Sleep is the best meditation,
Said the Dalai Lama.
Deep sleep is essential for our overall well-being,
Serving as a foundation for physical,
Mental,
And emotional health.
By prioritizing deep sleep,
We nurture our bodies and minds,
Fostering a sense of balance,
Clarity,
And vitality in our everyday lives.
Settling into your bed,
Allow yourself to feel the surface beneath you,
Allowing for any little movements in the hips,
The legs,
Pulling the comforter over you.
Start by noticing your body,
Noticing your breath.
Take a few deep,
Cleansing breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth,
Bringing your awareness to the center of your body as it is right now.
Breathing in through the nose,
Exhaling through the mouth.
Two more just like that,
In through the nose.
One last full,
Cleansing inhale through the nose,
Noticing how your body's feeling in this moment.
We're going to start with a body scan,
And as you're scanning your body from the tips of your toes to the crown of your head,
Bring your awareness to each part,
And allow your body to soften with every exhale.
Starting with your toes,
Notice any sensations,
Warmth,
Coolness,
Or tightness.
Take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Let go of any tension in your toes.
Bringing your awareness to your feet,
Feel them soften and relax against the surface beneath you.
With every breath,
Allow any tightness to melt away.
Now bringing your attention to your ankles,
To your calves,
Notice how they feel.
Inhaling deeply,
And releasing any tension in your lower legs.
Continue to your knees and to your thighs,
And feel the weight of your legs sinking into your bed.
Take a moment to breathe into your legs,
Allowing them to relax completely.
Now bringing your attention to your hips and to your lower back,
Allowing for any micro-movements to help your body settle into the bed.
Imagine each breath helping to release any tightness and tension.
Moving up to your abdomen and your chest,
Noticing how your breath gently rises and falls into your belly.
With every exhale,
Allowing any tension to soften away.
Drawing your awareness now to your shoulders and your arms,
Allowing your shoulders to drop away from your ears.
Feel the weight of your arms resting peacefully at your side.
Bringing your awareness to your neck and your jaw,
Allowing your jaw to soften,
Allowing it to hang slightly open.
Take a deep breath in.
As you exhale,
Let go of any tension.
Now bringing your awareness to your face and your head,
Relaxing your forehead,
Your eyes,
All the muscles around your cheeks and your mouth,
Allowing your scalp to feel heavy and relaxed into the pillow.
Taking a deep breath in,
Filling up the belly,
And slowly exhaling.
Noticing your body,
Inviting peace and relaxation.
Now that your body is feeling settled,
Let's move into a gentle breath work practice.
We'll breathe in through our nose and out through our nose for a count of 4 for the inhale and 4 for the exhale.
So when you're ready,
Taking a cleansing breath in through the nose,
Breathing in for 4,
3,
2,
1,
And exhaling.
4,
3,
2,
And 1.
Breathing in,
3,
2,
1,
And exhaling.
3,
2,
1.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Breathing in,
And exhale.
Inhale,
And exhale.
Continue like that for 4 more cycles,
Inhaling through the nose,
And gently exhaling through the nose.
Allow yourself a brief pause after every inhale and every exhale.
One last cycle.
Coming back to a natural rhythm of your breath,
Noticing your body,
Sensing how you're feeling,
Inviting a deeper sense of relaxation in every part of your body and your mind.
Let's begin our next breathing pattern called 4,
7,
8.
So like the last breath pattern,
We're going to inhale for a count of 4,
Exhale for a count of 7,
And slowly exhale for a count of 8.
This breath pattern is very calming,
Helps to reduce any anxiety,
And helps to prepare your body for a restful night of sleep.
Inhaling for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1,
And exhale,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhaling,
3,
2,
1.
Hold,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhale,
Hold,
And exhale.
Inhale through the nose,
Hold at the top.
Exhale,
Release,
Softening your body,
Relaxing.
Inhale through the nose,
Holding for 7,
And exhale,
Release.
One last time,
Nice full inhale.
Hold at the top,
And slowly exhale.
Letting go of the pattern,
Just bringing your awareness back to your breath,
Back to your body.
Feel yourself sinking deeper into relaxation,
Knowing that you're safe and you can let go of the day.
Continuing to bring your awareness to your breath,
And do a final practice,
Counting down from 30.
This is just a gentle countdown,
And with every exhale,
You're going to allow yourself to sink deeper into relaxation.
So we'll begin with taking a deep breath in,
And on the exhale,
Say to yourself,
30.
Feeling tension release from your body.
Inhaling again,
And on your exhale,
Say to yourself,
29.
Breathing in,
Exhaling,
Counting down,
28.
Continuing to breathe,
Counting with every exhale,
27.
Continue this pattern with every exhale,
Counting down.
Don't worry about getting things perfect.
If you lose track of counting,
Just come back and start over from 30.
Inviting your body to soften and relax,
Falling deep into sleep.
It's perfectly normal for your mind to wander in and out,
Or even lose track of what you're counting.
If that happens,
Just simply acknowledge it without judgment,
And start again from 30.
There's no rush.
Just allow yourself to focus on every inhale and every exhale,
Allowing your mind to settle,
Keeping your focus on your breath,
Noticing its natural rhythm.
Continue breathing,
And continue counting down,
All the way to zero.
And if you get to zero before falling asleep,
Start again from 30,
Allowing every inhale and every exhale to take you further into a restful night of sleep.
