A cooling sleep meditation for hot summer nights.
Welcome to this cooling guided meditation to help you slow down internally,
Quiet,
Rapid thoughts and get some rest.
Please take a few moments to get as comfortable as you can to settle into your sleep position.
If you like,
Place something over your eyes to make the room a little bit darker.
Take a few deep breaths if you want to,
Perhaps sighing out the mouth.
Take a moment to notice what you're carrying from your day.
In the heat of the summer,
We can feel literally and metaphorically inflamed.
There's too much energy,
Too much sun and light and heat,
Causing our thoughts to jump around with too much energy.
Take a moment to allow your thoughts to jump around.
Notice what you're feeling in your body,
What's on the surface of your mind,
And what you're feeling in your heart.
Whatever it is is okay.
Just notice what's going on.
Now allow your body,
Your mind,
And your heart to recognize that it's time to rest.
Notice that you are in a safe place,
But it's dark here and quiet.
There's nothing to be done right now,
Nothing to figure out or fix or change.
You have all the time in the world.
Nothing matters right now but to rest.
Imagine your breath slowing down a little bit,
The bottom of your exhale stretching ever so slightly,
Leaning into that natural pause at the bottom of each breath.
As your breath slows,
Feel your shoulders dropping,
Your belly muscles releasing,
Your head heavy,
Your jaw relaxed,
Your legs heavy,
Your skin softening,
Releasing the heat from the day,
The surface cooling in the calm,
Dark night air,
Every muscle in your body slowing down,
Relaxing,
Calming,
Your brain gently switching to a rest state,
Sending the message down your spinal column,
But now is the time to rest,
To sleep.
Enough thinking has been done for today.
Enough work and activity and action have happened,
However much or little that may have seemed to you today.
It was enough.
Now is the time to rest.
You are sitting at the edge of a lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains.
You can smell the scent of pine and cedar trees around you,
And the lake itself is sapphire blue,
Clear and completely calm.
In the distance,
You can see more mountains,
Gorgeous against the expansive late afternoon sky.
This is a quiet place,
A secret place.
It's a place that you know like the back of your hand.
You know exactly how to get here and exactly how to get home.
You know that you are completely safe here.
This is your perfect,
Clear blue lake,
Protected by the mountain giants and the whispering trees.
This is a place where you can feel,
Can think,
Can imagine.
You can be exactly who you are.
The edge of the lake is surrounded by lush green grass and fine white sand.
You press your bare feet into the soft sand and feel it between your toes.
As you wander along the lake's edge,
You explore the sensations under your feet.
The sweet,
Fine sand and then the soft,
Plush grass cool under your tired feet.
You feel your jaw release and the muscles of your face widening and softening.
You feel completely at ease here,
Totally relaxed.
The weight has dropped from your shoulders and you feel the tired muscles of your neck letting go,
Trusting that everything is okay right now.
The sun is warm and sweet on your skin and there is a light cooling breeze around you.
You dip your feet into the calm,
Clear waters of the lake,
The water sweet and cool,
Soft and silky on your skin.
You enter the water and allow the sensation of cooling water to soothe your skin,
To relax your tired muscles,
To calm your mind.
You wander a little farther through the cool,
Silky water.
Just in the distance,
You see a waterfall cascading down the mountainside into the lake.
Here,
The color of the water shifts,
Taking on an emerald green,
Reflecting the pine trees and the moss on the rocky edges of the mountain.
The water slides over a small cavern.
There are wide,
Smooth rocks here that allow you to easily climb up toward the waterfall.
You can feel the soft spray of the water on your skin and it feels delightful.
You put your hands under the water and feel its flow,
Cool but not cold,
The perfect temperature.
You walk under the water and feel it showering over your head,
Your hair,
Your shoulders,
Your entire body.
You can feel the water cleansing your skin,
But with it also your spirit.
You are able to wash away any feelings of pain,
Sadness or irritation.
You feel peace and well-being coming over you,
Filling you up.
There is a purity to this water.
You feel nourished and relaxed,
Completely at ease,
Filled with contentment and peace as you let go of whatever you need to let go of.
Eventually you step back into the cavern under the sheet of water.
It's quiet here behind the rush of the waterfall.
The rock walls are shiny with water and it smells sweet with a mineral undertone.
You sit with your back resting against the rock wall,
Watching the underside of the waterfall,
Enjoying the deep sense of relaxation,
Peace and calm,
Protected by the wall of water.
Eventually you feel ready to leave this beautiful waterfall.
You slip through the curtain of water into the cool,
Sweet,
Emerald green pool around it.
You take your time to swim back to the lake shore.
The sun is still warm,
The white sand soft.
You allow the warm sun and the cool breeze to gently dry your skin,
Feeling calm from the inside out.
Your time at the lake has nourished your body and your soul,
Calmed any excess heat,
Cooled your skin down,
And allowed you to rest.
You may find that you'd like to lie down on the soft sand,
Perhaps on the grass.
You may like to sit and contemplate the lake.
You may rest at the edge of your perfect,
Secluded,
Placid lake as long as you want to,
Feeling calm,
Connected,
Nourished,
Cleansed,
And rested.
