Hello,
My name is Jason Stevenson and welcome to this guided meditation designed to help you to get back to sleep after waking up at some point during the night.
Allow my voice and this music to gently carry you back into a deep and peaceful sleep so that you can continue the deep internal process of rest and rejuvenation.
Before we begin,
I invite you to make a few gentle and mindful movements to readjust yourself in any way necessary.
Take your time now to adjust your current positioning so that you are entirely comfortable.
Invite your body to stretch gently in any way it feels called to before you sink back into a stillness that is conducive to a deep sleep.
Allow your entire body to soften here.
Allow the belly to relax,
The chest and shoulders to soften and release all tension in the face.
Soften the forehead,
Your eyebrows and your jaw.
Take a moment to let every part of your body melt a little bit further into the present moment.
There is nothing you need to hold on to.
It can be unsettling to wake up in the middle of the night,
Finding yourself unable to fall back asleep.
Thoughts about the day ahead may be all-consuming,
Often working against the very sense of relaxation we are so desperately hoping for.
I invite you now to let all of this go,
Release all worry and concern about having woken up,
And just allow yourself to be right here,
Right now.
Just open your heart to trust that sleep will come,
Knowing that you are beginning the process of returning to deep relaxation simply by listening to this meditation.
Gently let all thoughts and worries drift away.
Now,
Draw your awareness to the stomach,
Witnessing its rise and fall as you breathe naturally and effortlessly into the belly.
Most often when we are unaware of the breath and caught up in feelings of stress or unease,
We breathe from the more shallow depths of the chest.
As we do this,
We unwillingly enact a fight or flight response,
Working contrarily to our need for relaxation.
To counterbalance this response,
We can start to become more aware of the breath.
We can begin to consciously draw it deeper into the belly with solely the power of our awareness.
As we continue to visualize our breath filling the space in the belly,
We initiate our innate relaxation response,
An important mechanism for helping us reach a state of deep sleep once again.
So with this in mind,
Take three more slow and deep breaths all the way into the belly,
Noticing the way we are able to relax with each and every conscious breath.
Notice the effect of this slow and steady breathing on the body.
Witness the entire body becoming heavier and more relaxed with each breath that you take.
Your body's innate clock knows what to do.
Simply observe the way the body becomes heavier at this time of day.
Every part of you slowly melts further into the surface that supports you.
If your mind wanders at any point during this meditation,
Simply guide your attention back to the breath.
The breath is a steady anchor that is always available to root you back into the present moment.
By focusing our attention on the breath,
The mind's chatter naturally falls away.
The body relaxes and we become more deeply relaxed exactly where we are.
Return again and again to the breath,
No matter how many times the mind appears to wander.
We are often kept up in the middle of the night due to racing thoughts and due to worries about the past or predicted future.
And yet it is precisely in these moments,
In the very late evening or very early morning,
That there is absolutely nothing for us to do in regards to anything.
There is nothing we need to figure out and no action we need to take.
As we shift our rampant thinking energy into compassionate,
Caring and conscious words in alignment with our deeper need for relaxation,
We find that we start to naturally let go of all that is not important in this very moment.
Continue to breathe deeply into the belly and yet as you do,
Come to notice the heart space expanding.
When the heart is open,
We feel a deep trust in the world around us.
We feel safe and supported,
Loved and cared for.
As you breathe,
Allow each inhalation to provide you with love and nourishment and allow each exhalation to release anything that holds you back from this deep feeling of trust in your environment.
Let go of everything that might bind you to a state of fear or worry,
Allowing yourself to be deeply supported by the universe.
Know that you are being guided in this very moment,
Closer and closer,
Towards a supportive and fully nourishing sleep.
Allow the breath to come and go as effortlessly as waves caress a sandy shore.
The waves do not push or try to achieve anything.
They are simply an integral part of the ocean,
Moving intuitively and naturally.
The same innate wisdom guides your breath and guides your body.
Your body knows how to rest.
It knows intuitively how to sleep.
