Hello and welcome to this anxiety-releasing guided meditation that will help you to fall asleep with greater peace and ease.
My name is Jason Stevenson and over the next short while,
I invite you to open both heart and mind to the possibility of deep release and relaxation.
Whatever you are experiencing at this time,
I know that you are supported in softening at this present moment.
To ease into this grounding journey,
Take a moment to find a comfortable resting position,
Ensure that your alarm is set if needed and that your blinds are drawn,
And then close your eyes as you settle in.
Straighten the spine gently if that feels comfortable for you,
And then let your arms and legs rest wherever they fall naturally.
And let's begin by taking a few steady,
Mindful breaths here,
Without changing the breath in any way just yet.
Simply notice how far the breath flows,
And how fast or slow it comes and goes.
Note any sensations that arise alongside each inhalation and each exhalation,
Inviting any shifting or racing thoughts to come down and into the breath.
If it feels comfortable for you,
See if you might invite the breath a little bit deeper simply by drawing your awareness to the belly,
Which can soften the muscles around the abdomen.
Notice if the breath naturally creates some movement in your core.
As you breathe into the belly,
You begin to activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system,
Which operates the rest and digest function.
The heart begins to slow,
Your muscles start to relax,
And stress hormone levels begin to decrease,
Supporting you in finding mental relief,
And soon a deep and restful slumber.
So take three more full breaths into the belly,
Letting the stomach rise as you inhale,
And fall as you exhale.
Deep breath in to create an expansion,
And full breath out to release.
One more breath in,
And with a sigh let all the air back out and into the world around you,
And then just allow your breath to come back to its natural pace.
In a moment we'll invite a gentle cleansing light to course through the body before moving deeper into a healing visualization.
I invite you to now begin by drawing your awareness to your toes,
Imagine a radiant white glow arising in and around your feet,
And as it hovers here it slowly softens all tension in the feet,
And then slowly it rises,
Relaxing your ankles,
Your lower legs,
Feeling your knees softening,
Melting away,
And your upper legs letting go.
From here the healing light continues to spread upwards throughout the body,
Cleansing the pelvic floor and your hips,
Softening your belly,
And around your lower back,
Letting go,
And then rising through your spine to soften the entire back and your heart space.
The light expands away from the body as if reaching out for your fingertips,
It softens your hands and your lower arms,
Your elbows,
And moving up to your upper arms,
It fills your shoulders and your uppermost chest,
And then rises to soften your throat,
Your jaw letting it go,
Releasing,
Your mouth and cheeks,
Rising up your nose to soften the muscles around your eyes and forehead,
And then filling the head space completely.
Your entire body is held and cleansed by this white healing glow,
Softening any worries,
Any concerns,
And any insecurities that may have been present for you just moments ago.
Take one more full breath in with this light held in your awareness,
And as you exhale slowly let the imagery go,
Letting your entire body melt a little bit further into the surface that supports you here.
Now draw your attention to the visual potential of the mind as you begin to envision an open field arising in your awareness,
The gently rolling hills extend far and wide,
Surrounded by a patchwork of forests,
Lakes,
Rivers,
And more fields stretching all the way into the horizon.
You find yourself here,
Sitting in the tall grasses that blow ever so subtly into the light breeze.
Bright white and yellow daisies,
Magenta,
Rose and sun coloured tulips,
And violet plumes of lavender adorn the field within which you rest.
You take a deep breath in,
Inhaling the soft and soothing aroma of lavender,
And as you exhale a gentle smile stretches across your face.
You take another deep breath in,
Letting this calming fragrance fill you completely,
And then you exhale,
Releasing any worries of the day to the invisible healing powers of the universe.
You rest comfortably in the centre of this radiant field,
Watching as the mid-afternoon sun casts its warm summer glow upon the earth.
Few clouds fill the sky,
But those that do are textured and fluffy,
The kind that children would see animals in.
As you scan from the field from left to right,
And then slowly back again,
You notice that a small trail is lightly pressed into the tall grass just a few metres away.
Curious as to where it might lead,
You slowly rise to your feet and make your way over to it.
You begin down the lightly worn trail in the direction of the mystic forest ahead.
As you move in the direction of the trees,
You continue to soak up the colours of the petals nearby.
The closer you look,
The more you take in,
Realising that a full palette of tones and spread through the wild species of flowers,
Whose many names are unknown to you.
You feel a deep sense of peace in their vitality,
Trusting the cycle of nature to replenish and restore the earth time and time again.
Their beauty fills you with hope,
Faith and joy.
Step by step,
You make your way towards the whimsical woods,
Eventually arriving out at its outer edge.
Though full of tall majestic trees,
Sunlight still trickles in from above.
As you enter the woods,
Still moving along a continuation of that lightly pressed trail,
You notice the air change ever so subtly.
Suddenly your nostrils absorb the scent of rich,
Damp earth.
You inhale the richness and vitality of the soil,
And exhale any stagnant energy from within.
The pines and birch trees too,
Give off their earthy scent,
Helping you to get in touch with the natural home you find yourself in.
You continue to breathe mindfully and deeply,
Soaking up the aliveness of this forest.
With each step you take through the woods,
Your shoulders become lighter,
Your mind becomes clearer,
And the world becomes more harmonious.
You do not need to worry about the outside world,
You are deeply attuned to what moves through you now,
Feeling a deep gratitude for this healing space.
You trust that as you devote your attention to the peace and harmony of the natural world,
This attention and care will ripple out in unseen ways to bless the entire world.
You trust that each thought and each breath you take in peace will fuel not just your own sense of peace,
But that of your loved ones,
Of strangers,
And of the entire world.
