Sleep is an essential part of our well-being.
It's during this time that our bodies recover,
Our minds process the day's events,
And we allow ourselves to reset and recharge for what tomorrow brings.
So as you prepare to fall asleep,
Consider this time a doorway to stillness,
And a deeper connection with yourself.
In sleep,
We let go of the demands of the outside world and find the place within where we can be our true selves,
Exactly as we are.
When we can't sleep,
It's often due to tension held in both mind and body.
Too much thinking,
Too much activity,
And difficulty letting go of our responsibilities can keep us from entering a peaceful state of rest.
In our culture,
The waking world is prioritized and often seen as the only one that truly matters.
But tonight,
I invite you to view sleep as just as essential,
As a sacred time for yourself.
Please get comfortable in your bed,
Turn off the lights,
And settle into a position where you can remain still.
In the stillness of the body,
We will begin to rest the mind.
There is nothing you need to do from this point on,
Except listen to my words,
And drift into a deep,
Restful sleep whenever you're ready.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
Hold for a moment,
And let it go slowly through your mouth.
Once again,
Take a deep breath in,
Hold,
And as you exhale,
Release all cares and worries.
Take one more deep breath in,
Hold at the top,
And release it along with any expectations for what is to come.
Gently close your eyes if you haven't already,
And let your breathing return to its natural rhythm.
Notice the weight of your body sinking into the bed,
As if you're being held by something much larger than yourself.
Continue to follow the gentle movements of your natural breath,
Releasing any need or desire to change it.
Letting go of the need to control,
And the desire to have things be any certain way.
With each exhale,
Let go of something,
A thought,
A worry,
A regret,
A concern.
Let each breath come and go at its own pace,
With its own rhythm,
As you release everything that can wait until tomorrow.
Simply watch and witness,
And let the breath draw you deeper into relaxation.
We will now visit each part of the body for a mindful body scan.
Simply guide your attention and loving awareness to each area I mention,
Sensing and feeling.
Please bring your attention to your feet,
And feel into the sensations you notice.
In your feet,
There could be warmth,
Coolness,
Pressure,
Or tingling.
Feel the places where your feet are in contact with the bed.
Feel your big toes.
Your second toes.
Third toes.
Fourth toes.
And baby toes.
Feel the spaces between your toes.
Feel the tops of your feet.
Feel the bones and the muscles in your feet.
The soles of your feet.
Feel both feet together.
Feel the back of your feet.
From your feet,
Gently shift your attention to the ankles.
Sense and feel your ankle joint.
The front of the ankle.
And the back of the ankle.
Their work is done for the day.
Let them soften completely.
Bring awareness to your lower leg.
Feel the calves.
And the shins.
Feel the muscles.
The bones.
And notice the sensations you feel.
Notice where your lower leg is in contact with the bed.
Continue breathing.
And relaxing the entire body.
Slowly move your awareness to your knees.
Feel the kneecaps.
And the spaces between your knees.
Notice at the backs of the knees.
Feel into your knee joints.
And allow both knees to soften.
Send your attention to your upper legs.
Feel the fronts of your thighs.
And the backs of your thighs.
Feel the muscles and bones in this area of your body.
Softening and releasing.
Now shift your awareness to your hips.
And your pelvis.
Notice any sensations you feel in the hip joints.
The glutes.
The front of the pelvis.
And the back of the pelvis.
Feel the contact points on the bed.
Breathing.
Releasing tension with each exhale.
Now to your lower back and abdomen.
Notice the natural curve of the lower spine.
Feeling sensations there.
Release the muscles of your low back.
Feel into your belly.
Soften your abdominal muscles and your digestive organs.
With each breath,
Let your lower back and abdomen soften and release.
Bring awareness to your middle and upper back.
Feel the kidney region.
And both shoulder blades.
Relax the muscles.
And feel them melting into the bed.
Let this whole area soften.
Releasing all tension.
Now slowly shift your attention to your chest.
Feel the sensations of your chest with the rise and fall.
Each breath.
Notice the subtle movements that happen with breathing.
And send all of your attention to this process.
Notice the heart space now.
In the center of your chest.
Right in the middle of the rise and fall of breathing.
Feel into this space.
Sensing its rhythm and energy.
Now from the heart to the shoulders.
Feeling into both shoulders.
The shoulder joints.
And noticing the sensations there.
Feel the muscles and bones of your shoulders.
And release any tension they are holding.
Bring your attention to the upper arms and the elbows.
Feel the weight of each arm resting.
Supported by the bed.
Feel the front of the arm.
And the back side of the arm.
Feel into the joints of the elbows.
And with each breath.
Allow any tension to release.
Move your awareness down to the forearms.
And the wrists.
Feel the front of the forearm.
And the back of the forearm.
Feel into the wrist joints.
And allow them to soften.
Feel your forearms and wrists becoming heavy.
Shift your attention to your hands.
Sensing the front of the hands.
And the back of the hands.
Feel the muscles and bones of the hands.
Feel the thumbs.
The index fingers.
The middle fingers.
The ring fingers.
And your pinky fingers.
Feel the space in between the fingers.
Let your hands soften completely.
From your hands.
Move to the neck and the throat.
Scent and feel into this area of the body.
Feel the front of the neck.
And the back of the neck.
Feel the sides of the neck.
Feel the center of the throat.
Release any tightness.
And allow it to relax completely.
Now slowly move your attention to the head.
Feeling into the scalp.
The temples.
And the forehead.
Relax your head.
Relax your inner ears.
Relax your entire brain.
Feel your head in contact with your pillow.
Allow your entire head and all its contents to soften and relax.
Feel your face resting.
And notice any sensations from your facial expressions today.
Release the muscles of your eyes.
And let them rest gently in their sockets.
Soften your eyebrows.
The space between your eyebrows.
Your cheeks.
Your upper and lower jaw.
And your tongue.
Allow all the tension in your face to melt away.
Now slowly return your awareness to your feet.
Feeling into your feet once again.
And keep your attention in your feet as you slowly scan up through the body once again.
Go at your own pace.
Feeling into each area of the body.
When you reach the top of your head,
Bring your awareness to the body as a whole.
Feel the entire body together from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
Feel that you are whole within yourself.
That you are connected to yourself.
That you love and care for yourself.
From this place of awareness and connection,
Recognize how it feels to treat yourself with kindness and care.
This can be a reminder of how important it is to give ourselves our own loving attention.
When we drift to sleep from a place of true connection with ourselves,
Sleep becomes a sacred practice.
I will now count down from 10 to 1.
With each number,
Allow yourself to release and let go into the stillness of sleep.
Feel yourself melting,
Releasing,
And fully surrendering to this process.
Follow along now as we go deeper into stillness and quiet.
10 9 7 6 4 2 May you have the most peaceful dreams.
