Hi,
I'm Kirsten.
If you've woken up in the middle of the night and you're having some trouble getting back to sleep,
I totally understand.
It happens to me often as well,
And it's actually very common.
If it makes you feel any better,
For much of human history,
People slept in two stages with an hour or so awake in between.
It's only because of things like the Industrial Revolution and artificial lighting that we've come to think of a solid eight-hour block of sleep as normal.
But sometimes our bodies still want to spend time awake at night.
So here we are.
You're not alone.
You're in good company with all the other people out there in the world tonight who also wish they were asleep.
It's not much fun,
But it's a pretty normal thing,
And it's going to be okay.
Sometimes when we're stuck awake at night,
Our minds start going around in half-asleep loops,
Thinking of things we need to do,
Revisiting uncomfortable situations,
And just making it really difficult to settle down again.
It can help to start shifting your focus from up in your head back down to the sensations in your body again,
And give yourself permission to let go of whatever you're trying to hold on to.
So,
First,
We're going to release tension in the body.
If you feel restless and fidgety,
Wriggle around in bed and get that out of your system.
Stretch anything that needs stretching.
Flip back and forth like a fish out of water until you feel like your body is ready to settle for a while.
If you don't feel fidgety,
And you're totally zonked and can barely move a muscle,
That's fine.
Stay with that.
Whenever you're ready,
Get yourself all nice and cozy in whatever position you want to fall asleep in.
Now,
Take a big,
Deep breath,
And tighten up your hands into little tight fists.
Really ball them up,
Tense every muscle as you hold your breath.
Hold it,
And then let everything go with a big sigh,
And release your hands.
Do that again,
Big,
Deep breath in,
Ball up your hands into tight fists,
Hold everything tight,
And let it all go.
One more time.
Big breath in,
Clench your fists,
Tight muscles,
Hold it all in,
And as you let go,
Let everything go with it.
Any thoughts,
Any ideas,
Any worries,
Any tension,
Anything at all,
Just gone.
Next,
We're going to bring awareness into the body.
As I name each part of the body,
You can rest your awareness on it,
Or imagine it visually.
You don't need to move it,
Or try to relax it,
Just give it your full attention.
Put your attention on the right hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
The right wrist,
The lower arm,
The elbow,
The upper arm,
The right shoulder,
The armpit,
The right side of the waist,
The right hip,
The thigh,
The right knee,
The calf,
The ankle,
The heel,
The sole of the foot,
The top of the foot,
The big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now,
Become aware of the left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
The palm of the hand,
The back of the hand,
The left wrist,
The lower arm,
The elbow,
The upper arm,
The left shoulder,
The armpit,
The left side of the waist,
The left hip,
The left thigh,
The knee,
The calf,
The ankle,
The heel,
The sole of the left foot,
The top of the foot,
The big toe,
The second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Become aware of the right shoulder blade,
The left shoulder blade,
The right buttock,
The left buttock,
The spine,
The whole back all at once.
Now,
Go to the top of the head,
The forehead,
The right temple,
The left temple,
The right eyebrow,
The left eyebrow,
The space between the eyebrows,
The right eyelid,
The left eyelid,
The right eye,
The left eye,
The right ear,
The left ear,
The right cheek,
The left cheek,
The nose,
The upper lip,
The lower lip,
The inside of the mouth,
The chin,
The neck,
The collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
The middle of the chest,
The navel,
The abdomen,
The whole of the right leg,
The whole of the left leg,
Both legs together,
The whole right arm,
The whole left arm,
Both arms together,
The front of the torso,
The back of the torso,
The whole torso,
The whole head,
The whole body together,
The whole body together,
The whole body together.
Feel the whole body together all at once,
Floating and drifting.
Feel the edges of your body soften and fade,
Your entire being dissolving into space like fog.
You're free now.
You're floating away,
Being carried on the current,
Drifting off into the night.
