Magic Sleep Potion

Have you ever wished that you could cross the magic poppy field from the Wizard of Oz? This is your chance! Allow my voice to guide you into a deep, healing rest using relaxation techniques guaranteed to assist you in releasing tension and finally finding sleep once more. Like a magic sleep potion. All you have to do is find a comfortable position and follow the sound of my voice.

Music:
Imaginary Wings of Meditation by OctahedronMusic
Forest Birds Chirping by HolleywoodEdge
Leafy Wind Gently Blowing Distant Trees by prosoundfx
Small Waterfall by Sound-Ideas
Soft Creek Stream by HolleywoodEdge

Image: Poppy Field by Jasmina_K

Transcript

Welcome,

Thank you for choosing this magic sleep potion meditation.

My name is Kalyani and I will be your guide tonight.

I understand how frustrating it can be to lie in bed and not be able to fall asleep.

Your mind ruminating on all of the challenges you face,

Refusing to turn off.

I have been there.

Please know that you do not have to suffer alone.

Yoganidra is a powerful way to get the mind to stop all of those endless thoughts.

Not by silencing the thoughts,

But instead we will give the mind a job to do.

We will keep our mind busy with an anchor in the present moment,

So that we can find rest within the stillness of our mind.

You cannot do this wrong.

Your only job is to follow the sound of my voice as I guide you deeper and deeper within.

In Yoganidra,

You function on the level of awareness and the level of listening.

In your dreams,

You have no control,

But in Yoganidra,

You are the creator of the dream.

Say to yourself mentally,

I will not sleep,

Completely letting go of the expectation of finding sleep.

Instead,

Give yourself some time to simply become calm and steady,

Taking all pressure off.

As you take a deep breath in,

Feel calmness spreading throughout your body,

And as you breathe out,

Say to yourself mentally,

It is ok to relax.

Now,

Check in with your physical body.

Let's begin by making sure we are completely comfortable.

Take a moment to really observe all sensations in your body.

As you scan the body from the top of your head,

All the way down to your toes.

Let's begin by making sure we are completely comfortable.

Take a moment to really check in with your body.

Find a position of complete comfort for your body,

Welcoming a sensation of being supported and held.

Shift and move as needed to find even greater comfort and ease.

Then snuggle under your blanket,

Cultivating a sense of safety and security.

In Yoga Nidra,

We attempt to remain in stillness,

But you can always move at any time if your body is not completely comfortable.

The idea is to allow your body to melt away from your mind,

But if you are even slightly uncomfortable,

That is all you will be able to focus on.

So take this last little time to really shift and move as needed,

And then invite your body to rest in comfortable stillness.

Now take a moment to set your intention for practicing today.

State your intention as a short positive statement that is easy to remember.

It could be as simple as I release control of falling asleep and drift into healing rest with ease.

Or create the words of your own personal intention for practice today and repeat it silently three times.

Next,

Become curious about how your body feels in this moment.

Like an explorer,

Notice sensations without judgment or emotions about what you discover.

Exploring your inner landscape with open curiosity.

Simply taking mental notes of what you observe as you move deeper and deeper within.

Scan your body from the top of your head all the way down to your toes,

Observing any areas of tightness or tension within your body.

Notice the scalp and face,

Inviting your eyes to soften.

Allow your closed eyes to gently roll up.

Welcoming your external sight to rest as you awaken your internal vision.

Notice your ears hearing all of the different sounds around you,

Moving from one sound to the next,

No need to discover its origin.

Releasing all judgment of sound.

There is no good or bad sound.

All sound is simply vibration.

Feel your ears hearing.

Check in with your mouth.

Are there any residual tastes on your tongue?

Check in with your jaw.

Is there any old tension hiding out within your jaw?

Then ask your tongue to soften a little bit more.

As you feel the space between the upper and lower teeth growing.

Sense the movement of air in and out of your nose.

Notice what aromas do you discover within your nostrils.

Check in with your sense of touch.

As you observe the temperature of the air on your skin.

Feel the weight of your clothes.

Allow your blanket and gravity to wrap you in a feeling of comfort and protection.

Notice sensations in your neck and throat.

Allow your shoulders to grow heavy and soften down away from your ears.

Sense your upper arms,

Elbows,

Lower arms,

Wrists,

And both hands.

Imagine just for today that we can open up the tips of our fingers.

Feel that any tension that was hiding out begins to flow down from the head,

The neck,

And shoulders.

Sense it flowing over the arms and the hands.

And begin to feel it dripping out of the tips of your fingers.

Notice sensations in your chest and upper back,

The front and back of the ribs.

Your belly and low back.

Ask all internal organs to soften into relaxation.

