Welcome to Michelle's Meditation Sanctuary.
I am Michelle and I hope you consider my voice,
A trusted ally and friend,
As we begin.
Tonight we are going to let the day truly end with one long sigh of relief as you discover a soft and safe place to land.
You are listening to After a Hard Day.
A calming sleep meditation.
Created to soothe the nervous system.
And help you discover deep rest.
The best thing about a hard day is that it always has a clear ending.
Cannot last forever.
And we are going to close the door on this challenging day.
Every nerve cell in your body.
May begin to discover a little peace.
Those tireless signals that have been working all day and finally take the night off.
You've done more than enough.
And deserve to have this special time.
For healing and serenity.
There's no need to feel ready.
Change anything.
Worry about how this will all unfold.
Because it's already unfolding.
And everywhere.
And every breath.
Brings you closer to sleep.
It's time to dream away.
Let out a generous sigh.
And with it,
Set your intention for the night.
I am done with the day.
Goodbye.
No more.
We are finished.
Make a sound and do whatever you need to set it free with another sigh.
The next time you sip in the air.
With a deep inhale.
Taking the promise of this tranquil night.
It's been waiting for you.
And so is a friend named Sleep.
You are safe and welcome.
To arrive exactly as you are.
Right now.
Exactly the way one might arrive after a difficult day.
Once more,
Breathe in.
.
.
And sigh it out.
This time feeling it in your shoulders.
Feel it in your jaw.
Feel it somewhere.
You didn't even know you were holding on.
That's it.
That's the whole beginning.
The day is ending.
And you get to be free from it.
Some days ask too much of us.
We fill the mind with unfinished conversations.
Choices that didn't feel like choices.
Things that didn't go the way you hoped.
Things that don't go the way.
Any reasonable soul would hope.
As your head meets the pillow.
At every inch of support beneath you.
Signal that the end of this long day has thankfully arrived.
Sometimes.
The hardest part of a hard day.
Is leaving it behind when it's behind you.
Maybe your body hasn't caught up.
Realized that you are now free.
You are safe.
You are ready to enjoy the break you so very much deserve.
One breath at a time.
Your mind no longer needs to reply.
To messages that were never sent.
Every inhale and exhale is a chance to feel a little looser.
To stop racing for the next thing.
And to lean into the support of this moment.
Support of the sanctuary,
Of your room and mind,
And of my voice.
You don't have to bring the day into bed with you.
This is your refuge.
Your place for healing and dreaming.
All thinking,
Managing,
Figuring stuff out.
As for another time.
This time is for you to feel good.
Nothing needs to be earned.
It's already yours to sink into.
And maybe a little compression right now.
May help you decompress as you settle.
A hand resting on your heart or belly.
Gentle hug.
Your arms heavy around you as yourself soothes.
Press into the pillow if you need to.
Pull the blanket a little tighter.
Shift your weight until your body.
Says yes.
This is where I can rest.
This is where I am held.
Begin to notice.
That is already holding you.
Keeping you safe as you snuggle deeper into the night.
Pillow beneath your head.
The support beneath your back.
The covers resting over your body.
Light or weighted.
However you like them.
Tired weight of your own body.
Sinking.
No longer tasked with holding yourself up.
Are holding it all together.
You've held enough.
And now.
Comes a sweet,
Delightful release.
Let yourself be held.
Intended to.
And soothed by the fast.
That you made it here.
Does you let go?
Your imagination begins to stir.
Envision a threshold.
The day behind you.
This moment of rest.
Might look like a doorway.
Softly illuminated around the edges.
Or a sheer billowing curtain.
Brushes softly against your skin.
As you pass through.
As if whispering.
Welcome to the other side of today.
You've made it here.
And perhaps on the other side.
There is somewhere.
You've always wanted to disappear into.
For a little while.
Private room.
Overlooking the sea.
A little cottage.
Tucked into a fragrant garden.
Balcony.
Beneath warm night air.
A place that feels.
As though it has been waiting for you.
Place that you know you've been waiting for.
You don't have to decide exactly where it is.
Let your imagination choose.
What matters is that you have crossed the threshold.
The day is behind you.
And for tonight.
It stays there.
Feel the distance as it grows.
As you escape even the memories of what transpired.
A fresh canvas for the night.
Awaits you here.
Overlooking a celestial expanse.
Ready to follow your lead if you like.
Are ready to paint a soothing new vision.
What's to come tonight.
An image where you are safely resting.
Tucked in.
And held by the beauty.
Of a starry night.
But you need not dismiss your feelings.
Over anything that happened today.
