In this sleep meditation,
You will be gently guided to release the day and mental activity,
To calm the nervous system,
And you will be guided into an effortless peaceful sleep.
So let's close our eyes together now and begin by presencing into the body.
So feel the body laying here.
Take a few long slow breaths.
Feel the breath filling your belly and then releasing any tension on the exhale.
Now bring awareness to your feet and just notice the feet.
Notice does one foot feel heavier than the other?
Then bring awareness gently to your calves and your knees.
Maybe breathe into your knees and your calves,
Releasing and relaxing them on the exhale.
Then bring awareness to your hips,
Your genitals,
Your buttocks.
Notice the quality of the energy there.
Breathe into that space and release and relax any tension on the exhale.
Now bring awareness to your lower back,
To the quality of the space there.
Breathing into that space and releasing and relaxing on the exhale.
Now bring awareness to your chest.
What does the energy feel like in your chest?
Just notice what's there and breathe into that space,
Releasing and relaxing on the exhale.
Now bring awareness to your head,
The quality and the feeling in your head.
Breathe into that space and release and relax on the exhale,
Releasing and relaxing the space behind your eyes and especially your jaw and your tongue.
Now feel and notice your whole body all at once.
Breathe into the space within your body,
Releasing and relaxing on the exhale.
Now bring awareness to your day and whatever happened,
See if you can bring awareness to one or two positive things that happened to you today.
It could be very simple,
A beautiful meal,
A conversation with a friend,
The light of the sun on your face.
And bring gratitude for those things.
Letting that gratitude infuse your whole body and all your cells.
Now it's time to release this personhood of being.
So what's it like to just let go of this person,
This identity,
This self?
Letting go of you in all the different roles that you play,
Mother or father or child or friend,
Worker.
All these roles that we inhabit,
Just let them slide off you like releasing your clothes to the floor,
Standing naked and bare,
Just this bare essence of being that is you.
Letting all these roles,
All these jobs and doing fade into the background until just what can't be released is left remaining.
The raw essence of your being.
The one thing that you cannot release or let go of.
The only thing remaining is this wild intelligence of being.
This knowing quality,
The knower itself,
The one hearing my voice,
The awake,
Aware,
Simple presence of being is all that's left.
And then just let yourself rest here.
This awake,
Clear presence is pristine.
Notice that no quality,
Nothing that occurred in your day can alter or change the pristine,
Clear nature of your true essence.
It remains unharmed and undisturbed by whatever happened in your day.
Thoughts may come and go.
Feelings come and go.
But this essence I'm pointing to is the essence that doesn't come and go.
And within this clear,
Awake space,
All the activity of the body,
Sensations,
Thoughts,
Feelings arise like waves in the ocean.
Just let them come and go without needing to analyze or particularize on any one thing.
Letting this activity move and flow however it wants.
Your body holds the wisdom,
The memory of deep,
Restful sleep.
Allow this memory,
This knowing to gently take over.
Allowing it to guide you.
Sleeping without a sleeper into a deep,
Effortless slumber.
Continuing those long,
Slow breaths in the belly until they become softer and slower and gentler.
Infusing your whole body with the memory of deep,
Restful,
Beautiful,
And peaceful sleep.
There's nothing you need to do now.
Just breathe and be.
Good night,
Dear one.
