You can begin this meditation sitting up or lying in your bed.
Sometimes it's easier to cultivate sleepiness in a different position than the one you finally fall asleep in.
Experiment to see what works best for you.
Begin by making your breathing connected.
A steady rhythm with the inhalation flowing into the exhalation and the exhalation flowing into the inhalation.
Draw the breath in gently and allow the diaphragm to relax completely on the out-breath like a barely perceptible sigh.
As this very calming breath begins to let you settle,
Begin to move your attention slowly throughout your body,
Letting your awareness deliver ease every place you observe.
Begin with the bottom of your feet.
Imagine that your breath and awareness are tied together and as you breathe you become more and more aware of the sensations being experienced by the bottom of your feet.
As you bring awareness,
You also allow release so that just as we are ready to move to another part of your body,
You will completely let go of the previous part.
Begin to move away from the bottom of your feet.
Allow your awareness to move through and to the sides and tops of your feet.
The awareness itself is soothing.
It leaves total ease in its wake as your attention gently slides up to the ankles.
In this very gradual way,
Continue with the breath,
With your awareness,
Moving up the lower legs,
Little by little,
Filling one part of the body with awareness and allowing the previous part to sink into total relaxation.
Moving through your knees,
Completely filling the joint with awareness and slowly moving away.
Your upper legs,
Staying with a gentle connected breath,
Your pelvis,
Your lower back and abdomen.
Here you begin to feel connected even more with the physical movement of the breathing.
Make the breathing easy and continuous as you move into the upper abdomen,
The heart center.
Feel your ribs very gently expanding and contracting with the breath,
Very naturally,
Without effort.
Begin to connect the shoulders and move down the arms.
Gradually come to the hands,
Which begin to be pleasantly heavy,
Almost like they would be difficult to move if you tried.
Move slowly up the neck,
Release the muscles little by little.
Let the muscles of the face completely relax.
The jaw,
Lips,
And especially around the eyes and forehead.
And let any pressure remain as you slowly move all the way to the top of the head,
Leaving your entire body relaxed and ready for sleep.
If you have not already come into your preferred sleeping position,
You can slowly,
Gently move into that position now,
Moving as someone who is already asleep might move.
Imagine yourself in a state of very restful sleep.
You've seen many other people in this state and you've been in this state many times yourself.
Allow the fundamental aspect of sleep to come into your awareness.
Sleep is so basic to being human that it comes upon us spontaneously at times.
Bring into your awareness the universal simplicity of sleep and gradually begin to align yourself with that image.
Let your continuous flowing breath reinforce this image.
Imagine how the sleeper breathes and allow your breath to flow in the same way.
The sleeper's breath is soft,
Complete,
And serene.
With the body relaxed and the mind serene,
You are already beginning to reap the rewards of sleep.
Allow yourself to fully appreciate this state,
Even though you may not be asleep yet.
You've given yourself the gift of conscious relaxation and are reinforcing the benefit of inevitable deep sleep.
You have mindfully created the conditions which make sleep likely.
No more effort is required.
It's time now to let go completely into a state of deep relaxation,
Which will leave you pleasantly refreshed and rejuvenated.
