Hello,
My name is Jason Stevenson and welcome to this guided meditation that will help you to fall asleep quickly and effortlessly.
After a brief journey through the body,
We will take a trip into the cosmos,
During which you will fall asleep swiftly,
Held beneath the soft glow of the moon and the stars.
Allow the words of this meditation to flow effortlessly through you,
There is nothing you need to hold onto.
Allow yourself to surrender into slumber at any point during this practice.
Now to begin,
Ensure that all end of day activities are taken care of,
Your blinds should be drawn,
Any required alarms should be set,
And all lights turned off or shut out so that your body knows it's time to rest deeply.
Eyes closed,
Take a moment to land in the space that holds you,
Making any necessary adjustments to your posture for extra comfort.
Let your neck form one straight line with your spine,
As all muscles soften into the bed or other surface beneath you.
Turn your attention towards the breath as you spend a few moments grounding through this force of life that gently ebbs and flows through your body.
As you watch your breath,
Know that there is nothing it needs to do and no particular way it needs to flow.
Our breath contains a wisdom that knows just how to support and nourish us,
All that is required is that we slowly step out of its way by easing the mind and relaxing the body.
As we move through this practice,
Know that you can come back to the breath any time you need to anchor yourself back into the present moment.
The breath,
Your physical body,
And these words all serve that purpose,
Each invites you to come back down into the sweet simplicity of this night.
Now let's take a moment to travel through the body,
Softening each part that our awareness moves through.
Begin now by drawing your attention to the crown of your head,
Holding your awareness there for a few moments.
Imagine this uppermost part of your body softening and a process that trickles down slowly to ease your forehead,
Your eyebrows,
And your temples.
Let your entire top half of your head relax,
Releasing all physical and mental tension it might be holding,
And then slowly let this softening seep into your cheekbones and your jaw,
Your mouth and your tongue.
As your awareness gently descends further,
It brings softness to your neck and your shoulders,
Helping them to release any weight they may have carried throughout the day.
And then envision that softening trickling down your arms,
Relaxing each and every cell all the way to your fingertips.
Returning your attention to your heart space now,
Allow your chest to relax,
And your upper back as well,
And then slowly scan the length of your spine downwards,
Inviting all tissues and muscles that surround it to surrender deeper into this night.
Your attention centres itself in the belly now,
And let all muscles around your core relax as the belly rises and falls with each breath,
And then allow your awareness to soften the hips,
The pelvis,
And the buttocks,
Before gently trickling down the legs,
Softening each muscle completely,
Until arriving at the tips of your toes.
Hold your entire body in your awareness,
Letting it surrender completely into the surface beneath you.
You might notice a heaviness within your body,
As well as a lightness,
The sense that your body has given up completely to the weight of gravity,
While at the same time feeling entirely free and weightless.
Let yourself revel in that sensation for a few breaths now,
The feeling of being held by gravity,
While also freely floating within the airy cosmic universe.
In just a moment,
We will begin a journey into the stars,
Floating gracefully away from the earth,
Yet before we do so,
Let's take a moment to realise where we are truly headed,
And that is,
Into a deep and restorative slumber.
And so before we begin our ascension into the cosmos,
Take a moment to silently repeat,
I let go,
I let go,
Surrendering completely to the weightlessness of sleep.
In your mind's eye,
As your body and mind become lighter,
I invite you to envision that you are resting in an open meadow beneath a starry sky,
A soft blanket of grass rests beneath you,
Your body is kept warm amidst the summer air,
The breeze whistles in the leaves of nearby trees,
Rustling through tall grasses as well.
The night sky is onyx black,
Reflecting darkness into your eyes but for the dazzling stars and crescent moon above you.
The world is quiet,
Around and within you.
You inhale the evening air,
Filling yourself up with the airy cosmos you are a part of.
Each breath in brings a lightness to your body,
And each breath out helps you to let go,
To surrender to the sky above and around you.
As your body gets lighter,
You notice the earth beneath you drifting away,
Suddenly you are light enough to be untouched by the weight of gravity,
Your body rising above the ground and into the night sky.
You are not afraid,
You know you are protected here,
So surrender to the process you are in,
Allowing yourself to be carried away from the earth and into the stars.
Your body floats higher and higher,
Passing through thin veils of cloud that grace the atmosphere,
The air around you is quiet,
As is your mind space.
Up here,
Amidst the clouds and beneath the light of the moon,
Nothing of your life on earth seems to matter,
All that matters is this miraculous open space you drift through.
Drifting further away from the earth,
You take a moment to look down upon it,
The entire globe is in full view,
The atmosphere around it dark and peaceful,
And twinkling lights shine back at you as if mimicking the stars.
