Hello and welcome to another sleep meditation that will help you to better cope with any change that is happening in your life before guiding you into a deep and restful sleep.
My name is Jason Stevenson and I invite you to follow my voice as we explore this universal theme of change that we are all affected by.
After grounding ourselves into an underlying sense of peace amidst the currents of life,
You will be guided through a soothing visualization that will reaffirm your ability to cope with whatever shifts are happening.
To prepare for this meditation,
Take this time to ensure your alarms are set,
Your blinds are drawn and any other end of day activities are taken care of,
There should be nothing else calling for your attention as you settle into this meditation.
Once you are ready to soften for the night,
Find a comfortable resting position that will be conducive of sleep,
Straighten the spine as much as comfortable to help open your heart to the world around you,
And then let all limbs melt into the surface that supports you here.
Eyes closed now,
Invite a softness to spread across your forehead as the ruminating mind inches closer towards full release.
Take a few moments to ground yourself during this meditation by witnessing the natural flow of your breath.
Without urging the breath to change in any way,
Simply observe the sensations that arise with each inhalation and each exhalation.
Notice where the breath might naturally feel called to move deeper,
And then soften any muscles around the chest and stomach to facilitate greater movement.
If the mind wanders at any point during this meditation,
Simply invite it to come back to the breath,
And then return your attention to the words being spoken here.
Likewise,
If at any point challenging emotions arise,
Use the breath as an anchor to reconnect you with what is right here.
Know that in this moment,
You are deeply supported.
Open your awareness to that gentle support as often as is needed.
Now,
Exploring the theme of change in our lives requires honesty around the fact that change cannot be avoided.
In fact,
The only thing that stays constant in life is change,
And so to effectively manage it,
We are called to witness,
Accept,
And open our hearts to what is shifting.
Witnessing and accepting change is not always an easy task,
But as we soften our resistance to this natural force of life,
We tend to find it easier to navigate the shifts occurring.
Like the steady movement of water on the surface of the ocean,
Life is always in flow.
And yet still,
The ocean always carries a peace and steadiness within it,
If we consider that the ocean is not only what moves on the surface,
It is also the quiet calm of deeper waters.
We might begin our exploration of flow by turning back towards the breath,
Seeing if we might first find a sense of peace within its continual movement.
As you draw your attention back to its rhythm,
See if you might liken the breath to the in and out of soft waves against a beach.
Let your lungs be like a calm and peaceful bay,
Embracing and releasing the breath with trust and ease.
Despite what might be present in the mind,
Can you find a sense of peace,
Safety,
Stability and support in this present moment?
Tuning into your physical body once again,
Noticing each point of your being that is connected with the material world you are a part of.
Through these points of connection,
Imagine for a moment that invisible roots extend into the earth below,
Grounding you unconditionally into the world that surrounds you.
Despite what might be shifting you,
Whether that be some change in your role,
In your relationships,
In your sense of self,
In the collective at large or in any other facet of your life,
See if you can tap into a sense of stability in this very moment.
Letting go of the past,
And letting go of the future,
Can you find the stillness that rests deep within this moment,
Beneath even the flow of the breath?
Continue to let your breath move graciously through you,
And in a few moments,
We will begin our visualization to embrace whatever change is present for us.
As we begin our journey into the envisioning powers of the mind,
I invite you to open your heart to the symbolism of the images presented.
The nature inspired imagery that is about to follow offers us a mirror into ourselves.
By witnessing and honoring the change that occurs in the natural world around us,
We start to open with acceptance to the more difficult shifts that occur in life,
So drawing your attention to the space between your brows,
To your third eye area.
Take a moment to let a softness spread across this area once again,
Let all worried or ruminating thoughts about the changes occurring be softened as you consider that a new lens of reality is possible.
I invite you now to draw to mind an image of a peaceful countryside home.
It could be a log cabin in a spacious forest,
A rustic stone home perched upon a rolling hill,
A beachside sanctuary overlooking the shimmering sea,
Or any other tranquil setting that speaks to you.
Take a few moments to build this rural escape in your mind,
Filling it with imagery,
Sounds and scents that bring you a sense of peace and ease.
You stand outside of this beautiful home,
Admiring the natural view that extends out in all directions.
The air is warm,
But not hot,
Signaling that spring has arrived.
The earth and its inhabitants slowly come out of their slumber for a new season.
You take a deep breath of this fresh air,
This spring air,
Allowing it to reach all the way into the base of your belly.
And as you exhale,
Both mind and body release a little bit of tension that may have been stored within.
Twenty meters or so away from where you stand,
You notice there is a small garden bed filled with fresh soil that waits to be sowed.
Mindfully observing each step,
You make your way over to the edge of this garden of possibility,
Curious about how you might tend to it.
The soil is rich and dense,
And so you dig your hands into it to feel its vitality.
You then notice that off to the right,
A small dish of seeds awaits to be planted.
One by one,
You begin to plant these mysterious seeds in the soft soil,
Padding them in with love,
With gentleness,
And with hope that they will blossom into something new in time.
You trust the mysterious force of nature to carry these seeds to the next stage.
During the days that pass by,
The air grows warmer and new life begins to emerge.
After about one week,
The seeds have shown signs of change,
Bursting through the soil as small,
Delicate green shoots.
Over the coming days and weeks,
You continue to nurture their transition,
Watering and feeding the soil with fresh compost.
Months pass by,
During which time you have made this sweet house your home.
Each day you have noted the changes taking place here with curiosity,
Openness and wonder.
Your heart is open to the beauty inherent in nature's flow.
One morning,
During the weeks where summer seems to have reached its peak,
You wake up to find that those once small shoots have come into full bloom.