It just no longer matters now.
Could all be real in the past.
Without being here.
Can exist.
Without sullying the night.
As you stand on the other side of it all.
There's nothing to check in with.
But yourself.
And what you need.
Right now.
As you leave your pose.
Vigilance melts into safety.
Flurrying thoughts.
Fade into affirmations.
I am hell.
I am safe.
I am free to go off duty.
I can simply rest.
This in between.
Yesterday and tomorrow.
Is a special place.
The air circulates.
Keeping things fresh.
And now,
Reassuring you.
Change is coming.
Change is always coming.
But tonight it arrives gently.
Waves of reassurance.
Everything can wait until tomorrow.
Present is for restoration.
For finding the calm that thrives in this in-between.
All day.
Your nervous system.
Has been working.
Listening.
Watching and responding.
Anticipating what might come next.
Keeping track of every little detail.
So that you didn't have to keep it.
The forefront of your mind.
And now you may feel the warmth of gratitude.
For all it has done.
As you imagine each.
Of those small,
Tireless nerve cells.
Finally being told.
You can take the night off.
They don't have to monitor the doorway anymore.
Anticipate or prepare.
They can go somewhere warm and quiet.
Picturesque and dreamy.
One by one.
Your nerve cells may softly settle.
Like guests at Oceanside Bungalows.
Slowing down.
And letting the natural rhythm.
Of a balmy night.
A serene time.
Guide them.
They have earned this holiday.
Every single one of them.
And tonight and every night.
Forget to take it.
With every gentle press of the blanket.
Every inch of pressure into support.
They are reminded.
Of this holiday.
Until from here to toe.
You feel the subtle.
Wonderful ship.
As every part of you.
Insights.
And out.
Stands down.
And as you inhale,
You may imagine the fragrant notes of this holiday.
Your chosen getaway arriving.
They make you yearn?
Each new breath so you may indulge in this tranquil air.
And as you exhale.
Feel the power you have.
To guide your breath.
It's one of the few things.
You can guide when you wish.
And return to this control.
Whenever you need it you can linger with your breath Soften it.
Lengthen it.
Then when you are ready.
Hand it back to your body knowing it will faithfully carry it on without you.
Your breath speaks to your nervous system.
In a language it already understands.
A slower,
Deeper breath.
With a long,
Soft exhale.
Tells your body that it's safe to stand down.
And beyond letting go.
You may indulge.
Feeling good.
Finding both comfort and pleasure.
From your physical state.
From your imaginative mind.
As the sleep holiday.
Unfolds.
You breathe in.
And let out a sigh.
Breathe in.
And sigh.
A little softer.
A little less effort required.
Than the one before it.
Allow your attention.
To move slowly through your body now.
Simply noticing the places.
Where you are already.
Being hell.
Imagine that's your body.
Has finally fully checked in.
To this beautiful little retreat.
Somewhere far from the demands of the day.
Your head has found its pillow.
Maybe you can imagine the coolness.
Freshly laundered linens against your skin.
You rest in the kind of bed.
Feels almost impassively inviting.
After a long journey.
Or the simple act?
Of laying your head down.
Feels like crossing a threshold.
Into another world.
Your eyes enjoy being closed.
No longer needing to take in screens or faces.
Are the endless movement of the day.
While your forehead smooths.
Free for a little while from the concentration.
Follows you in your waking life.
Let your jaw become heavy.
Your tongue settle low.
Envision yourself.
Stepping barefoot.
Onto the warm moonlit floor.
Of your little retreat.
Hearing nothing but the distant rhythm of water.
Beyond an open window.
Your mouth becomes still.
Your face can soften.
To the magic of the night.
For a while.
You can simply be a person.
Who has arrived somewhere beautiful.
Has nowhere else to go.
As your mind wanders.
As if in a dream.
Your physical body rests.
Your neck relaxes into the pillow.
Gentle pressure beneath it.
Almost luxurious.
As your ally.
Your head no longer needs to hold itself up.
Pillow has it bed has it.
Can surrender that small responsibility.
The softness beneath you.
Just as you might set down a heavy travel bag.
And feel your shoulders change.
The instant its weight is no longer yours to carry.
And maybe your shoulders.
Still carry some residual weight.
From the accumulated pressure.
Being capable.
Attentive.
Of keeping things moving.
When you would rather take a break.
And that break is now here.
So let the mattress receive you.
Feel the broad warmth of the bed beneath your shoulders.
The way it rises up to meet you.
Without asking you.
Or anything in return.
And imagine the soft night air of your getaway.
Moving across them.
