Settle into the freedom of being fully yourself with tonight's guided sleep meditation.
You are listening to.
Shine your light.
An invitation to honor all that makes you uniquely you.
Embrace your authentic self.
And carry your light confidently.
Into the world.
As Maya Angelou once expressed.
Nothing can dim the light.
Which shines from within during autumn,
The special time of year.
The darker hours begin earlier.
Linger a little longer.
And we may become more aware of the light around us and the light within us.
Perhaps you have felt the pressure to soften parts of yourself to fit into certain places.
Questioned the qualities that make you different.
Wondered whether you are too much in one moment.
And somehow not enough in another.
May tonight offer the compassion and reassurance.
Remembering that there is room for the fullness of who you are.
Curiosity.
Creativity.
Sensitivity,
Humor,
Passions,
Dreams and all the little peculiarities.
To make you unmistakably you are worthy of being embraced.
Tonight we journey to a beautiful autumn coastline.
Where the changing sky is reflected on the sea.
A lantern glows warmly in your hand and a lighthouse shines along the shore.
Surrounded by endless luminous beauty.
Reflect upon all you hope to be,
All you choose to embrace,
And the light that has always been yours.
It's time to dream away.
Welcome to Michelle's Meditation Sanctuary.
I'm Michelle.
And I'm grateful to guide you through this serene transition.
From your waking life.
Into your sleeping life.
As you settle into the comfort of your bed.
Allow this meditation to become entirely your own.
Changing any detail within your imagination.
So that it feels just right for you.
And as you listen to my voice.
You may follow every word for as long as you wish.
Allow the words to soften into the background as sleep begins to find you.
Your imagination knows how to carry on without effort.
Creating places that feel familiar.
Even when you are visiting them for the first time.
Somewhere beyond the fading edges of wakefulness.
This beautiful autumn coast.
Will help you remember your light within.
Shining on to the world.
Even without trying or noticing.
It's always there.
Feel free to wiggle and adjust yourself.
Coming to stillness.
Feeling heavy in the support of the sanctuary.
Your mind becomes light and unburdened.
Without a sigh.
As if to say.
I'm ready to indulge in this delightful recognition.
That I made it through today.
The air shifts.
Crisp,
Autumnal and soothing.
Inhale deeply through your nose.
Feeling the breath travel down into your chest and belly.
Creating a little more space within you You are always welcome in this space and free to occupy it fully.
Just as you arrive.
Release with another long,
Satisfying sigh.
Making a sound if it helps.
Feel how naturally your body responds.
Draw in another full breath.
Your ribs expanding in every direction.
And as you exhale.
Perhaps allow your mouth to welcome a yawn.
Whether one arrives naturally.
Or you simply enjoy the luxurious feeling of inviting one in.
Feel the subtle stretch through your jaw and throat.
And then exhale it all away in a sigh.
The air becomes a little cooler and fresher.
Imbued with the salty sweet fragrance of the sea.
Sip in the salve of the sea slowly.
The expansiveness of open water and sky.
And exhale.
Though you are already standing somewhere along that distant shore.
The last golden hours of the day.
Wait to surround you.
There is room here.
For every breath you take.
Room for every thought that passes through.
Room for every feeling and dream.
Possibility that belongs to you.
As you inhale once more.
Slowly and deeply the boundary between the sanctuary of your bed.
The sanctuary of your dreaming mind.
Begins to fade.
Feel the crisp autumn air caressing your skin the cool mist of the sea.
Waves crash along the shore.
Coastline stretches before you.
The final golden hour of an autumn afternoon.
The sun has lowered enough.
Cast long slender shadows across the land.
Reaching like fingers.
It's the clementine gold light illuminates everything it touches.
A richness that belongs exclusively to the season.
To this fleeting time of day.
Everything glitters.
Narrow path snakes around the contours of the rocky shore.
Winding through tall mint green grasses and assiduous trees.
Reaching their peak autumn hues.
The rustling leaves glow in shades of cinnamon and scarlet.