Simply by opening yourself up to its innate wisdom,
Allowing it to naturally carry you into sleep,
You will begin to find yourself more relaxed.
You begin to fall effortlessly into a deep state of peace,
Wherever you are in this very moment.
Feel free at any moment to adjust yourself in any way that feels conducive to falling asleep.
Movement does not need to be feared.
We can trust the body to make itself more comfortable.
That is not to say that tossing and turning mindlessly is supportive of a deep sleep.
Instead,
Slow and mindful movements may help us to find the physical position best suited for this very moment.
Allow yourself the freedom to expand,
To soften,
And to mindfully adjust yourself whenever needed.
If thoughts or worries arise,
Simply remind them that they are no use to you in this instant.
Release any and all distracting thoughts gently and compassionately.
There is nowhere you need to be other than right here,
And soon,
This moment will transform into a deep,
Restorative sleep.
Continue to breathe as you find ever-growing ease.
Now,
Take a moment to draw your awareness to the mind space,
To the area between the brows and the center of the forehead.
Hold your attention there just for a moment,
Not searching for anything,
Just simply observing this area of the body.
Begin now to visualize your mind descending as you draw your awareness slowly down behind the nose,
Through the mouth and throat,
Gently guiding your attention down to the heart area.
Feel into this heart space,
Witnessing it once again expanding and softening with each breath.
Continue to breathe into the entirety of the lungs as you begin to visualize a healing golden light appearing in the center of your chest.
It is a soft and warm glow that nourishes and supports you on the deepest level of your being.
It begins to expand,
Radiating outwards from the heart center.
Witness it slowly expanding to cover the entire chest area,
Causing a sigh of relief to escape from the lungs.
It gently reaches the abdomen and neck area,
Causing both to relax completely,
Releasing any constriction that may be tied up in these parts of your body.
Envision it expanding through the arms and legs,
Releasing any constriction in these areas as it progresses,
Supporting deep relaxation.
And release all the way through to the toes and fingertips.
It bathes the entire head space,
Releasing any remaining tension in the muscles of the face,
Supporting your return to a deep and peaceful slumber.
Witness your entire body bathing in this warm golden glow.
It erases everything that holds you back from returning to sleep,
Bringing you closer and closer towards a peaceful slumber.
Hold your entire body in your awareness as everything that does not serve you dissolves beneath the power of this warm light.
You are coming into a state of complete tranquility and peace.
Now,
Allow this gentle visualization to begin to recede.
The golden glow begins to fade,
Having done its transformative work on both mind and body.
You might notice a seemingly paradoxical lightness and heaviness of being,
Feeling free of all weightiness while feeling deeply rooted in the physical space.
Allow yourself to revel in the beauty and support of the physical world,
Feeling each part of your body being nourished by blankets and cushioning.
You might want to take a moment to silently give gratitude for the physical world upon which you rest.
Notice the nature of your breath.
Notice how free and effortlessly it flows through you.
Notice how light it is.
Feel into its slow and steady pace as you open yourself wholeheartedly to being nourished completely once you enter into a deep slumber.
Now,
You may continue to focus on the breath,
Or on this stillness that is growing inside of you.
Or you may,
For a few moments of silence,
Gently repeat within the following affirmation.
I am at peace.
I am at peace.
I am at peace.
I am at peace.
Use any of these anchors,
The breath,
Your inner stillness,
Or this short affirmation to ground you for the next few minutes of silence.
Now return to the wave-like nature of the breath,
Knowing that there is nothing for you to do other than to sink effortlessly into sleep.
There are no more thoughts left to think,
No more muscles left to relax.
You are deeply and truly in a state of relaxation,
Completely supported exactly as you are,
And you are ready to fall asleep at any moment.
Your entire body remains soft,
And your mind remains silent as you open yourself to sleep.
A new day will come.
But for now,
Allow the darkness and spaciousness of this night to carry you.
Allow yourself to sink further and further into stillness,
Until everything has dissolved and you are set free in the realm of sweet and peaceful dreams.
And until next time,
Goodnight my friend,
Goodnight.