Notice the hips and buttocks,

Upper legs,

Knees,

Ankles,

Feet,

And toes.

Now any old emotions that no longer serve you begin to flow down from the torso,

Down over the hips.

Feel them moving over the legs and feet,

And allow those old emotions to drip out of the tips of your toes.

The entire body resting peacefully,

Supported.

Notice that each exhalation guides the body to feel heavier and heavier.

Like lead,

We begin to soften and sink deeper and deeper into the support behind us.

Comfortably heavy in each and every muscle.

Every bone growing heavy.

This heaviness helps our mind to slow down.

Thoughts still come.

It's what the mind is designed to do.

But now they begin to slow way down.

This heaviness in the mind and body helps to create space between the thoughts.

Take a few moments to savor this feeling of heaviness within and all around.

Now in your mind's eye,

Imagine a staircase with five steps,

Guiding us deeper and deeper into relaxation.

Step five,

Welcoming the feeling of heaviness,

Preparing our mind and body for deep healing rest.

Stepping down onto step four,

Growing heavier and heavier as we cultivate gratitude for the ability to recharge and recoup.

Step three helps us sink deeper and deeper as we give ourselves full permission to rest and let go.

Step two shows us that our body is so heavy that it would be a challenge even to raise a finger.

Step one we notice even our eyelids are heavy and it would be a challenge to even open our eyes.

We arrive now on the ground floor,

Comfortably heavy and at ease as we continue to sink deeper and deeper within.

Without changing anything at all,

Just notice that the breath has slowed down too.

As we inhale we fill up completely and as we exhale we grow empty,

Empty,

Empty.

Now release the effort of that breath and simply allow your breath to fall in and out without any effort at all.

Allow yourself to sink deeper and deeper into the wave-like motion as the breath falls in and the breath falls out effortlessly.

Like the endless waves lapping at the beach,

The breath falls in and the breath falls out without any effort at all.

We can rest in the awareness that the breath will continue to move deeply in and out without us having to guide it.

Trusting our body to continue this relaxed,

Deep breathing,

Allow your awareness to travel through your body now on a journey of sensation.

Simply feel each part as it is mentioned,

No need to move.

Remain in comfortable stillness and welcome all sensation just as it is.

Notice your right hand,

Right hand thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Fourth finger,

Back of the hand,

Feel your whole right hand alive with energy,

Feel your wrist,

Elbow,

Whole shoulder,

Allow the entire right arm to feel heavy as if it is sinking into your bed.

Move your attention to the notch at the base of your throat,

Then notice your left hand,

Left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Back of the hand,

Feel your whole left hand alive with energy and filled with sensation.

Feel your left wrist,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Allow the entire left arm to feel heavy as if it is sinking into your bed.

Move your attention back to the notch at the base of the throat,

Become aware of the upper chest,

Upper back,

Both shoulders and shoulder blades.

Feel your heart center,

Notice your abdomen,

Sensation in the front and back of your ribs,

Solar plexus.

Feel your belly,

Low back and navel center,

Both hips.

Sense the base of your spine,

Imagine that any tension hiding out within the right side of the body begins to drip out of the right foot.

Total awareness of the sensation of releasing everything that no longer serves you.

Feel again the pelvis,

Left hip,

Imagine that any tension hiding out within the left side of your body begins to drip out of the left foot.

Total awareness of the sensation of releasing everything that no longer serves you.

Observe sensations in both feet,

Feel the base of your spine between your sitting bones and navel center.

Solar plexus,

Heart center,

Throat center,

Bring awareness to the top of your head.

Feel your whole head,

Become aware of your ears,

Right ear,

Both ears simultaneously.

Feel your ears hearing.

All sounds are simply vibrations.

Follow those vibrations into the ear canals,

All the way into the inner ear.

Notice your ears receiving sound,

Listening.

Feel your ears hearing.

No judgment of sounds,

No labeling of sounds as good or bad.

Simple awareness of the sounds around and awareness of the sounds within you.

Notice your mouth.

Feel your mouth.

Feel sensations in your mouth.

Sense your jaw,

Inviting it to grow heavy.

Notice the place where the lips touch and the space between.

Feel the inside of the mouth.

Under the tongue.

Upper teeth and gums.

Root of the tongue.

Center of the tongue.

Notice the sense of taste within the mouth.

Feel the left inner cheek,

Right inner cheek.

Now feel all the parts together as a whole.

Feel the mouth as sensation,

As energy,

As radiant vibration.

Both eyes together.

Notice eyelids.

Feel each eyelash.

Rest for a moment in the space between the eyelids.

Come aware of the surface of the eyes.

Centers of the eyes.

Backs of the eyes.

Allow the eyes to grow even heavier and sink deeper into their sockets.

Feel the eyes now as energy.

