Hi,
My name is Karen and welcome to A Daily Insight.
Sleep is essential to our overall wellness,
But sometimes sleep can be elusive.
And when we're unable to sleep,
Living skillfully can really be a challenge.
And we feel that we're in disharmony with our being.
Our bodies,
All living bodies,
Are controlled by various rhythms.
They affect your sleep patterns as well as other ways your body works,
Your hormones,
Body temperature,
Eating habits.
And when that system gets out of sync,
They can also cause problems with your health.
This practice can be useful in creating an internal state,
Which is conducive to easing into and remaining in a deep,
Healing sleep.
Or you can use it to carve out a little space in your day to take rest whenever it's needed.
Find a place that's quiet and removed.
Make yourself as comfortable as possible.
And if you're in a space where there is a lot of sunlight coming in,
Perhaps place a dark cloth over your eyes.
This helps to trigger the very internal clock system,
That rhythm that says it's time to sleep.
Breathe in deeply.
And exhale completely.
Breathe in again.
And as you exhale,
Notice how the body softens and relaxes.
Inhale and feel your belly swell,
Space being made.
And exhale.
See if you can release any tension that's there in your body.
Notice the light resting awareness of your breath coming and going.
Become aware of your body weight.
Notice the weight of your body resting against the bed,
The floor,
Maybe in a chair.
If you notice a place that is tense or tight,
Use your breath to breathe into that space,
Bringing it up just a little bit more and inviting it to soften and relax as you exhale.
Begin to notice any tension in or around your eyes.
Sometimes just turning up the corners of our mouth just a little bit,
A little Mona Lisa smile can be enough to just remove that tension.
And then just let the mouth soften.
Taking out the wrinkles in the forehead,
Untangling the brow line.
Allow your lower jaw to relax,
Softening the muscles.
Relax the tongue,
Let it rest very naturally in the mouth,
Perhaps even falling back just a little bit.
Notice how this relaxes the throat and the neck.
Become aware of the skull cap.
See if there are any muscles that are tense there.
Take a big breath in here.
Imagine the skull itself just doing a little stretch,
Lengthening those muscles.
And then as you exhale,
Let those muscles relax.
Even try relaxing your ears just a little bit.
Notice the muscles in your shoulders.
Take a big breath in and as you exhale,
Let them relax.
Feel that tension falling away.
Use each exhale as an invitation to sink deeper and deeper into that comfortable space.
Become aware of your upper arms.
No need to effort here.
Notice the arms and as you exhale,
Just ask them to soften and relax a little bit more.
Even your elbows.
Nothing to fight for,
Nothing to hold tightly.
As you exhale,
Let them soften,
Let them relax.
Become aware of your lower arms.
If there's any tension there,
Breathe into it.
Let it open and stretch and as you exhale,
Let the muscles return to harmony.
Let them relax.
Bring your focus now into your hands.
Notice if there's any clenching of the hands or fidgeting,
Distracting the mind from letting go.
As you breathe in,
Stretch out the hands just a little bit and as you exhale,
Let them just find their way back to natural posture,
Relaxed and open.
Take a big breath in and release any tension from the hands,
The arms or the shoulders.
Become aware now of the chest rising and falling with each breath in and each breath out.
Space being made on the deep,
Long breaths in between the ribs and as you exhale,
The ribs fall gently back into place.
Notice the sides of your body expanding with each breath and the gentle pressure into the bed or the floor or the back of the chair through your back.
Take a big breath and as you exhale,
Ask any knots or tangles in your body through the thoracic body,
The chest,
The ribcage,
Front,
Side or back.
Ask that to relax just a little bit more.
Open your focus now down to the mid torso.
As you breathe in,
Notice the belly swell and expand in all directions.
Feel the gentle pressure of the lumbar back into that which supports you.
And as you exhale,
Feel those muscles release any tension there.
As you breathe in,
Notice the swell of the belly through the sides of the body,
Moving the floating ribs out,
Swelling out,
Feeling that complete spatial awareness there.
And exhaling,
Letting it soften.
As you breathe in,
The belly swells,
Expands and downward pressure moves in toward the hip.
And as you exhale,
Give away all the tension that might still remain.
Bring your focus now to the hip girdle,
The very low back,
The sacrum,
The pelvic floor,
The low belly below the navel,
And the hips.
This is often an area of tension.
We hold so much emotion there.
Breathe in deeply so that your belly presses down into the hip girdle and invite space and opening.
As you exhale,
Invite the body through the hips,
The low back and belly to release,
To relax and find ease.
Become aware of the buttocks.
Notice if there's any clenching of muscles.
Breathe in and make space there if it's needed.
And as you exhale,
Soften those muscles so strong.
Let them release.
Take a deep breath in and open the entire torso.
And as you exhale,
Let go any tension or disharmony.
Become aware of your upper leg,
The strong muscles of the thigh.
Let your focus circle around and see any tension that might be there.
Breathe into it to open and lengthen.
Exhale and soften.
Release.
Notice now your knees,
Another place of pain for many.
Send love and compassion if there is pain.
Circling around the knee,
Offering love for all the work it does.
Take a deep breath in and exhale.
Let it soften and relax the muscles,
The tendons.
Let it warm the bones.
Become aware now of the lower leg below the knee.
Are the muscles relaxed?
Is there tension or discord?
Offer loving breath to lengthen and open.
And as you exhale,
Soften and release that tension,
Bringing awareness to your ankles.
This small joint comparatively to the hip bones joint,
It carries so much.
Breathe into the ankles,
Making space,
Offering warmth and compassion.
And then as you exhale,
Release,
Relax.
Bring your focus now to the feet,
The top of your feet,
The sides of your feet,
The heel,
The sole of your foot,
And your toes,
Each toe,
The big toe,
The second,
The third toe,
The fourth toe,
And the little toe.
Breathe deeply into your feet all the way down.
And as you exhale,
Let go any tension in the feet.
Breathe in deeply into the length of your legs and all the way out to the tips of your toes and exhale.
Let the lower body relax.
Return your focus now on the breath,
Not trying to alter it or change it,
But simply observing it.
With each breath in,
You are nourishing your body.
And with each breath out,
You're allowing the essential work to be done.
If any thoughts come to you,
Acknowledge them,
But return your interest back to this beautiful sensation that travels with the exhale.
Nothing is more important than that moment.
The body will know how much to breathe in and when to do it.
You have been breathing your entire life and you're doing it beautifully.
Begin to notice that wonderful sensation of the exhalation.
And now begin to notice the moment after the exhalation when the breath seems to be neither coming nor going,
Simply in a state of openness.
Notice that place as calm and tranquil,
That there is stillness there.
With each exhale,
Allow your body to melt into whatever you're resting on,
Whether it's the floor,
Your bed,
Or a chair.
You are supported.
You have done everything that you were meant to do today.
And when you're rested,
You will see whatever challenges await you with a mind that is clear.
And in that clarity,
You will find the solution that you need.
Allow the mind to rest,
Focusing only on the coming and going of breath.
Notice the sound of your breath.
As you draw your focus inward,
The sounds around you have faded away.
Can you feel your heart beating?
With each exhale,
Perhaps you become more aware of the heartbeat in your belly.
Bring your focus back to the breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
You are safe.
Your needs are met.
You are loved.
Take this time to rest.
Take this time to heal.
And when you're ready,
You will awaken with clarity and a sense of calm.
L Ninja das Rama rita
