Guided Sleep Meditation: Returning With Lucidity, Shamatha

The first phase of the recording is dedicated to the sleep talk-down and the second phase of the video is dedicated to the lucid dream incubation. Today’s sleep talk-down theme is a shamatha meditation and today’s lucid dream incubation theme is a return to the dream portal. You’re encouraged to fall asleep during any part of this recording, so when you begin to feel tired, just follow the feeling. Thank you so much for listening.

Transcript

Hello, I'm Rhys Jones, And welcome to this Sleep Talk Down and Lucid Dream incubation recording. Today, I'll be guiding you through the process of relaxing your mind, Preparing yourself for sleep, And then, Once your mind space has been softened, Sowing the seeds for a lucid dream later on in the night. In this particular video, The Sleep Talk Down theme will be a Shamatha meditation, And the lucid dream incubation theme will be a return to the dream portal. Please note, You're free to fall asleep at any part of this recording, So when you begin to feel tired, Don't hesitate to follow that feeling. If that happens during the Sleep Talk Down, That's fine. If it doesn't happen until the lucid dream incubation, That's also fine. First and foremost, Prioritize falling to sleep. Do not wait for my permission to do so. Follow my words until you begin to feel drowsy. At which point, Allow yourself to let go and gently drift away. And so, To begin, Please turn off all of your lights, Lay down on your bed, And get into a position that you feel comfortable with, Be it on your belly, On your side, Or on your back, Whichever position you feel most comfortable in. Adopt it now, And then make any final adjustments you need in order to feel fully settled. For example, Perhaps you'd like to fluff your pillow, Or maybe you'd like to stretch your legs and then snuggle into your comforter nice and tight. Whatever makes you feel cosy is fine and should be done now. If you haven't already, You should now close your eyes and take a deep breath in and out, And another deep breath in and out. Then allow your breath to settle into a normal rhythm, Not forcing it to go one way or another. What follows is a meditation of sorts, But as previously stated, Whenever you feel yourself drifting off, Don't hesitate to follow that feeling. In a normal meditation, Falling asleep wouldn't be the goal, But this is a little different. You're going to rest your attention on the breath, Just like a normal shamatha meditation, But when the moment comes that you start feeling drowsy, You're not going to resist that. So spend a couple of minutes now clearing some space for the breath, Allowing yourself to wind down, And when ready, Place your attention softly on the breath, Following its in and out rhythm, Wherever you feel it most noticeably. The only thing you need to focus on for the time being is the breath. So if I caught you in thought just there, Gently acknowledge where your mind was at, And bring your awareness back to the breath. Often what keeps us from falling asleep is racing anxiety and troubled thoughts, So by releasing our grip on the wheel of the mind and handing ourselves over to the breath, We clear the space for relaxation and peace of mind. This is exactly what we're doing now. Hi, My name isEx Ariel. Remember, There's no need to try and control the breath. We're not aiming for any particular type of breathing here. This is simply breathing as is. So instead of directing, Just watch. But watch intently. Be genuinely curious as to where the breath is going next. Shallow, Soft, Deep or long. It really doesn't matter what form it takes. All that matters is your attention on it. Relax. And the deeper into this meditation you get, The calmer you become, You feel yourself letting go now, Letting go of your grip on the wheel. And as you do, Your thoughts slow down. They're probably still there and that's fine, But as they arise, You no longer feel as pressing of a need to tend to them and lose yourself in them as you did before. Instead, Now, As a thought arises, You simply observe it and as quickly as it comes, You watch it go again. . You Usually someone would meditate while sitting up, But because you're lying down on your bed, Notice how you're beginning to feel very relaxed. There's nothing to attend to right now but the breath. You're lying here, Calm, At peace, Observing the rhythm of your breath. Watching each one come and go and honoring each one as a unique act. You see, So many of us have fallen into a trance when it comes to the breath. We're bored by it, Uninterested and unattended. But if you pay close enough attention to it, You'll see how fascinating it actually is. How curious and mysterious. So again, I ask you to give yourself over to that feeling. Following the breath intently. In and out. In and out. Following the breath intently. In and out. In and out. In and out. You are now in a supremely relaxed state. Either sleeping or on the edge of sleeping. And so we're ready to begin incubating a lucid dream for later on in the night. By following along with my words and visualizing them as you go, You'll prime yourself to draw upon these very same images during REM. There's no need to follow along strictly. Just continue relaxing and allow my words to wash over you. Whatever images come, Come. And even if you're now asleep, Know that your subconscious will soak these words in and store them for later. So, Let's begin. You come to on solid ground, Drenched in a bright lilac light, Staring down at your shoes. Your thoughts immediately kick in and you begin weaving a story as to where you're at and what's going on. I'm on a mission, You think. Looking