Up again,
Support for drifting back to sleep.
Welcome,
I'm Julie Conrad.
Waking in the middle of the night can be distressing and frustrating.
Let's get you back to deep restoration.
You may know the reason you're waking,
And you may not.
Either way,
It's okay.
Allow yourself to meet the moment gently.
This means don't struggle to understand why you're awake or why you can't fall back asleep.
Just release any tension around these thoughts.
You're awake.
You're simply alert.
You're safe.
Notice your breath.
You may have begun to hold some tension.
See if you can let go,
Muscularly,
Of any areas you might be holding.
Maybe the mind is starting to process and think,
Solve,
And plan.
Remind yourself that it's time to sleep.
Keep bringing the mind back to your breath awareness when the mind begins to do what it does.
If you're feeling any pain or agitation in the body,
You may want to sit on the edge of the bed for a moment,
Keeping your eyes closed.
Or even come to your feet to realign your muscles and joints with some slow deep stretches before tucking yourself back into bed.
Be mindful and gentle with your movements,
As if trying not to stir too much alertness within the subtle body.
It's even okay to get up and walk around the room for a moment.
Take the next minute to move anything that needs to be adjusted,
And then tuck yourself back into bed.
Sacrificially.
Now let's lead the body into rest and deep sleep.
Sigh out of your mouth.
Again,
Sigh.
And again,
More gently.
Feel your jaw release.
Touch the tip of your tongue behind the front two teeth.
And notice the lips soften and relax.
Barely touching.
Now watch your belly.
Feel the breath move in to the nose and maybe a little bit out of the mouth.
Feel the breath move in through the nose and back out through the nose.
Keep your attention here.
Keeping the jaw relaxed,
The lips barely touching,
The tongue resting behind the front teeth.
But keep your awareness on that breath moving in and out.
Rhythmically,
Easily.
Just keeping your awareness right here.
Your body is becoming heavier,
Melting deeply into the bed.
Feel your abdomen rising with the inhale.
You're going to breathe in for four counts.
We're going to exhale for four counts.
Stay with your attention,
Just resting easily here at the nose.
As we breathe in and breathe out,
Just allow me to guide you through this breath.
Inhaling for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for three,
Two,
One.
Inhaling one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for three,
Two,
One.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for three,
Two,
One.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for three,
Two,
One.
Breathing in one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for three,
Two,
One.
Feel your shoulders,
Your hips,
Your legs,
And the back of the head become heavier.
Breathing in one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Inhaling for six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale for four,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Breathe easy.
Exhale gently.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale and exhale.
Continue.
The dark is a calming blanket for the body to rest beneath.
It's time to surrender.
It's time to surrender to sleep.
Allow the brain to rest.
Allow the body to let go.
Let go.
Let go.
Let go.
Enjoy deep rejuvenating sleep.
Allowing yourself deep breaths like this,
Even if you're not asleep,
Is extremely nourishing,
So don't underestimate your effort.
Your nervous system thanks you.
Resting and relaxing allows the body to heal,
To regenerate.
So if you're still awake,
Try not to stress.
Try not to worry.
Keep this practice going for one week,
Retraining yourself how to breathe.
Then you'll find yourself drifting and eventually you'll be carried into deep sleep.
I wish you peace and good rest.
Until next time,
Good night.
