Getting Back To Sleep

Be gently guided back to sleep with breath and body awareness. Take the pressure off yourself, even if you do have to listen to this audio a few times. With no ending bell, I hope you can gently fall back into a deep and restful sleep. Gabrielle is a certified Meditation and Mindfulness teacher, as well as a Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher. She is an Insight Dharma Teacher Trainee in Australia and has sat over 18 silent Meditation retreats.

Transcript

So you're having trouble getting back to sleep. It's okay. It's normal. It happens to a lot of us actually. So you may like to give your body a bit of a stretch. Squeeze your toes, Point your feet, Scrunch up your fingers, Make a fist, Take a big breath in and breathe out. Release the toes and fingers. Let them settle back to your bed. And you may like to do that again. Scrunch up your toes, Squeeze your feet, Squeeze your hands, Make a fist, Take a big breath in and then slowly breathe out. Release the toes, The feet, Fingers and your hands back to your bed. See if you can notice the sensations, What it feels like to be lying here in your bed. How firm is the bed? Or maybe it's soft. What about the texture of your sheets? What about the feel of your pajamas to your skin? Noticing what there is to notice as you settle back into a comfortable position, Back into a position that feels easy to fall back to sleep. Maybe on your back, Maybe on the side. And let's bring our attention to your breath for a little while. Let's bring a little bit more softness, A little bit more ease to the body. Let's try and settle the thoughts a little bit more and calm the mind. You may like to bring your hands to a part of your body that feels like a good support. That might be your heart. You may like to have your hands on your belly. Or maybe the left hand on your heart and the right hand on your belly. Feeling the connection with your body now. Let's be slowly, Deeply breathe in. Slowly, Deeply breathe out. Let me guide you for a few more breaths. Slowly, Deeply breathe in. Slowly, Deeply breathe out. No need to rush. Slowly, Deeply breathe in. Slowly, Deeply breathe out. Again, Slowly, Deeply breathe in, Expanding through the belly. Slowly, Deeply breathing out. Allow the body to settle a little bit more into your bed. Breathing in, Breathing out, Letting go, Releasing. Breathing in and breathing out. Seeing if you can lengthen the breath now. Breathing in, One, Two, Three, Four. Breathing out, One, Two, Three, Four. And again, Slowly, Deeply breathing in. Three, Four, Slowly, Deeply breathing out. Three, Four and in. And out, Relaxing, Letting go as best you can. Breathing in, Two, Three, Four. Breathing out, One, Two, Three, Four. Can you increase the count? Breathing in, Slowly, Deeply. Three, Four, Five. Slowly, Deeply breathing out. Three, Four, Five. Breathing in and breathing out, Releasing, Relaxing. Three, Four, Five. Breathing in and slowly breathing out. Two, Three, Four, Five. Breathing in and breathing out. Letting go, Breathing in. Four, Five. Pause the breath, Slowly breathing out. Three, Four, Five. Can you pause the breath? Breathing again, Slowly, Deeply. Pause the breath and slowly releasing, Breathing out, Letting go. Pause the breath, Slowly welcome in the next inhale, Breathing in. Pause the breath, Soften the body, Slowly, Deeply breathing out. Pause the breath, Gently pause and then keep going, Following the breath, Lengthening the breath as best you can, Creating a pause before you welcome in and before you release the next breath. Body settling to the bed, Head is gently supported by a pillow. Nothing more to do than to breathe, Breathe, Breathe. Staying with the breath as best you can, As thoughts, Body sensations, Emotions arise. Let them come as they naturally will. No need to criticize yourself. It's natural. Let them come, Let them go. Returning to the breath each time, Slowly, Deeply, Breathing in. Two, Three, Four, Five. Pause if you can, Breathing out, Letting go. Two, Three, Four, Five. Pause the breath, Soften the body, Breathing in, Welcome the new breath. Three, Four, Five. Pause, Relax, Breathing out. Three, Four, Five. Pause, Relax, Breathing in. Pause, Breathing out. Continuing, Flowing with the breath. Rest, Rest deeply. Let go of all your cares. It's time to go back to sleep. It's time to go back to sleep.

Reviews

Perfect for 3 a.m. Not too intellectual for that hour.