up from your shoes, You take in the rest of your outfit. Black trousers, Black gloves, A small cape draped across your shoulders. You feel like a superhero of sorts. I have to catch him. Your thoughts continue on. The story of your whereabouts now forming more solidly in your mind. Alongside the thought, A vision then starts to form. Off on the horizon you see a man appear. He looks concerned as he catches sight of you and immediately takes off in the other direction. You begin pursuit, Kicking off the ground and taking flight. You begin pursuit, Kicking off the ground and taking flight. Whilst in the sky, Your vision homes in on the man, Scaling a mountainside, Trying to get away from you. You're not quite sure why you're chasing him, But it feels important in some way. He looks over his shoulder and you lock eyes again. Stop running, You think, Swooping down towards him and closing the gap. Just as you do though, He scales the peak of the mountain and disappears to the other side. By the time you climb over too, He's gone. Oh, You think, Deflated, Looking from left to right. He's nowhere to be seen. How did he get away so fast, You wonder? It's at this point that some questions start creeping in. Like, Who exactly is this person I'm chasing? And what am I chasing him for? You start searching through your memories for answers, Trying to make sense of things. You're not quite sure why you're chasing him, But it feels important in some way. You're not quite sure why you're chasing him, But it feels important in some way. A minute later and you're none the wiser as to what's going on. And so, You look up and around for clues. You're in a different place now, Away from the mountaintop and back on solid ground, Drenched once more in a bright lilac light. You're in what appears to be a cave, Standing in shallow water. Ahead of you is a door, Or perhaps a portal. You step tentatively towards it and, As you do, A voice booms out. Consider entry, It says, Or consider moving on. With this, You feel yourself letting go of the previous pursuit and being drawn towards the portal, Taking one step forward and then another until you're right up on it. You're in a different place now, Away from the mountaintop and back on solid ground, Drenched once more in a bright lilac light. You're in what appears to be a cave, Or perhaps a portal. You're in what appears to be a cave, Or perhaps a portal. The portal is a strange thing, Both remarkable and unremarkable at the same time. It's essentially just a large open door framed by big wooden beams. And when you look into it, You see nothing but light. A plain, Bright, Lilac light. But there's something mysterious to its plainness. Something that speaks to you. It speaks of origins. Of original form. And it speaks of letting go. Of dropping the pursuit. And instead, Dropping into it. And so you do. Without much question or deliberation. You just fall into it. Head first. For a while you topple aimlessly, With no end in sight. You fall and fall and fall. Not scared. Or exhilarated. Just neutral. There's a certain inevitability to it, In fact. You feel like you're just playing out a role in a pre-written script. The chase at the beginning. Then the portal. Now this. The falling. It's all just playing out how it was always going to play out. But then. You stop falling. And instead. You float. Still drenched in a bright lilac light. It's then that lucidity begins to simmer. A strange feeling in your dream belly stirs and you begin to truly question where you are. At first there's resistance but as the seconds tick on, You give yourself over to the feeling. No reality check needed. The truth of the matter just dawns on you. Plainly. I'm dreaming, You say. Rubbing your hands together and grounding yourself within the scene. Ah. You find yourself back at the entrance of the portal, Looking in at the light again, And you feel your eyes welling up as you do. It's as if the light represents lucidity somehow. Subtle yet complex, Bright yet soft, Subtle yet obvious. It feels like a paradox of sorts, But it's not really. In actuality, It's truer than all other things. And again, You feel yourself being drawn towards the portal's entrance. But this time you intuitively know it will lead somewhere else, Back into waking life. I want to return with this feeling, You think. I want to live lucidly in the same way I'm dreaming lucidly now. And just like that, The intention is set. You feel yourself being drawn towards the portal's entrance. You feel yourself being drawn towards the portal's entrance. You feel yourself being drawn towards the portal's entrance. You have now successfully planted the seeds for a lucid dream later on in the night. You have now successfully planted the seeds for a lucid dream later on in the night. And have primed yourself to recognise it as such when it occurs. You're now also in a state of supreme relaxation. Fully at ease. Either sleeping or just now ready to begin the first phase of sleeping. And so, With that, I draw this session to a close. Remember, You are a lucid dreamer. Remember, You are a lucid dreamer. Remember, You are a lucid dreamer. And so, With that, I draw this session to a close. Remember, You are a lucid dreamer. Remember, You are a lucid dreamer. Now, I'm going to go ahead and turn the volume up. So that the audio is not too loud. So that the audio is not too loud. So that the audio is not too loud. So that the audio is not too loud. So that the audio is not too loud. So that the audio is not too loud. So that the audio is not too loud. So that the audio is not too loud. So that the audio is not too loud. You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You