Hello,
I'm Rhys Jones and welcome to this Sleep Talk Down meditation.
For the next 30 minutes I'll be guiding you through the process of relaxing your mind in preparation for sleep.
This isn't a meditation in the typical sense as it's recommended you listen to it whilst lying in bed,
Rather than sitting up.
The techniques used,
However,
Will be familiar to you if you've ever listened to a traditional guided meditation,
The only real differences being the position you adopt whilst listening to it,
And the end goal.
In other words,
When you inevitably feel yourself drifting off,
Don't hesitate to follow that feeling.
That is,
In fact,
The entire point of this recording.
Follow my words until you begin to feel drowsy,
At which point follow that feeling into sleep.
And so I'll give you the next minute or two to prepare yourself for bed.
Turn off all your lights,
Draw your curtains,
And get comfortable.
Make sure that the next few hours will be entirely undisturbed.
Then when my voice returns shortly,
The sleep talk down meditation will begin.
Are you following?
Let's begin by taking a few long intentional breaths.
So keeping your mouth shut,
Breathe in through your nose.
And out through your nose.
And again breathe in through your nose.
And out through your nose.
One more time,
Breathe in through your nose.
And out through your nose.
Now let your breath settle into a natural rhythm.
We won't try and manipulate it any further from here.
Let it do what it wants to do,
Be it shallow or deep.
It doesn't matter.
Breathing intentionally like this though,
By breathing in and out deeply,
You help relax the body and shift your mind's focus towards the breath.
Turning your attention away from any racing thoughts you may have and letting it rest solely on the breath instead.
And so leave your attention there now.
Keeping the breath.
By focusing on the breath like this,
We allow ourselves to settle into stillness.
So often people get into bed and start incessantly racing through anxiety inducing thoughts.
This is of course not the time or place for such a thing.
If you insist on having these types of thoughts then grant yourself permission to do that but not now.
Not here.
You can do that tomorrow if you wish.
During the day.
But now is not the time for it.
Now is the time for rejuvenation and rest.
So continue lying here with the breath.
Following the in and out rhythm.
Keenly and intently.
Devoting yourself fully to it.
And if you find that your mind has wandered away from the meditation object just gently bring yourself back to it now.
Remember we're trying to clear the space.
For sleep.
And one of the best ways to do this is by following something simple and uncomplicated like the breath.
So rest your attention there and observe its nature.
There's nothing more to it than that.
Hey what is it what is it?
And the deeper you go,
The more at ease you feel.
Attention on the breath both softens your mind and lulls it into slumber.
This process is a simple one,
But trust where it's taking you.
By allowing your mind to anchor itself onto the breath,
You turn down the volume of your mind and allow it,
Instead,
To start winding down for sleep.
Continue letting that process unfold now.
And the deeper you go,
The more at ease you feel.
And the deeper you go,
The more at ease you feel.
And the deeper you go,
The more at ease you feel.
And the deeper you go,
The more at ease you feel.
And every time you catch yourself lost in thought,
Just gently bring yourself back to the breath.
There's no need to get frustrated with yourself or chastise yourself when you notice this.
These are,
After all,
Just more thoughts.
So instead,
Just acknowledge where your mind was at.
Gently.
Give it a quick label,
Perhaps.
Anxious thought,
For example.
And then settle your attention back on the breath.
For now,
This is your entire world.
Not too tightly.
Not too loosely.
Follow the breath with a gentle interest.
Don't follow it with such intensity that it gets you worked up.
And don't follow it with such vagueness that your mind wanders away,
Back into incessant anxious thinking.
Instead,
Find a middle ground.
Not too tightly.
Not too loosely.
And once you find this centered space,
Rest there,
Within it.
Don't be anxious,
Just take a deep breath.
And if my voice once again catches you mid-thought,
Don't worry,
Just gently return to the breath.
But this time,
Remind yourself how fascinating the breath actually is.
It's wondrous,
Captivating,
And truly worthy of your focus right now.
It's not bland,
Or dull,
Or ordinary.
We've gotten so used to it that we often think of it in this way,
But try to avoid falling into that trap.
The breath is,
In actuality,
Quite magnificent.
So,
Feel into that magnificence now,
And within that recognition,
Give yourself over to it.
The breath is truly mind-boggling.
The breath is,
In actuality,
Mind-boggling.
The breath is,
In actuality,
Mind-boggling.
As time goes on you feel your mind vying for control of the wheel less and less.
You're now at a point where you can lie with this emptiness without fighting.
And as you lie there you too feel your body relaxing more and more.
You feel your body letting go and sinking into the wonderful support of the mattress below it.
Perhaps you even feel yourself mentally drifting off now.
If so follow that feeling.
Let it lead you into the first phase of sleep.
Some of you are already asleep.
Whichever camp you fall in know that we're all on the same track.
Any remaining stress or tension is now leaving the body.
You've given yourself over to this process and are now reaping the benefits.
You are peaceful.
You are at ease.
You are relaxed.
You do not have a worry in the world.
And for the next few hours all you have to do is sleep.
You're now at a point where you can lie with this emptiness without fighting.
And as you lie there you too feel your body relaxing more and less.
Often the more relaxed you become,
The subtler the breath.
And if that is indeed the case for you now,
That's fine.
No need to go searching for it,
Or attempt to make it more pronounced again.
Just let it do its thing.
If that means it's become less noticeable then just settle into that new space.
Your mind is calm now either way.
In fact,
As you get closer and closer to the edge of sleep,
You might not need an anchor at all.
This episode is bowling you.
This process is effortless.
You're floating away.
Sleep is here.
It doesn't wait here.
It's safe to let go.
Sleep is here.
Sleep is here.
Sleep is here.
Sleep is here.
You are now 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.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
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