The Middle Of The Night Meditation

Created specifically for waking during the night, this short sleep meditation takes away the pressure to get back to sleep. Rather than checking the time, calculating lost sleep or trying to quiet your mind, you’ll be guided gently toward the physical sensations of the bed, warmth, breath and rest. Spacious periods of silence allow the practice itself to become restful, whether sleep returns quickly or takes a little longer.

Transcript

The middle of the night. If you are listening to this. You've probably woken up in the middle of the night. And before anything else. Nothing has gone wrong. You're awake. That's all we know. You don't need to work out why. You don't need to know what time it is. You don't need to calculate how much sleep you've had. Or how much sleep you might still get. We're not going to do anything with the night. We're simply going to rest inside it. So let yourself lie exactly as you are. You don't need to try to get back to sleep. For now. Rest is enough. Feel your head on the pillow. Feel the weight of it. Feel your shoulders. Your arms. Your hands. And perhaps notice. The warmth, The coziness underneath the covers. And the bed beneath you. Still here. Still holding you. Let your attention come gently towards your breathing. Don't change it. One breath comes. And one breath goes. And another. That's all. If thoughts have already started. Just let them be there. You don't have to follow them. You don't need to answer them. And you don't need to make them disappear. Thoughts can move. While you remain here. In the bed. Under the Covers Breathing. Perhaps your mind wants to move into tomorrow. Not yet. Tomorrow will come by itself. You don't need to meet it early. Come back to the pillow. The weight of your head. The warmth around your body. Bed beneath you. And if sleep doesn't come immediately. Nothing's gone wrong. You're still resting. Your body is still lying down. Your eyes can remain closed. Your muscles can do less. And your breathing can continue without any help from you. There is no deadline for falling asleep. No moment by which it has to happen. So take sleep off the list. You don't need to achieve it. You can simply lie here. Resting. Breathing. Being still. And perhaps you'll notice there are tiny moments. When you forget you're trying to sleep altogether. Let those moments come. And go. No grabbing, No checking. No wondering is it working. Nothing needs to work. Feel the pillow. Feel the bed. Feel the warmth. And let the night be quiet around you. You don't even know, Need to know the time. You don't need to know when, If you'll fall asleep. You don't need to know what tomorrow will feel like. Just this breath. And this one. You can stop listening now if you want. There is nowhere to get to. Nothing to achieve. Rest is enough. And if sleep comes, You don't need to notice. Let it find you. While you're resting. I'll leave you here.