Hi,
This is Lorraine.
I know that sometimes it can be challenging to fall asleep,
Especially if your brain feels busy or you're overtired or you've just been doing a lot of thinking.
So this meditation is designed to give you some room to calm your mind and your body in preparation for the kind of sleep that will really allow you to rest and rejuvenate.
And so the first thing you get to do is get as comfortable as you can in the place where you would like to drift off and ultimately fall asleep.
And you do anything that you need to in order to let go of the urge to fidget or fuss or move.
And if you're in that really comfortable space where you sometimes fight with sleep,
Make sure that you can do anything you need to do to break that pattern.
Because here we'll begin as you let your mind and your body truly settle,
Your eyes can close or focus,
You feel the sensations of being completely supported.
You've done all that needs doing.
You can let your head rest.
You relax your eyes,
Your brow,
Your jaw,
Your cheeks.
There's that same relaxation that you'll feel move all the way through your shoulders.
Maybe you notice your arms feeling heavy and a warmth in your hands.
As you feel that warmth,
You can sense that you're moving into a state where you're able to rest and digest.
And it doesn't take any conscious input.
In fact,
You'll move deeper into that state without additional thought.
And you can feel your legs nice and heavy and supported.
Maybe the warmth that you felt in your hands also exists in your feet.
And you get to find a smooth,
Steady pattern of breath.
It's as if you're pretending to be asleep.
Maybe you did that when you were a kid.
You knew that someone was checking on you,
So you pretended to be asleep.
Your breathing pattern slows down.
There's an ease in the way that your body settles.
That same ease is in your face.
Any rigidity from the day is now gone.
That steady breath allows you to feel how you move right into rest.
That might turn into a soothing visualization of the ocean waves of a place where you personally feel peaceful,
Relaxed,
And supported.
And that feeling you let your entire body weight be supported without the assistance of your muscles.
There's a way that you allow a letting go.
And as your breath gets slower,
Steadier,
And deeper,
Your brain can follow that pattern.
If you still have a need to pay attention,
Let your breath out be longer than your breath in.
So that as you begin to drift into a place of settling,
You notice that you're naturally able to let go.
You're designed to drift into a place of rest.
You're designed to get quiet and allow the quiet to comfort.
You come back to that feeling of heavy,
Supported ease.
The rhythm,
The quiet,
And the sensations allow deep comfort.
Let it feel nice to drift into that place where you don't have to think.
You just get to breathe.
And you let the important process of nourishing and recharging,
Resting,
And digesting to happen as you just settle.
And you can stay right here.
Hopefully you're right at the edge of being able to fall asleep.
And if your conscious brain is still dealing with thoughts or worries or wondering,
Let it come back to that steady rhythm of breath,
The kind that actually happens when you are sleeping.
And if you're still awake,
Maybe you visualize what it looks like when you watch the movement of a baby's breath when they're sleeping or a beloved pet as they rest.
That same peace can be yours.
Thank you for taking the time to settle your brain and your body and connect with your ability to rest and digest.