No sounds of the earth can be heard from where you are,
No traffic,
No wind,
No moving water,
You are miles away now,
Your entire body floats higher still,
And as it does,
The stars become larger and brighter.
Your eyes land on one star in particular,
And everything else seems to melt away.
You spend some time with this star,
Whispering your intentions for the coming day,
And inviting it to support you in surrendering to the night.
Your breath is still soft,
Nourishing you as you float high above the earth.
You take one last moment to commune with your favorite star,
Before letting your attention widen to all the other celestial bodies that find their home within the sky.
Planets,
Comets,
And shooting stars all come into view as you gaze into the abyss of the cosmos.
Still,
You know you are held safe by the universe here,
You are calm,
Peaceful,
And entirely at ease.
You consider all the constellations that are spread out before you,
Indeed,
They look different from this higher vantage point,
Their patterns not so easily observed this close up.
And yet you reflect upon some of your favorites,
Orion,
Libra,
Capricorn,
And Aquarius.
Now that you are here in the realm of all the constellations,
You understand why ancient traditions and cultures have long held up these celestial formations.
The closer you get to them,
The more remarkable they become,
The more they enchant your mind,
Heart,
And soul.
Come back to your breath with full awareness now,
Inhaling and exhaling deeply,
Your body remains light and free as you drift through the cosmos,
Reveling at the stars.
Now,
Like a feather gliding through the air slowly and steadily,
You feel your body slowly coming back down.
Some magic,
Mysterious force holds you,
Supporting you as you move gracefully away from the realm of planets,
Stars,
And the moon.
You do not return to the earth just yet though,
With grace,
You land gently upon a plush,
Supportive cloud.
You release a deep sigh as you sink into this cosmic cushion,
Letting it support you from head to toe.
As you rest here,
You find stillness.
You gaze up at the mystery of the atmosphere above you,
Eyes landing on the silver of the moon that is transitioning through its waning phase.
In a few nights from now,
It will become a dark and dazzling new moon,
And yet for now,
It is waning,
Slowly growing smaller at a rate too slow for the human eye to catch in a single moment.
You consider the energy of the waning moon,
Remembering that this particular lunar transition is a time for releasing,
Slowing down,
Surrendering and restoring.
Now is the time to sink into non-doing,
To let yourself be exactly as you are.
Perched on a cloud,
You take three full breaths,
Each inhale lasting to a count of four,
And each exhale being a little bit longer,
Lasting to a count of six.
Inhaling for four,
And exhaling for six.
You finish one more breath this way,
Allowing your exhale to cleanse you of any residual tension or weight you may be unconsciously holding.
Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm,
Your body is relaxed,
Your mind is relaxed,
And you are ready to completely surrender.
You take one more moment to gaze up at the night sky from this height,
You thank it for all that it has illuminated within you,
And then slowly,
You drift like a feather once again,
Inching your way closer towards the solid earth.
As you make your final approach,
Held through this transition by a gentle and mysterious force,
You count down from ten to let go more completely,
Ten,
Your mind is quiet held in the silence of the night,
Nine,
Your body is relaxed,
Fully trusting of the universe that supports it,
Eight,
Your heart is open,
Awake to the mystery and beauty of the world,
Seven,
Your shoulders surrender,
The weight of the world having been freed from them,
Six,
Your jaw is relaxed,
Knowing there is nothing that needs to be expressed,
Five,
Your hands are free,
Free of any desire to grasp,
Attain or achieve,
Your legs are relaxed,
Knowing there is nowhere they need to carry you,
Seven,
Your soul is at peace,
Pleased with the journey it has just embarked on,
Two,
Your eyes and eyebrows are softened,
Knowing there is nothing left to be seen,
One,
Your entire body is aligned,
Feeling fully prepared to take the next journey into slumber,
Zero,
Your body grounds back down gently,
Slowly coming into contact with the earth once again,
One,
As the journey through the stars is now but a memory,
Take a moment to let all visuals disappear from your mind as you come back to the felt experience of being held by the surface beneath you,
Two,
From head to toe,
Every part of your miraculous body surrenders,
Your mental and emotional body too,
Sink into a soft and tranquil stillness,
Three,
Connected once again to the physical earth that supports you,
You revel in the sensation of being both heavy and light simultaneously,
Feel gratitude for the force of gravity,
Retethering you to the beautiful and solid earth beneath you,
And deep appreciation for the mysterious enchanted realm of the cosmos,
For the lightness,
Illumination and the magic it offers,
Just allow your breath to flow through you with ease once again,
Two,
Slowly allowing it to guide you into the final stage of surrender for the night,
With each exhale,
You let go,
You let go,
You let go,
You let go,
Sleep well my friend,
Sleep well.
