Night Time Talk Down 8 Hours

Join me for this 8 Hour Night Time Talk Down, to help shift your Vagus Nervous System from fight/flight to rest/digest. This offering uses awareness of breath, breath retention, 4/7/8, to activate the Vagus Nervous System. You will then be guided through a progressive relaxation meditation to release any tension in your body. A sound track has been created to help to support you in your deep sleep.

Transcript

Hi,

I'm Karen.

Welcome to today's meditation.

This eight-hour offering isn't so much of a traditional meditation as it is a nighttime talk down.

It's created to help you to do one of the most important things that you can actually do for both your physical and mental wellness.

That is,

To bring your body into equilibrium,

Into a place of balance.

Bringing the body and mind into equilibrium can help you to cultivate feelings of calm,

Safety and connection.

Your body in equilibrium can help to lower stress,

Regulate blood pressure and heart rate.

It can improve your digestion and can help you to release tension from your body.

And here's the jewel of this offering.

It can help you to sleep better.

During our time together,

We're going to engage in a number of different practices.

Each one is designed to help you to activate your vagus nerve,

Your body's natural relaxation response,

Which will help you to calm your body and your mind.

We'll begin by focusing on the breath.

We'll simply notice how it is that you've arrived today,

However that is.

When we focus on our breath,

We're present to this moment.

Whatever has occurred today or yesterday is just a memory.

But your breath is real and it's right now.

Then,

We're going to shift into a very gentle breathing exercise.

Focusing on your breath shifts your attention away from stressful mind chatter and toward the rhythm of your own breathing.

Stimulating the vagus nerve using a breath exercise will engage your body's natural relaxation response.

I will then guide you through a progressive relaxation practice,

Moving through your whole body slowly as we go,

Inviting you to release any tension that might be there.

And finally,

We'll use a simple affirmation to cultivate a sense of safety within the self,

Something we all need.

We'll take our time as we move through our nighttime talk down.

We're inviting the body,

The mind,

Into a state of ease,

Of safety.

I've created a background soundscape to help you to either stay in your dream state or to ease you back into a deep and restful sleep state.

So if you would like to join me,

Maybe set up any wake-up systems or alarm systems that you might need so that if you have an important appointment tomorrow,

You won't miss it.

Let's begin by letting that worry go.

Now,

Arrange yourself to be as comfortable as you can possibly be.

Use as many pillows and blankets as you want.

And know that you can move at any time during this talk down.

If you could make yourself even 1% more comfortable,

I invite you to make that happen.

Let's begin by checking in with how it is that you've arrived.

Where do you feel your breath right now?

Simply notice where you feel the breath most vividly in a physical sense.

As you do this,

You might become aware of thoughts bubbling up.

Thoughts can come to us in different ways,

And they arrive randomly,

Sometimes as words or images.

And we can't stop the mind from thinking.

It's constant.

But we can choose whether or not we engage with our thinking mind.

I like to think of our thoughts or thinking as luggage,

Suitcases.

And our mind is like a luggage carousel at an airport.

You see the thoughts,

Baggage,

Moving around the luggage carousel.

Sometimes you see the same bag again and again.

You wonder,

Who's going to pick that up?

Is it important?

That is your mind ruminating,

Turning over the same thought,

Perhaps with slight variations,

Over and over,

Without resolve or outcome.

And that's okay.

You may not have enough information to resolve whatever is in that bag.

So let that luggage move along down the carousel.

Let it go.

Tomorrow,

If you still want to pick that bag up,

You can.

But for now,

Let it shift away.

And then bring your attention back to your breath.

Where do you feel it?

Simple question.

How does it feel?

Not trying to change it.

Just letting it move in and out.

Perhaps you feel the breath at the tip of your nose.

Or in the gentle movement of air across your upper lip as you breathe in and out.

Or maybe you feel it at the back of your throat.

The air is cool there.

Perhaps you notice the breath in the expansion and contraction of your chest.

Or do you feel it in the rise and fall of your belly?

Breathing in,

The belly rises.

Breathing out,

The belly falls.

Wherever it is that you notice your breath,

Just rest there with it.

Let it breathe you.

Good.

We're going to begin a very gentle breathing exercise now.

One that will help to stimulate the vagus nerve,

Activating the body's natural relaxation response.

This breathing exercise is called 4-7-8.

And the numbers reference the counts for either drawing breath in or moving it out,

Or retaining,

Holding the breath.

I'll lead you through the exercise three times,

Counting for you.

You'll breathe in through your nose for a count of four.

Then hold the breath at the top of the breath for a count of seven.

Then exhale through your open mouth slowly for a count of eight.

My guidance here is just a suggestion.

If you find that in trying the exercise you feel discomfort or stressed,

Change the count to better suit you.

Or you might choose to simply notice your breath moving slowly in and out,

Trying to deepen the breath a little bit and extend the exhalations.

In any case,

I'll lead you through the count three times.

And then I'm going to create some space afterwards with background sound,

Where you're going to have space to breathe on your own.

If you're ready,

Breathing in through the nose,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Holding,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Breathing out,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

In,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Hold,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Out,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

Out,

In,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Hold,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Out,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

Now continue on for the next minute or two in your own time and fashion.

We're going to begin our progressive relaxation now.

This is the systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout your body.

I will guide you to move your awareness to different parts of your body.

And as I do,

Bring your awareness to each part.

Then as best you can,

Acknowledge any sensations that might be present.

Then invite that place in the body to release any tension as we shift to the next part of the body.

If you lose track of where you are in the relaxation,

Please don't stress.

Just jump back in when you next hear my voice.

We're going to begin on the right side.

Bring your attention all the way down the right arm into the right hand,

Finally resting in the right thumb,

Bringing awareness to any sensations that might be present,

And then letting that go.

Bring awareness now to the second finger,

Letting it go.

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the right hand,

Back of the right hand,

Right wrist,

Right forearm,

Right elbow,

Right upper arm,

Right forearm,

Right underarm,

Right side body,

Right hip,

Right thigh,

Right knee,

Right lower leg,

Right ankle,

Right heel,

Right sole of foot,

Right top of foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

And now draw your attention all the way over to the left thumb,

Bringing awareness to the left thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Left palm of hand,

Left back of hand,

Left wrist,

Left forearm,

Left elbow,

Left upper arm,

Left underarm,

Left side body,

Left hip,

Left thigh,

Left knee,

Left lower leg,

Left ankle,

Left heel,

Left sole of foot,

Left top of foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Bring your attention now to the back of the body,

Shifting up to the upper back,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Right mid-back torso,

Left mid-back torso,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

The spine,

The whole back together,

Right shoulder,

Left shoulder,

The back of the neck,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

Right side head,

Left side head,

Forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

The nose,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Lower jaw,

Tongue,

Tongue,

Throat,

Right shoulder front,

Left shoulder front,

Chest right side,

Chest left side,

Abdomen,

Right hip crest,

Left hip crest,

Pubic bone,

Front of body,

Right leg,

Left leg,

Right foot,

Left foot,

Right arm,

Left arm,

Right hand,

Left hand,

The whole head,

The whole body,

The whole head and whole body together,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Very good.

And now,

Sometimes we just need to be reminded that we're all right,

That we're safe.

This doesn't mean that whatever happened was okay.

But know this,

You're all right now.

And so this is a very simple affirmation.

You might whisper it or say it silently in your head.

Three words.

I am safe.

I am safe.

I am safe.

Find your breath again.

Notice how it's changed.

Notice how it continues to change.

I am safe.

I am safe.

I am safe.

May you be well and safe and free.

And may your rest be deep and healing.