Welcome to the Soothing Sleep Series here on Insight Timer.
I'm John,
And thank you for choosing to spend this little bit of time with me as we end the day together in peace and presence.
In order to give ourselves over to healing,
Restful sleep,
It's important that we allow ourselves to drop back into the healing awareness that is naturally within us.
In this 20 minute practice,
We're just going to slowly give ourselves up into an easeful,
Peaceful place of rest and deep sleep.
So I want to invite you to choose any sleeping position,
Any resting position that's comfortable for you.
You don't have to lie on your back for this yoga style,
Though you're of course free to do that.
But just whichever way is comfortable for you.
And just as you're settling,
Just notice how you feel in your body right now.
Are you holding any tension at this moment?
Are you present?
Are the things on your mind?
Just allowing yourself to recognize the way things are in this moment and then to begin opening your inner hand and allowing yourself to let them go for now.
You can feel the bed beneath you and the covers over you.
And just beginning to notice your out-breath a little bit more than your in-breath.
And even as you just begin to settle on the out-breath,
Allowing your body to be a few percent more easeful with each breath.
You can feel the whole length of your body in the bed,
Covered from above,
The warmth of the mattress beneath you,
The pillow beneath your head.
Allowing your eyes to close.
You're aware of the contact between your two eyelids.
Aware of the contact between your lips.
Aware of the contact with yourself against the bed.
Aware of the covers over you.
Just bringing your awareness down to your feet,
Feeling your feet.
Just letting your feet relax another few percent.
Your ankles,
Your lower legs.
Letting your knees move to a comfortable place.
Quads in your thighs.
Your hips.
The side of you that's against the mattress.
The side of you that's upwards.
The length of your spine.
Aware of your abdomen breathing.
Aware of your chest.
Aware of your throat.
Aware of your face.
Aware of your whole head.
Your arms,
Your hands.
And with each gentle out-breath,
Letting go into easefulness.
And when you feel ready to,
Simply letting go of the breath focus by allowing the easefulness to continue.
And in the healing darkness of your room,
You allow yourself to hear the sounds that are in the room,
The sounds that are outside.
Rather than latching onto them and naming them,
You simply allow them to be.
And as you allow the sounds to be,
You're both opening your awareness and allowing yourself to be.
You're aware of the taste in your own mouth.
Yeah,
In your nostrils.
You're aware of the feeling of your skin,
The bedding against you.
You're aware of the healing darkness.
More easeful,
More peaceful.
And from this gently opening awareness,
You're aware of your mind.
Just aware of the sensation of your mind.
Aware of the spaces and the tensions in there.
And you make an inner decision to simply allow it to be while you rest back more into awareness.
If there's any persistent thought,
Just saying hello to it.
Thanking it for wishing to remind you.
And just letting yourself know that you can deal with anything tomorrow.
And just with the kindest awareness,
Notice if you're holding onto anything emotionally.
And in the same way,
Allowing yourself just to give it up for now.
Give it over to awareness.
Awareness of the space inside you.
Aware,
The plane of contact between your body and the mattress.
Aware of the bedding over you.
Just at the level of your head,
Allowing yourself just to drop back into more easefulness.
Just dropping out of the dualities of the day.
And allowing yourself to come into your own energy.
Just to rest into your own energy.
And at the level of your upper chest,
That place in us that communicates.
We allow our inner awareness to be the healing,
Receiving of everything that we are holding.
And we come back to easefulness.
And through your whole body.
You feel where there's any holding on,
Any tension,
Any duality.
You allow the energy of your body to rest back into the inner awareness.
You can feel the feeling of life within your body.
Maybe in the chest area.
As you rest,
It's almost as if there's an inner smile.
Allow the light of this inner smile to light up your throat area,
Your upper chest area.
Allowing it to light up your abdomen and your whole chest.
Allowing it to light up your groins and your hips.
Your upper legs and your lower legs and feet.
Allowing it to light up your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your hands.
Your face,
Your head.
Your whole body.
Feeling of presence.
Letting yourself go into sleep in the state of presence.
Easing away from the surfaces of the day into life,
Into nourishment,
Into healing.
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the gentle night to you.
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
Deep peace to you.
The rhythm of your breath.
The light of presence.
The feeling of life in your body.
Resting back into yourself.
Your wholeness.
Into your basic goodness.
Good night dear one.
Blessings and dreams to you.
