Hello and welcome.
This is a meditation for sleep,
For when your mind is racing.
To go ahead and settle into your bed.
Let your body be held by the mattress that is beneath you feeling yourself supported here.
You don't need to force it.
You don't need to make the sleep happen.
You also don't need to solve every problem or thought before morning.
For now,
Right in this moment.
Your only task is to rest.
Allow the day to loosen its grip on you.
Whatever happened today.
Whatever remains unfinished.
Whatever it is can wait outside this moment.
Imagine that you could place the day at the doorway of your room.
Kind of like the coat that you're no longer wearing.
And just hang it up.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Pause for just a moment.
And then slowly breathe out allowing your exhale to be longer than your inhale.
A soft signal to your body.
That the day is ending.
Today is coming to a close.
Gently breathing in and out through your nose.
Just let the rhythm be easy.
You could add a count for four as you breathe in.
And out for six as you release.
Or just simply notice the breath entering.
And then leaving.
There is no perfect way to breathe.
Each breath is an invitation to return from the busyness of the mind.
To the quiet of the body.
If thoughts begin to push their way in.
Just notice them kindly.
You might say to yourself,
Thinking,
And then returning to the feeling of your breath.
There is no need to argue with the mind.
There is no need to follow every thought that enters.
Just let the thoughts pass like a car quietly moving down the street.
You see it go off in the distance,
Like smaller and smaller.
If a particular thought feels especially loud.
Imagine that you could write it down on a piece of paper.
Place it on a table nearby you.
And this way you're not forgetting it.
You're not failing to care about it.
You are simply choosing not to carry it into this moment of sleep It will still be there tomorrow if it truly needs your attention.
Bring your attention to your forehead.
And then just let it smooth,
Relax.
Soften the space around your eyes.
Release the tension in your jaw.
Let your shoulders drop away from your ears and soften into your mattress.
Feel your arms grow heavy.
Unclenching your hands.
Feeling your chest loosen and your belly softens Let your tongue rest gently in your mouth.
Allow the back of your neck to soften.
Feel the space between your shoulder blades The space behind your heart widen,
Opening up.
And then notice your heartbeat.
If you can feel it,
Steady and quiet.
Beneath everything else Your body is here working and doing so much for you without ever needing any instructions Let your hips sink into the bed.
Allow your legs to be heavy and still Relax your knees.
Relax your ankles.
A little wiggling of your toes.
And then relaxing your feet.
Imagine that your whole body has become warmer.
Quieter.
And more deeply supported with each and every breath.
Now imagine your body as a landscape at night.
Your forehead becomes the calm sky.
Your chest becomes a quiet field.
Perhaps the belly a still,
Quiet lake.
Allowing your legs to become strong roots as they reach into the earth.
Nothing needs to move quickly here.
Because everything is allowed to settle Everything requires rest.
Picture your thoughts as small leaves floating on a dark gentle stream One by one they drift by you.
A worry.
A memory.
Plan.
A question.
An answer.
You do not need to pick them up.
You just simply watch them float by away into the dark quiet The stream keeps moving,
Whether you watch it or not.
And the leaves keep drifting whether you name them or not let yourself become the bank of the stream.
You're steady and still You are not the rush of the water.
You are the quiet place beside it.
If sleep does not come to you right away,
That is okay.
Because rest is still nourishing you.
Stillness is still helping you.
Your body knows how to return to sleep.
Your mind does not need to stay on duty all night long.
You do not have to monitor whether sleep is arriving.
You don't have to check to see if you are relaxed enough Let the rest happen in its own time.
Your only work here is to soften again and again.
And again.
Every time that you notice yourself holding on.
Let go.
If you're still awake,
You can gently repeat,
I release the day I do not have to finish every thought.
I am allowed to rest.
I am safe enough here to soften.
I will let tomorrow wait until tomorrow.
My body knows how to sleep.
My mind will grow quiet one breath at a time.
Feel the weight of the blankets the support beneath you.
And the quiet all around you.
Let these simple things be enough.
You are here.
You are resting It's time to be done for today.
Letting your breath become natural.
Letting the room just be as it is Let your body be heavy and letting your mind grow quiet not by force but by permission you may drift off now slowly and gently.
Into your deep sleep.
Good night.
