole world and everything in it.

Breathing in,

Belly rises,

Breathing out,

Belly drop,

Feeling your breath directly,

And let your body take as many of these low,

Slow,

Releasing breaths as it needs.

As you receive,

Feel these words.

Right now,

Nothing is being asked of you.

Nothing to control,

Nothing to manage,

Nothing that you need to figure out,

Nothing to remember.

And I invite you,

Right now,

To let the whole story of your life fall away,

And to trust that life will take care of itself,

Allowing everything to be completely free.

Every sound,

Every thought,

Every feeling,

Just let it all come,

And just let it all go.

Just as when we unplug a fan and it takes time,

Wind down to a stop.

Imagine now that you're unplugging from the world,

Switching off from thinking,

The energies of your mind and body,

Slowly winding down,

Just like that fan.

Feel the places where your body meets the bed,

That plane of contact between bed and body,

Body and bed.

Feel the sensation where your head meets the pillow,

The full weight of your head melt into that support.

Notice the feeling of the covers touching the skin.

Now let your breath be natural,

Controlling it,

Not changing it,

Giving your full attention to the feeling of your breath,

Thinking about your breath.

Can you feel the sensation in the inner passageways of your nostril,

Noticing parts of your body that move as it breathes,

Feeling the breath directly as body breathes by itself,

Just quietly noticing,

Coming in,

Going out by breath,

By breath.

See if you can stay,

Feeling the sensation in your nostrils,

The touch of air on the throat,

Noticing the texture of the breath,

The temperature of the breath arising and dissolving within you,

Wide open,

Spacious,

Effortless,

Awareness.

And now beginning to count your breath,

Inhaling,

Counting one,

Exhaling,

Counting one,

Inhaling,

Counting two,

Exhaling,

Counting two,

Counting your breath in this way,

Going at your own pace.

And any time you lose count,

Simply begin again from one,

Taking your time,

Continuing,

Count your breath,

Starting again from one,

Any time your mind wanders,

No matter how many times you lose count,

No judgement,

Just gently coming back,

Body,

Breathing.

Let the counting,

Let your breath be natural,

Just body,

Breathing,

By itself,

Welcome the feeling,

Inside,

The mouth,

The space,

Inside the mouth,

Softening,

Feel the inner walls of the mouth,

The immediate sensation,

Taste,

Inside the mouth,

Tongue.

Pure sensations come to you,

Of the tongue,

Softening,

Less and less,

Effort,

Hinges of the jaw,

Loosening,

Jaw falling softly away from the upper jaw,

Throat settling into stillness,

Softening of the whole face.

Pure sensation,

Skin,

Releasing its weight,

None of this is to be done,

Just words arising,

Body responding,

Awareness,

Noticing,

A softening of the outer ears,

A softening of the inner ears.

Let the words come to you,

An effortless,

Listening,

Sounds,

Rising in awareness,

Sounds,

Dissolving in awareness,

Let everything come,

Let everything go,

Right eyebrow,

Eyebrow,

Space between eyebrows,

Softening over,

Feel the weight of the eyes,

Sense the hollows of the eyes.

Softening back,

Muscles around eyes,

Releasing and letting go,

Notice any tension,

Around or behind eyes and give it up,

The sensation behind eyes,

Expanding in awareness,

Softening of the head,

Pure sensation,

Base of the skull,

Back of the neck,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs,

All hairs of right hand,

Current sensation of right hand,

Let everything come to you and give the sensation space of right hand,

See if you can stay and any time you leave just gently coming back,

Right palm,

Thumb,

Second finger,

Third,

Little finger,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Parat,

Shoulder,

Right side of back,

Right side of chest,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Back of knee,

Shin,

Heel,

Sole of right foot,

See if you can be right here,

Right now with the immediate sensation sole of right,

Tingling and alive,

The whole right side of body,

Softening,

Welcoming,

The experience,

Not the image,

Memory,

Direct,

Feeling,

Whole left arm,

Back of left arm,

Let the feeling to you,

Left hand of left hand,

Let the sensation be free,

Try to keep it,

Let the flow of sensation,

Thumb,

Second finger,

Third,

Fourth,

Little finger,

Wrist,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Left side of back,

Left side of chest,

Waist,

Thigh,

Knee,

Back of knee,

Shin,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of left foot,

Alive with sensation,

Sole of left foot,

Let the name and just being with the direct feeling,

Left side of body,

Softening,

Even more the whole body,

The whole body,

The mass of sensation,

Waves of vibration,

Pulsation as heart beats,

Breath,

Eye vibrates,

Simply here,

Safe,

Really safe,

Perhaps mind is busy,

Maybe mind is calm,

Either way,

Awareness,

Noticing and even if mind is active,

Body is deeply at rest,

Welcome the feeling of the breath,

Whisper of sensation,

Notice the momentary pause between each breath,

Just before inhalation becomes exhalation,

Just before exhalation,

Inhalation,

Tension dropping away,

Just giving it all,

Handing it all over,

Trusting that all is well,

Trusting all be,

Just letting it all,

This body knows how to sleep,

Sleep soundly,

Dear friend,

Sleep peacefully,

Dear friend.