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 revisit the Sea of Tranquility,
That ancient sea that has been around since the dawn of mankind.
Its waves move slowly into the shore,
As they have for thousands of years.
We're walking on the path that leads to the sea,
Going through the enchanted forest.
And on either side of the path,
There are towering pine trees,
As well as massive oaks,
And peering into the forest from the path,
You can see dogwood trees still in bloom,
And lilacs,
And some of the oak trees have jasmine vines hanging from them,
And this variety of fragrances scents the air.
And as we walk the path,
Give yourself permission right now to let go of everything else you're concerned with before we get started.
Make sure all of your routine nighttime activities are done and taken care of.
Silence all of your devices,
Except the one you're listening to me on.
Just lay in your bed,
Or your sleeping bag,
Or on your couch,
Or in your comfy recliner,
Or wherever it is you go to sleep,
And start to settle in and get comfortable.
Remember,
Comfort should always be your first consideration when you meditate or when you fall asleep.
If you want,
You can close your eyes now.
Tonight,
You're going to go to sleep on the shore of the Sea of Tranquility.
We've been here before,
But we're just coming to the spot where the path comes out onto the beach.
The sun is just beginning to set,
And it glows a deep red disc just at the edge of the horizon.
There's a gentle rain falling on the beach.
You can feel a gentle breeze that's warm against your skin,
And it's slightly scented with jasmine and pine,
Dogwood and lilac.
Now,
Take a nice,
Slow,
Deep breath,
And feel the air as it enters your body.
And as you exhale,
Feel all of the air as it leaves your body.
Take another breath,
Just a little deeper than the last one.
And just 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 that natural little pause at the end of the inhale and the end of the exhale.
Just continue to breathe,
Slow and steady,
And note that little pause,
The 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,
And the waves continue their endless march to the shore while the rain gently falls.
Make sure you're comfortable and cozy and warm enough.
Snuggle into your blankets.
Allow your breath to ground you into this present moment.
There's nowhere else you need to be.
There's nothing else you need to be doing.
This is your 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 on the beach and patters on the leaves of the nearby trees.
And as you continue to breathe,
Begin to relax.
Unfurl your brow and unclench your jaw.
Relax your neck and your shoulders.
Unclench your hands.
Relax your arms.
Scan your body for any places that might be holding tension.
And as you do,
Try to feel your body getting heavier with each breath,
Slowly sinking into the mattress or the chair or the sleeping bag.
And as you're lying there breathing,
Don't lay there worrying about not being able to sleep.
But rather set the intention that you are going to have a good night's sleep and a deep rest.
Remember,
I've said many times before that words and thoughts have power and the things we think become reality.
So think about how good it is to gently fall asleep.
Peaceful.
Restful.
Think about how soft your bed is as you slowly sink into it.
And 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 gently falls all around you.
And the breeze is so soft against your skin.
And now as you begin to drift off to sleep,
It's a wonderful time to think about things you're grateful for.
Perhaps it's the people in your life,
Your partner or your child or your pet.
Perhaps you're grateful for your health.
And all the while you're slowly breathing,
Sinking deeper into the mattress,
Noticing that natural little pause in each breath,
Snug and secure in your covers,
As the waves roll and the rain falls and the breeze blows softly against your skin.
And there's nothing to do but sleep.
Nothing to strive for.
Nothing to worry about.
There's nothing but the waves and the rain.
And sleep is calling you with a voice that's soft and clear.
As the rain falls and the waves come to shore again and 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,
Nothing to do but sleep.
As the waves march to the shore,
As the rain falls and the breeze blows,
There's nothing to do but sleep.
Nothing to do but sleep.
