This is a short breathing meditation to help you come closer to your body and develop an inner peace and calmness as you're preparing yourself to sleep.
Make sure you are comfortable in your bed and do a little checking in with your body.
How does your body feel as you're preparing to fall asleep for the night?
You might feel the need to move parts of the body until you get a feeling and a knowing that the posture that you have chosen is the one that you really need for this night.
Once you have found yourself in the lying position you want,
I want to invite you to place one hand on your belly and another hand on your heart.
And now we're going to breathe together.
In your inhale you will notice your belly rising.
You inhale my last for three or four seconds and as you exhale allow your exhale to be longer.
Noticing your belly collapsing back into your spine.
Inhale your belly is rising and exhale your belly is dropping down.
Notice there is nothing else that you need to do.
Feel into the effortlessness of your breath.
The breath that sustains you day in and day out.
In this moment you're only just allowing yourself to receive the gift of your breath.
Allowing your body and mind to relax from the noise of your day.
Notice the pattern of your breathing and if there's any changes to it.
Is it rushed?
Is it paced?
Is it effortlessly happening?
Or is there some activity from the mind that's coming in wanting to direct the breath to be in a specific way?
Simply notice.
If you do happen to notice mind activity that is fine.
It is the nature of our minds.
Acknowledge your mind and breathe into its tendency to want to really try hard on your behalf.
And remind it that this is the time that it needs to rest for the day and return back to your breathing.
With an inhale your belly is rising and with an exhale your belly is dropping down closer towards the spine of your body.
You can rest now.
As we're coming towards the end of this short breathing meditation I want to invite you to say thanks to your breath and thanks to your body and mind for assisting you in this breathing practice and for being there for you.
And with your hands still on your belly and your heart I want you to promise to your body and your breath that you're going to return back to it in a more conscious and mindful way.
May you have a peaceful sleep.