You continue on a little further through the woods,
Admiring the individual rays of light that pass through the canopy with focus and clarity.
Beneath your feet,
Tangled roots weave themselves through the soil,
Breaking through the earth and into view every so often.
They are strong and secure,
Well established in their place on this earth.
Here,
Amongst the trees and their roots,
You feel strong and stable yet secure.
You carry on a little further,
Until you arrive at a trickling river.
It is a few feet wide,
Slowly moving across the sloped earth,
Weaving around rocks and boulders that rest in the riverbed.
The path you are on continues on the other side,
Connected to where you stand by a high half-moon shaped bridge that looks like something out of a fairy tale.
Built of carefully laid stones that curve away from the water,
It too is strong and steady where it stands.
A wooden handrail trails from where you are to the other side,
And so you allow it to guide you across the river.
You land on the other side and take one final moment to witness and revel in the beauty of this moving water,
Bringing life and vitality to the soil and roots that surround.
The elements of this forest fall into place with utmost ease.
You carry on a little further,
Until soon the trees begin to thin.
Light seeps through to the forest floor with greater ease.
Signalling an opening is near.
As you make your way closer and closer to this transition,
You soon come to arrive at an open field.
It is circular,
A ring of the forest meeting its own rounded edge.
The field is full of tall grasses and those vibrant flowers much like before.
However,
In the centre of the field stands a tall,
Awe-inspiring oak tree.
Its thick branches extend up and outwards from its sturdy trunk,
Filled with vibrant green leaves that provide shade from the fading summer sun.
You stand and marvel at this majestic tree,
Standing affirmatively in its place here on earth.
Something about it strikes you.
It is almost as if you can feel its grounded energy rippling out and into the world around it.
And so slowly,
Mindfully,
You make your way towards it.
Moving through the sea of green grass,
Adorned by purple,
Yellow,
Gold and magenta petals once again,
You sink back into the beauty of this landscape's diversity.
Take a deep breath in,
Noting the aroma of lavender filling you once again,
And then as you release,
Softening both breath and body as you move closer towards the majestic oak.
Arriving at this mystical tree that stands in the centre of this magical,
Circular field,
You feel your shoulders relax completely.
There are no weights remaining on your back,
No heaviness remaining in your mind.
You reach your arms out and plant your palms gently against the rough bark of the oak's trunk.
With childlike wonder and awe,
You absorb the beauty and majesty of this wild and wonderful plant.
Your heart yearns to move closer,
And so you extend your arms around the sides of the tree,
Coming to rest the full front of your body against its trunk.
You place your right cheek against its bark,
And your heart,
Too,
Comes into full contact with this majestic being.
Take a deep breath in,
Feeling yourself deeply connected to the natural world.
In this moment,
No worries can flourish and no fears can fester.
All is well.
All is at peace.
You feel your heart beat steadily,
As if in alignment with the energy that runs through this tree.
And in this moment,
You realise that you are deeply connected and supported by both the universal energy from above,
And the earthly energy from below.
As you stand here,
You imagine that your own invisible roots connecting you with the earth beneath.
With each breath in,
You imagine these roots soaking up the healing,
Nourishing and supportive energy of the world.
And as you breathe out,
You release a thought of gratitude for the natural world,
And for this sweet moment.
For just one more breath,
You embrace this tree with the full reach of your arms and heart.
And then you come back to rest your back flat on the earth beneath its branches.
The sun has faded behind the tree line,
Leaving a coral glow in its wake.
With your back fully supported by the earth,
You let your arms and legs relax completely.
Your mind softens too,
Letting all physical tension melt away for the night.
You tune in once again with the roots that connect you to the rest of the world.
And then you imagine that through the crown of your head,
You are connected to the cosmic energy that hovers above.
Witness yourself held here in perfect balance,
Coming into awareness of the heart as you feel yourself equally supported by both the tangible and the intangible,
The known and the unknown.
Soon,
Even the coral glow in the sky fades too,
Leaving behind a deep blue sky.
Within it,
Thousands upon thousands of stars appear,
Twinkling down from light years away.
Now the half moon rises too.
It is in its waxing phase,
Slowly growing into more light,
Moment by moment.
With the moon rises the opportunity to harness courage,
Confidence and a new vision of peace.
So if you feel called to,
You may set an intention for the night ahead or for the days to come.
Whisper this intention softly into the quiet and ever-present sky that surrounds you.
Take a deep breath in,
And then out.
In.
And slowly let the imagery of this night sky,
The mighty oak,
And the surrounding field and flowers dissolve.
As you come back into this physical reality,
Tune into the space that supports you here.
Feel each inch of your body that is held by this physical support,
And then see where you might surrender even further into it.
Come back once again to the natural flow of your breath,
Letting it slowly and steadily rock you into a restorative slumber,
Where the mind can continue resting with ease.
And as you sink into sleep,
Let the following words fill your subconscious.
As they do,
They will work to solidify this experience of peace,
Ease and release that has come to you tonight.
I am calm,
Stable and centered.
My mind is at ease.
I embody the strength required to overcome difficulty.
I love and honor myself.
I love and support those around me.
Challenges I face are opportunities for growth.
I am supported by the earth.
I let go of thoughts that no longer serve me.
I inhale trust and exhale fear.
My inner strength is infinite.
My heart loves without condition.
I am grateful for life's many blessings.
I observe silver linings where others see grey.
I embrace the nature of change.
I trust the universal flow of life.
Within my heart I find the love and strength I need.
I navigate life's difficulties with faith and courage.
I am grounded in my being.
I trust the universe to support me.
I breathe deep and I am at peace.
And until next time,
Goodnight my friend,
Goodnight.