A full bed of glowing sunflowers beam back at you from where you stand observing them.
A lightness fills you,
Showering you with joy,
Awe and ease.
Take a few full breaths to marvel at the beauty of this garden,
Relishing the full bloom of these majestic sunflowers.
You spend the next few weeks in the garden,
Watching the other plants and flowers come into blossom as they reach their fullest expression.
You reflect back upon the journey from seed to full blossom,
Feeling great admiration for every phase these plants have transitioned through thus far.
They have weathered many passing storms to arrive at the expression they embody today.
After many summer days,
The temperature slowly begins to drop,
The leaves on a nearby deciduous tree begin to change,
And the world subtly becomes quieter.
After a wonderful summer season,
You feel ready for another phase of transformation as autumn approaches.
Gracefully,
The once vibrant sunflowers begin to brown and wilt,
Their head begins to tilt towards the earth,
As if longing to be with the soil once again.
As the tallest sunflower takes its last few breaths,
You honor the journey it has taken by collecting the seeds from the center of its wilting petals.
You wash and dry them with care as you vow to continue the cycle once spring returns.
Though the beautiful flowers you once admired are leaving your presence for now,
You honor the transition that must take place.
The earth needs time to rest and to replenish itself,
And so you welcome the autumn season that guides this part of the world into the coming winter.
You take good care of the sunflower's seeds during this time,
Heading indoors to quietly reflect upon the autumn and the silence that now pervades.
Inside the beautiful home you've built here,
You sit by the window in a plush armchair as you watch the colors of the summer season make a final transition into more rustic colors of the earth.
You take this time to turn within,
To breathe,
To rest,
And to reconnect with your innermost values.
The change that is happening creates no suffering.
Even if there is some sadness in what has been left behind,
You trust the universal force of change entirely.
You know that there is a purpose for each season and each transition,
Even if that purpose is not entirely clear to the analytical mind.
But it doesn't matter,
Your heart sees,
Honors,
And welcomes the natural flow that is occurring.
As the plants in your garden let go,
You invite your own sense of control to surrender.
You let go of trying to make rational sense of things as you witness each shift with curiosity,
Care,
And compassion.
As autumn moves into winter,
You continue to watch the surrounding land from your window.
You feel blessed for the warmth of the fireplace that burns next to you,
As well as the warmth of the nourishment that continues to be provided.
Depending on where you find yourself,
The signs of winter are here.
Perhaps white snow blankets the earth beyond your cozy confines.
Or perhaps the whistling,
Chilly wind lets you know that winter has arrived.
In any case,
You feel a new opportunity arising here,
A chance to be still,
To be quiet,
And to reconnect with the beauty,
Courage,
And strength that live within you.
A deep sense of presence washes over you as you embrace each of the transitions that came before this moment.
Even despite times of difficulty,
You've always arrived on the other side.
Soon the winter winds begin to calm and the sun begins to spread itself across the earth for a little more time each day.
And soon,
Birds can be heard chirping in the bare branches of late winter trees.
Small buds on these branches let you know that their foliage will soon return.
The earth and its inhabitants are opening to new life again,
Honoring the time of rest and contemplation that preceded this moment.
Your breath begins to flow deeper as you open the windows of your home and inhale the fresh scent of spring soil once again.
A smile spreads across your face.
You raise one hand to your heart,
Taking a moment to silently express gratitude for the coming and going of all things.
Here,
In this moment,
You feel deeply connected to the rhythm of life,
Sensing and appreciating the beauty of each phase and each transition.
From wherever you have stored last summer's sunflower seeds,
You go to retrieve them,
And then you head outside to tend to the earth.
Indeed,
The earth is waking from its slumber as fresh grass returns to life.
The garden bed requires some attention,
And so you spend some time turning it,
Replenishing it with compost,
And preparing it for a new season of seeds.
And once again,
You bend over to look at the sun,
Sitting down at the edge of the garden bed,
Planting each seed with love and care,
One by one.
After carefully covering each seed with soil and patting them affirmatively into the earth,
You water the garden bed to nourish those seeds while they germinate in darkness.
Soon,
They will come to see the light as the flowers of last year did.
As new shoots come to life,
Sprouting through the soil with courage and confidence,
You make yourself cozy on a picnic blanket just next to a garden,
Coming to rest on your back.
You draw your attention back to your breath.
With each inhalation,
You let your stomach expand.
You welcome the new possibilities and opportunities that present themselves in each moment.
And with each outward breath,
You let your stomach soften completely.
You honor the transition,
The ebb and flow of life,
As you surrender control wholeheartedly.
Eyes closing on the beautiful spring day that nourishes you,
You tune into your world through your body.
As you slowly let go of the landscape in your mind,
Ground yourself into the surface that supports you here.
Note that during all this time you've been visualizing,
Your body has been held,
Nurtured and supported in this physical space.
Likewise,
The breath has continued to flow through you with grace,
Replenishing your cells and also releasing for them,
Without your need to control any of it.
As you sink into the peace of this present moment,
For a few final moments before slumber,
I invite you to soften through the body,
Beginning by holding your attention at the crown of your head.
As you slowly scan the body downwards,
Soften any internal resistance to change,
Paying close attention to the forehead,
The jaw,
Your shoulders,
And your belly.
Just allow all tightness and tension to be released into the surface that supports you.
And as you slowly transition into a sleeping state,
Let your breath be your anchor once again.
Let each inhalation nourish you,
And each exhalation free you.
Breath by breath,
You are sinking deeper into complete release.
Honor your need for deep rest at this time,
As you restore your energy for a peaceful day ahead.
And until next time,
Goodnight my friend,
Goodnight.