Warm enough.
But you don't need to pull the blanket tightly around yourself.
Cool enough.
To make every breath.
Feel like a little luxury.
Let that feeling travel down.
Through your arms.
Where the muscles can become pleasantly heavy.
As though they too have real lives.
There's no itinerary tonight.
Your hands.
Which have spent the day reaching,
Carrying.
Taping,
Touching and holding your breath.
And finally be empty.
Maybe your fingers rest against the silky sheets.
Enjoying the woven texture of the fabric beneath them.
Or maybe one hand comes to rest against your body.
And lingers warm palm against warm skin A reassuring touch.
From the one person.
Who is with you.
Throughout this entire journey.
Stay with that simple contact for a moment.
There's something deeply reassuring about about the touch that asks nothing of you.
Gentle pressure of the blanket across your hands.
Little physical reminders.
Arriving without words.
Telling the body.
That it no longer needs to be on duty.
As your attention arrives at your chest.
Notice the gentle rise and fall of your breath.
Continuing its work.
Without your supervision.
Imagine each inhale.
Bring something of this holiday with it.
Perhaps the salty air of an ocean at night.
The green sweetness.
Of a dewy moonlit garden.
Clean scent of summer rain.
Some other place.
And soothing aroma.
Your imagination chooses for you.
Beneath the blanket Your belly continues to rise and fall with each breath in and out.
Perhaps this is a place.
Spent much of the day bracing and tightening.
Holding itself steady.
Through moments that require too much.
Now there is nothing to brace against.
Feel the softness.
The ears.
Receive this peaceful sensation.
Your belly is soft enough.
Be moved by your breath.
Soft enough.
Feel the warmth surrounding it.
Soft enough.
Feel truly safe.
There's nothing you need to get through now.
You are already on the other side of the day.
Your back.
Resting across the mattress.
Begin to feel.
Enormous relief.
Being supported from below.
Notice the places.
Where your body just melts into the bed.
Broad areas of pressure.
Where your weight has finally been received.
Does you settle?
The world outside.
Gives every impression.
This is a kind,
Soft place to be.
Wherever you are.
Overlooking a dark ocean.
Maybe somewhere high among trees.
Imagine that the bed beneath you.
As steady as the Earth itself.
Feel your back expanding with your breath.
Becoming heavier.
Fully held.
At the surface below.
Same heaviness travels through your hips and legs.
The places that have carried you.
From one thing to the next.
Them become wonderfully useless.
For a little while.
They too go on a holiday.
Imagine the sensation.
Of sinking your feet.
To cool sand.
The lacy edge of the ocean.
You're stretching your legs.
Beneath cool sheets.
After an evening spent somewhere beautiful.
Nowhere left to walk.
And nothing left to see.
Your knees can soften.
Your calves can become slack.
Your ankles can loosen and your feet.
Have at last reached the end of their journey.
I don't need to take you anywhere else tonight.
They have brought you here.
And here is enough.
And now feel your whole body as one.
No longer a collection of places.
You need to relax.
The body.
Has arrived at the ultimate peace.
Pillow beneath your head.
The mattress under your back.
Blanket stretching across you.
Gentle pressure of fabric.
Quiet movement of your breath.
All of these small sensations surrounding you.
The same reassuring message.
You are being held can stop holding everything else.
Somewhere inside you.
Those tireless little nerve cells.
And finally close their doors.
Turn down the light.
And settle into their own balmy holiday night.
I have done enough.
You have done enough.
From the crown of your head the soles of your feet.
You can simply enjoy.
Beautiful nightly feeling.
Winding down.
And welcoming rest.
Feel the threshold now.
The one you crossed to get here.
Notice how it's transformed.
How it no longer feels.
It's something you have to imagine.
It has simply become.
Part of the room around you.
Yesterday is long gone.
Far away outside.
And inside.
You come home to yourself.
You rest in the bed.
Swaddle.
To say.
And hell.
You have done enough.
And now you rest.
Tomorrow can have tomorrow.
When you may awaken with a fresh start.
In the easier beginning.
For now,
Nothing more is required.
Sleep comes in waves.
Laughing slowly.
Finding its way to you.
Nothing more is required of you tonight.
So let the bed hold you.
Lets the night carry.
Which you no longer need to carry.
Let your breath.
Come and go.
On its own time.
Let your body grow heavier.
Let your mind wander.
Wherever it wants to wander.
As your nightly holiday continues.
And your friend named Sleeve returns.
Finding peace.
Finding bliss.
Finding surrender.
Finding sleep.
It's time to dream away.
