Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Tonight,
I'd like you to join me as we return to the Sea of Tranquility,
That ancient sea that's been around since the dawn of mankind.
Its waves move slowly into the shore,
As they have for thousands and thousands of years.
We're walking on the path that winds its way through the enchanted forest and ends at the Sea of Tranquility.
As we walk,
You can hear the leaves crunching underfoot.
On either side of the path,
There are towering pine trees and massive oaks.
There are a range of scents that radiate from the forest.
The scent of pine,
The scent of old wood,
Of sweet jasmine vines that cling to the trees,
And the hint of the sea.
And this variety of fragrances scents the air,
And it's very relaxing.
Now,
As we walk along the path,
Give yourself permission right now to let go of everything.
Let go of everything that you're concerned with before we even get started.
And also,
Make sure that all of your routine nighttime things are taken care of.
Make sure the stove is shut off and the door is locked.
Silence all your devices,
Except the one you're listening to this on.
Now,
Just lay in your bed,
Or in your sleeping bag,
Or on your couch,
Or in your cozy recliner,
And start to settle in and get comfortable.
Comfort should always be your first concern when you meditate or when you want to go to sleep.
And if you're ready,
You can close your eyes now.
Tonight,
We're going to go to sleep on the shore of the Sea of Tranquility.
We're just coming to the spot where the path comes out on the beach.
The sun is just beginning to set,
And it glows as a deep red and orange disk just at the edge of the horizon.
There's a gentle rain falling on the beach,
And you can feel a gentle breeze.
It's warm.
Warm against your skin,
And it's lightly scented with pine and jasmine and the smell of eternal wood and sea.
Now,
Take a nice,
Slow,
Deep breath,
And feel the air as it enters your body.
And as you exhale,
Feel all the air as it leaves your body.
Now,
Take another deep breath,
Just a little deeper than the first one,
And as you finish the inhale,
Take note of that little pause that's there.
Notice once again that we don't go instantly from inhale to exhale,
But there's a natural little pause at the end of the inhale and at the end of the exhale.
Just continue to breathe,
Slow and steady,
And note that little pause,
That stillness that exists at the top and the bottom of each breath.
And as we lay here breathing,
The sun continues to disappear against the horizon,
Sinking into the sea,
And the waves continue their endless march to the shore.
The rain is falling softly.
Now,
I want you to take in a breath through your nose and hold it for a count of four,
And then gently exhale through your mouth.
Let's do that now.
Inhale through your nose,
Hold for a count of four,
And then exhale through your mouth.
Do it again.
Inhale through your nose,
Hold for a count of four,
And then exhale through your mouth.
One last time.
Inhale through your nose,
Hold for a count of four,
And exhale through your mouth.
Now,
Just breathe normally and continue to relax.
Make sure you're comfortable and cozy and warm enough.
Snuggle into your blankets,
And allow your breath to ground you into the present moment.
There's nowhere else you need to be in this moment.
There's nothing you need to be doing.
This is your time.
Time to rest your body for a new day to come.
So give yourself permission to relax and unwind.
Listen to the waves upon the shore and hear that gentle rain as it falls upon the beach and patters on the leaves in the nearby trees.
As you continue to breathe,
Continue to relax.
Unfurl your brow and unclench your jaw.
Unclench your hands and relax your shoulders.
Relax your neck.
Scan your body for any places you might be holding tension.
Relax your neck and your arms and your shoulders and try to feel your body getting heavier with each breath,
Slowly sinking into whatever surface you're going to sleep on,
Into your mattress or chair or sleeping bag or bed.
And as you're laying there breathing,
Don't lay there worrying about not being able to go to sleep,
But rather set the intention that you are going to have a good and deep sleep a deep rest.
Remember,
Words and thoughts have power and the things we think can become reality.
So think about how good it is to gently fall asleep.
Peaceful.
Restful.
Think about how soft your bed is as you softly sink into it.
And as the waves continue to roll in,
Never ending,
Never pausing,
The sun is completely down now and the stars begin to appear in the sky as the rain falls gently all around us and the breeze is so soft against your skin.
It's like a sweet caress.
Now as you drift off to sleep,
It's a wonderful time to think about all the things that you're grateful for.
Perhaps it's the people in your life,
Your partner,
Your child,
Or your pet.
Maybe you're grateful for your health.
Whatever it is,
Give thought to it now.
And all the while,
You're slowly breathing,
Sinking deeper into the mattress,
Noticing that natural pause in your breath,
Snug and secure in your covers.
As the waves roll and the rain falls and the breeze blows softly through your hair,
There is nothing to do but sleep.
Nothing to strive for.
Nothing to worry about.
In this moment,
There's nothing but the waves and the rain and the breeze.
And as you listen,
Sleep is calling you with a voice that's soft and clear.
As the rain continues to fall and the breeze blows and the waves come to the shore again and again.
Here on the shore of the Sea of Tranquility,
It's always easy to fall asleep listening to the sound of the waves.
As the rain falls and the breeze blows softly,
So softly,
There's nothing to do but sleep.
As we listen to that gentle rain and the waves as they march their way to the shore,
Nothing to do but sleep.
So ready to sleep as the waves go to the shore again and again.
