You dropped off to sleep okay but now you're awake and it's 4am.
Your stomach is churning and your mind is racing.
Things that happened at work keep going round and round in your head and you just can't seem to let it go.
Let's spend some time together relaxing,
Breathing and listening to the music as you fall asleep.
This meditation is 20 minutes long.
I'll be talking for a little while and then the music will slowly quieten down so you can drift off to sleep.
There will not be an ending bell or anything to wake you at the end.
First things first,
Let's take three really deep breaths right into your belly.
Hold for a heartbeat and release.
Again breathe in,
Hold,
Slowly breathe out and a third time breathe in,
Hold,
Exhale slowly.
Now are you comfortable?
The right temperature?
Do whatever you need to do to get yourself into a comfy position where you can relax into sleep.
I'm not here to tell you what to do about your work situation.
You're smart,
You'll work it out but I can tell you that this situation is just one aspect of your life and you have other good things going on.
If you want you can think about two or three things outside of work that you appreciate.
Your dog,
The fresh morning air,
Your hobbies,
Whatever they are,
Hold them in your mind for a moment and breathe deeply.
Allow your belly to relax with each breath.
Each inhale expands your belly,
Each exhale relaxes your belly,
Inhale expand,
Exhale relax,
Inhale expand,
Exhale relax.
Let your breathing return to normal.
If there are thoughts that keep coming up about things you will do or say tomorrow,
You can make a quick note of them now but you'll know what to do after some rest.
You can set aside 30 minutes after breakfast or on your commute to make notes.
Now is not really the time to do that.
Now is the time to rest.
It's okay if you don't fall asleep straight away.
Simply allowing your body to be relaxed and comfortable and giving your thinking mind a break will help to revitalize you.
There's nothing to do except appreciate yourself for starting this meditation and start to relax your body and mind.
Take your attention to your jaw.
We can hold tension there.
Open and close it,
Move it side to side,
Maybe a gentle massage on your jaw muscles to help it relax.
Check back in with your breathing.
Are you taking slow deep breaths?
Move your attention now to your shoulders,
Another place we keep stress in our bodies.
If you're lying on your back you can gently move your head from side to side but please don't do this if you're lying on your side.
Raise and lower or roll your shoulders.
Try and focus in and allow them to relax down towards your legs.
Scan your body for any places of tension.
We are all different and all deal with stress differently.
It's useful to learn where in your body you hold stress and tension so you can tune in and consciously relax those areas when you're feeling under pressure.
Start to listen closely to the music.
Allow it to carry you along.
If you like to visualize resting in a beautiful place in nature you can do that but if not you can just listen to the music but if not you can look for colors behind your closed eyes or count your breaths in rounds of five.
Check in with your breath.
Are you breathing slowly and deeply?
Check in with your body.
Are you feeling relaxed?
Allow your body to feel very heavy sinking slowly into the bed below you.
Feel gravity work slightly more on your body than usual,
Gently pressing it into your bed.
Feel the in-breaths you take bring love and relaxation into your body.
Feel the out-breaths remove stress and tension.
Breathe in peace,
Breathe out and relax.
Breathe in love,
Breathe out and relax.
Breathe in calm,
Breathe out and relax.
Now it's time to rest,
To let the day go,
To exist in the peace and tranquility of this moment right here.
You are warm and safe and loved.
Rest well my friend.
Good night.
