Hello everyone,
This is Jonathan Burns.
Tonight I would like to guide you through a short meditation session for sleep.
First,
Find a comfortable position.
This could be laying down or reclining in a chair,
Maybe under a blanket.
But wherever you are,
Just allow yourself to feel relaxed.
To feel settled,
To feel secure,
To feel cozy.
And know that right now there is nowhere to go,
Nothing to do,
Nothing to check,
No one to speak with.
Only this.
And we'll start with a deep breath,
In through the nose,
Filling the belly.
And as you exhale,
Imagine your body sinking into the bed or into the chair.
And feel the weight of the body and the pressure below.
Take another deep breath,
In through the nose,
Filling the belly.
And as you exhale,
Sigh out all of the air.
Imagine your body sinking further and coming to rest.
Take a third deep breath and with the body at rest and at ease,
Allow the breath to flow naturally into the belly,
Out of the belly.
Now think of your feet and relax your feet.
Relax your ankles,
Relax your calves and lower legs.
Relax your thighs and hips,
Your stomach and your chest.
Keep breathing naturally,
Allowing your breath to find its own natural rhythms.
Relax your hands,
Relax your forearms,
Upper arms,
Shoulders and your neck.
Relax the muscles of the face,
The jaw,
The cheeks,
The tongue,
The eyebrows and the forehead.
And as you lay here,
Breathing naturally,
Bring your focus and attention gently to the sensations of the body breathing.
The rising of the belly and the falling of the belly and the stillness and the emptiness of the pauses between.
If the mind wanders,
Recognize that thinking is happening and gently bring the attention back to the breath.
The rising of the belly,
The falling of the belly and the stillness and the emptiness of the pauses between.
Now we will set an intention for tonight's sleep.
Tonight I will sleep deeply.
I will sleep peaceful.
I will sleep restful and I will sleep at ease.
And now to connect the mind to the body and the breathing further and deeper.
When the body inhales,
Think rising.
The body exhales,
Think falling.
The body inhales,
Rising.
The body exhales,
Falling.
Inhale,
Rising.
Exhale,
Falling.
Rising,
Falling.
Rising,
Falling.
Rising,
Falling.
The mind wanders,
Come back to the breath,
Back to the inhale,
Rising,
Back to the exhale,
Falling.
Now you can continue with this labeling of rising and falling until sleep arrives or you can stop the labeling and just keep the mind on the breath.
And at the sound of the bell,
We will have five minutes of silence before this session comes to a close.
Sleep well.
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