This meditation is called Sleep Well Tonight,
Cottage by the Sea.
Make yourself comfortable in your favorite position for falling asleep and close your eyes.
Take a slow,
Full breath and let it go.
It's time to set the world aside.
Let go of your day and begin your gentle transition into sleep.
And take another slow,
Full,
Deep breath and breathe out any tensions in your body.
All there is to do now is relax,
Rest and be restored.
Imagine you're standing on the shore of a lovely tropical island.
It's evening and the sun is just now setting and you watch as the orange ball begins to touch the horizon,
Casting a beautiful golden glow over the sea.
The light blue sky is beginning to glow yellow and pink where it meets the ocean,
Deepening into shades of dark blue and purple higher up.
A surfer is taking his last ride of the day and a sentry of pelicans glides across the placid scene,
Heading for a place to rest for the night.
Earth is ready to welcome the night time and the sky has begun to draw its curtain on another day.
Your favorite spot a little ways down the beach is a little hideaway cottage with a screened in porch where you can lie on a comfy bed,
Listen to the waves and let the sounds rock you gently to sleep.
And so you begin your walk home.
Barefoot at the edge of the warm tropical water.
You love the way your heels sink in a little with each step.
It's a wonderful rocking motion that seems to go so well with the way the water thins out onto the sand and then recedes and then returns to wash your feet with its salty foam.
The ocean air feels so pleasant on your skin and the smell of the ocean and the sense of the blossoming trees nearby are softly intoxicated beginning to make you a little drowsy.
Soon you come to your cottage,
Open the screen door and sit on the edge of the bed looking out at the sky and the sea.
The first stars have begun to come out and you take some time to just sit there and watch them appear one by one as last light of day fades and the sky darkens to a deep velvet.
Perhaps you can see the sliver of the new moon just set so not far above the horizon.
You're in bed now feeling your body relax from the day.
Playing with your feet allowing all the tension to go out of them now.
And so the relaxation in your feet begins to find its way into your ankles,
Your calves and your knees.
And now relax your upper legs,
Your hips and your buttocks and feel this relaxation flowing up into your abdomen and lower back and your upper back and chest.
And feel this peaceful relaxing feeling flowing down your arms,
Into your hands and out of your fingertips and then up into your neck,
Head and face.
Now your whole body is perfectly calm,
Relaxed and ready for sleep.
And just to make sure there's nothing left between you and a gentle full night's rest,
Imagine that the very top of your head opens and out float any thoughts that might still be trapped inside to find their way into the beautiful starry night sky far above the sea and drift out of sight.
Now you're all clear,
Don't forget to close the top of your head.
Soon you'll be sound asleep,
Off on a peaceful journey into dreamland that will carry you all the way through until morning.
So,
As you continue to listen to the waves outside,
Begin to follow your breath and intone the words soft,
Sleep,
Deep,
Peace,
Soft,
Calm.
Soft,
Deep,
Soft,
Quiet,
Deep,
Quiet,
Quiet,
Quiet,
Deep,
Quiet,
Deep,
Deep,
Deep,
Peace,
Soft,
Sleep,
Deep,
Peace.
Live in wonderful,
Soft,
Sleep,
Deep and peaceful.
Good night.
Good night.
