Getting a good night's rest is one of the most important things we can do for our mental and physical well-being.
Meditation can be a really effective way to prepare ourselves for a good night's rest.
Thank you for joining me.
I'm Steve Walker,
A meditation teacher here at Insight Timer.
Let's make sure you're comfortably lying down and ready to fall asleep.
Make sure that your body is relaxed,
You're lying on your back,
Your arms are out by your side in a relaxed position,
Palms facing up,
And your legs are straight and not crossed.
Close your eyes.
Do a quick body scan,
Starting with the crown of your head and working your way all the way to the toes.
And notice if there's any part of your body that needs to be relaxed a bit,
Where you need to maybe focus your breathing for a few seconds to relax that part of your body.
Maybe it's the area around your eyes or your jaw.
Maybe it's one of your arms or your lower back.
Maybe it's your hip or your hamstring or your calf.
Whatever it is,
Focus on that part for a few seconds,
Directing your breathing to that area of your body and trying to relax it a bit.
Now,
Notice how your brain is.
What's going on in your mind?
Is it active?
Is it anxious and tense?
Is it relaxed?
Is it quiet?
What's going on up there?
Just be observant,
No judgment,
But just observe the state of your mind at the end of the day.
Be curious about it and then bring your focus back to your breathing.
Let's take a few deep breaths,
Nice and slow,
In through your nose and out through your mouth.
Let's practice a little gratitude before we fall asleep.
Think of someone or something from today that you're grateful for.
It could be a simple little moment,
Like noticing a flower on the way to work or someone making a nice compliment during a meeting.
It could be a laugh you shared with a loved one.
Whatever it is,
Think about that moment or that person and in your mind,
Silently express gratitude for that moment or that person.
Now think about all the many people and things in your life that you're grateful for.
Waking up in the morning,
A roof over your head,
Good health,
Good food,
People who love you,
Trees,
The ocean,
The laughter of babies,
Whatever it is.
Think about those things that you're particularly grateful for.
Even during our most difficult moments,
We all have one or more things that we can really appreciate that we can feel grateful for.
Even if it's just waking up in the morning,
Feeling grateful that we get another chance at renewal,
Almost like a rebirth every day.
Because in the end,
If today was a good day,
Then that's something to be grateful for.
And we can try to take that positive energy and gratitude into the next day.
If today was a difficult day,
That's okay.
Because tomorrow is a new day.
Somebody new might come into our life that could be really important or have a great lesson for us to learn.
Tomorrow,
We might get a chance to do something again that we felt we didn't quite do our best at the first time.
We get a chance to apologize for something that we may have done today that we regret.
If we didn't accomplish our goals today,
Like exercising or drinking enough water,
Tomorrow we can renew our focus and our commitment to that habit.
We can find ways to make a difference in the lives of those around us tomorrow,
Whether it be big ones or small ones.
But regardless,
Tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities,
Probably new people,
New experiences.
So let's try to express some gratitude for whatever went well today and for the opportunity to have a new chance at this journey tomorrow.
New experiences,
A chance to channel some positive energy.
So let's take this energy of gratitude and hopefulness into our slumber.
Let's seal it with another few slow,
Long,
Deep breaths.
In through the nose and out through the mouth.
Now let your breathing resume its normal pattern.
Nice,
Relaxed,
Effortless breathing.
I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of your bedtime routine,
And I wish you sweet dreams.
