Welcome to this guided meditation for sleep.
We will imagine together as we allow our minds to drift off into gentle,
Restful sleep.
Some days sleep is harder to come by than other days.
It's possible that sleep won't come tonight,
And if that's the case,
That's okay.
Dreaming with me can happen in a place of gentle rest and peacefulness,
Even if we don't actually achieve the state of unconsciousness.
You'll get most of the benefits of sleep either way.
If you haven't already,
Get yourself as comfortable as you can today.
Adjust,
Fidget,
Get the pillows in the right place,
Maybe take a deep breath or two.
And then acknowledge the land that you're on and your relationship with this land.
Notice where you are in space.
The temperature of the air,
The darkness as it is,
The feel of the pillows and blankets.
Notice how it feels to close your tired eyes,
To let them rest.
Now imagine that your body is becoming a little lighter,
A little softer.
Your fingers begin to float lightly,
Your feet,
Any heaviness or discomfort in your body gently disappearing into the ether.
Your forehead softens and widens as you surrender into the pull of rest and sleep.
Your jaw relaxes.
The space behind your eyes shifts to the inner world.
World of magic and possibility,
The imagination of dreams.
Your bed has become a soft,
Cloud-like surface,
Supporting you gently and easily.
You find yourself in the middle of a clearing in the forest.
The circle of pine trees,
Their scent bright and astringent.
You look up into the sky and the trees are growing tall and beautiful.
Dark green needles,
Soft,
Almost like fur,
Stretching along their branches.
The sun dapples between them.
And the cheerful chirp of a pine warbler sounds from just beyond you.
The grok of a raven calls back.
Wings soar back and forth above you.
A bird surfing on the waves of wind,
Playing.
No agenda.
Simply enjoying its world.
You roll off your cloud bed,
Feeling your feet land on soft,
Responsive dirt.
Healthy earth,
The kind that grows tall trees and sweet plump berries.
The air has a moisture to it,
But fresh and clear.
The kind of air you want to breathe all the way to the bottom of your lungs.
You stroll a little ways,
Peeking through the trees on the edge of the clearing.
Cute fuzzy squirrels and fat robins dart under the bushes looking for snacks.
Your footsteps crunch onto the ground,
The sound mixing with theirs,
And you feel like one with them.
A part of the ecosystem of this forest.
Not a visitor,
But one who belongs.
You breathe again,
Feeling your nervous system attuned to the ease,
Peace,
And abundance of this forest.
You walk along a little further,
Past cedar trees with their warm,
Spicy bark,
And medicinal sprays that brush your arm as you pass,
Feeling like a friend's hello.
You pause to press your hand into the thick trunk of one of these cedar trees,
Closing your eyes.
You can hear its heartbeat,
Very slow and steady.
The heartbeat of all the trees and moss and fungi it is connected to.
You feel your own heartbeat connect too,
Slowing down a little,
Leaning into this miraculous tree.
You rest here a long moment,
Telling the tree your feelings,
Your fears,
Your wishes.
It listens like an old friend,
Wanting only to hold you in this space,
In this moment.
When you finish telling the tree your stories,
You listen.
Wondering what the tree may want to tell you in return.
With love and reciprocal care,
You listen deeply to the tree.
Doesn't matter whether you can understand its language or not,
You just do your best to hold space for it in your own way,
Taking your sweet time.
When this process feels complete,
You thank the tree,
Bowing gently and continue in your wandering.
Just beyond the trees there is a creek.
It curves around the edge of the forest,
Babbling in the way a brook can babble.
Its water is clear and clean.
Almost turquoise as it reflects the blue of the sky above it.
Smooth pebbles break the surface of the water,
Creating the sweet,
Comforting sound of the babbling brook.
You dip a toe in and the water is cool,
But not cold.
The perfect temperature for you right now.
Wide,
Smooth rocks spread out like a path through the shallow water.
And you step on them one at a time,
Feeling the water pleasurably flowing over your tired feet and toes.
You step to the other side and find yourself in a wide meadow.
Filled with bright,
Wild flowers,
Pink,
Orange,
And purple.
The scent is heady and sweet,
A little intoxicating,
But in a way that feels incredibly safe and that you know is healthy for you.
You can feel instinctively that this is a completely safe place for you to be.
A place where you are welcomed.
Where the scent of the flowers has some magic in them that gently heals anything in you that is painful,
Uncomfortable,
Or unbalanced.
Their petals are soft,
Their stems bright green.
Their connection with the earth below them,
The plants,
Animals,
Bugs,
And bees that tend to them is balanced,
Safe,
Only beneficial for you.
You wander through the flowers.
Caressing them with your fingers.
Your foot falls always in exactly the right place,
So that no harm is done to you,
Or the flowers,
Or the land.
You breathe the air.
The scent like honey,
Like fresh fruit,
Like clear water,
A balm to your skin and your heart and your mind.
At the edge of the wildflower field,
You find a wide,
Smooth rock,
Sun warmed,
The perfect size for you to lay down and rest.
You do so,
Your feet slightly tinged by the medicinal flower pollen,
Your hands uncurling,
Softening into the warm,
Loving gaze of this sun,
Which is the light of life and love,
With no possibility of harm.
You rest here,
Held by the earth,
Warmed by this loving sun.
Intermittent shade of a wide-leaved tree just above you,
Waving in the gentle breeze,
Ensuring that that light and that brightness is never too much,
Always just right.
You allow your body to rest,
Nourished by this magical land held in a place that loves and cares for you.
Your body relaxes more deeply,
Your breath softens,
And you drift into a nourishing,
Dream-filled sleep.
Sweetest dreams.
Calmest,
Most nourishing rest.
Thank you for dreaming with me.