Radiant,

Glowing embers.

Resting your outer vision as you awaken your inner sight.

Notice the nostrils.

Left nostril.

Right nostril.

Both nostrils together.

Notice the breath.

Nasal passages.

Follow nasal passages all the way back into your head.

Which nostril is receiving more air in this moment?

There is no right answer.

Simply become aware.

Does the left nostril receive more air?

Or is it the right nostril?

Now follow the breath even deeper.

Down the throat.

Feel it expanding into the lungs.

See the breath as white light coming in with the inhale and spreading deep within.

This light brings energy and a feeling of nourishment as the prana moves in with the breath.

The lungs help the body circulate this healing energy throughout the entire body.

Awareness of your whole back body as sensation alive with vibration.

Feel now the front body filled with radiant vibration.

Each and every cell within illuminated by that healing energy that continues to flow in with the breath.

Pour your awareness like liquid into the right side of your body and feel the entire right side as being alive with sensation.

Pour your awareness like flowing sensors into the left side of your body.

Feel your left side as radiant sensation.

Your body as a whole.

The whole body all together.

Feel sensation throughout your entire body.

Now below the awareness of your body and concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyes.

Imagine before you a transparent screen through which you can see infinite space.

A space that extends as far as the eyes can see.

Concentrate on this comfortable space and just notice what appears.

Or is it dark?

If it's dark,

Make sure it's a comfortable darkness.

A restful place that feels calm and allows you to be at ease.

Feel the presence of this space but do not become involved.

Practicing detached awareness only as if you were watching a movie on the big screen.

Now on that screen,

Imagine yourself in the woods in the early morning.

The sun has not yet risen and you have the woods all to yourself to explore.

It's a beautiful morning.

Calm.

Listen to the birds whistle and call as they welcome in the new day.

Smell the fresh clean air and see the early morning dew drops on the ground.

There is a well-worn path for you to follow through the tall trees.

A beautiful canopy of leaves overhead that allow some of the early morning sun to come through.

Speckles of light warming your face and lighting your way.

You walk beneath the protection of the trees,

Taking in the trees' beauty.

There are bare trees and trees with leaves.

Widespreading trees and tall stately trees.

You begin to hear the sound of water off in the distance.

You move closer and closer to the peaceful sound of water bubbling and splashing.

Up ahead you notice there is a clearing between the trees.

In the clearing is a beautiful waterfall,

Filling a deep pool of tranquil water at its base.

Observe the beautiful aura of light around the waterfall.

Walk over to the calm water and step.

It is cool and refreshing after your long walk.

Lay back and float on top of the cool water and see yourself held up effortlessly as you become still.

Sensation of buoyancy.

A sense of peace and harmony envelops you as the sounds outside fade into the distance.

Notice the sun has fully risen now and you can feel its warmth on your face and the whole front of your body.

At the same time,

Feel the cool water at your back holding you up,

Buoyant and light.

There is nowhere else you need to be.

There is nothing more you need to do.

Simply float here with ease for as long as you like.

When you are ready,

Simply float back over to the edge of the water and take some time to lie down on the springy green grass.

So you can warm up,

Just resting,

As we continue to listen to the peaceful sounds,

Hear the wind in the trees,

The bong of the birds calling.

As you rest here,

Bring your awareness back into your inner landscape.

The dark space you see in front of your closed eyes.

Actually,

This space can also be visualized in front of your forehead.

So if you want to explore it,

You can shift your gaze slightly upwards,

But do not strain.

Watch the darkness that you see before you with detachment.

Do not become involved.

If thoughts occur,

Let them come and go,

But continue to watch the friendly,

Dark place with detached awareness.

Now remember your resolve,

Your intention.

Mentally repeat your resolve you made at the beginning of the practice,

In the same words and with the same feeling.

I release control of falling asleep and drift into healing rest with ease.

Repeat your resolve now three times clearly,

With feeling and emphasis.

Become aware of your breathing.

Become aware of your natural breath.

Develop an awareness of your physical existence.

Feel the weight of your body supported and held.

Observe your physical existence and the breath moving through you,

Free from all obstructions.

If you discover any blockages at all,

Simply breathe them out of your mind and body.

Breathe out any last drops of tension that were still hiding out within,

Letting go of anything and everything that no longer serves you.

Once you have released everything you need to let go of,

Allow yourself to drift peacefully into sleep.

Thank you for trusting me to be your guide tonight.

Until we meet again,

Wishing you a strong body,

A gentle heart,

And a quiet mind.

Rest well,

Friends.

Namaste.

Kalyani.

Reviews

Your meditation was so relaxing that I immediately fell asleep. I really can’t tell you another thing about it, which is perfect! Thank you!