Quince and bronze.
Fading rose and deep wine.
Traces of green.
Still woven through the canopy.
Every now and then.
A breeze off the ocean releases a leaf.
It sails with such freedom and lightness.
You feel a part of your own heart swell.
Imagining setting off on a gentle wind.
Like a kite Everything is awash in gold.
Even the sea below.
You are dressed for the coolness of the afternoon.
In whatever makes you feel most comfortable.
And most like yourself.
Maybe a favorite sweater.
Beneath a coat that falls around you.
A familiar way.
Scarf tucked warmly around your neck.
Boots or sneakers.
With just enough cushion and bounce.
Every step feels supported yet buoyant.
Whatever you choose to wear.
You are able to comfortably wander.
Without needing to know exactly where the path will lead.
There is a delicious chill where the air meets your cheeks.
Balanced by the retreating warmth of the lowering sun.
You can taste the sea mist on your lips.
The air so rich with its salty sweetness.
As it lands on your face.
In one hand.
You carry an old lantern.
Made of brass and glass.
Its little flame already glowing within.
The handle is cool.
The lantern is sturdy and weighted.
It feels so natural to carry?
Farther along the coastline.
White and black striped lighthouse.
Rises from the tip of the headland.
Catching the last of the sunlight.
Along one side of its tower.
Beneath it.
Tucked into a sheltered fold of the coast.
You make out the roof and chimney of a cottage.
That will be yours for the night.
Windows still reflecting the late afternoon sky.
Waiting for the deepening evening to reveal their glow.
Leisurely.
Without a plan.
With no person or chore calling to you.
No place you need to be.
A sense of peace carries each step.
Intuitively chosen meandering.
You follow the path as it bends closer to the water.
Listening to the steady rush of the inky waves breaking against the glimmering charcoal rocks below.
And then retreating.
Leaving lacy ribbons of white foam.
Dissolve in the incoming tide.
Out toward the horizon.
The water becomes smoother.
Holding great swaths of deep teal and navy.
Thousands of tiny sparks of gold.
Appear wherever the Sun touches the water.
Reminder of how even the tiniest spark may illuminate something vast.
You come upon a place where the grass is open.
To a wide view of the ocean.
Find a smooth wooden bench facing the sea.
Inviting you to sit for a minute or two.
The lantern settles beside you.
Your gaze travels outward.
Across all that water and sky.
The ocean has always.
In such a perfect place for reflection.
Holding the magnificent.
Infinite space above it.
While possessing an entire world of its own.
Beneath the surface.
Clouds pass across it.
Sunlight dances on the waves.
Carrying the changing colors of the sky into the sea.
Champagne gold stretches toward the horizon.
Dissolving into shell pink and smoky mauve.
All the first traces of violet gather within the deeper water.
Every passing current reshaping the reflection.
Into something new.
The ocean could hold it all with its seemingly endless depths.
Jet in this moment.
It reflects the light in silky waves.
Becoming a mirror.
For every beautiful color.
Unfolding across the sky.
And maybe this vast mirror.
May hold some of your own reflections now.
All that you have been.
All you hope to be.
And all you choose to embrace.
As you continue becoming.
More fully.
Unapologetically.
Yourself.
You may think of the qualities.
You've come to treasure.
Perhaps something overlooks is now one of your strengths.
Or a passion that has become more meaningful with time.
Maybe it's your imagination.
Maybe it's the simple gift.
Showing up for yourself here.
There may be something wonderfully unusual about you.
Becoming increasingly precious.
As you grow into yourself.
Something that makes you think.
Yes,
That is so very me.
And all the noise.
And all the restraints.
And quiet in the knowing.
Shining your light is enough.
It is more than enough.
Be that spark.
To be that change.
You yearn to see.
And there is such freedom.
Sitting here.
Recognizing your own life.
The ocean shifts before you.
Transformed by every passing cloud.
And every angle of the lowering sun.
Remaining entirely itself.
And you may recognize the same beautiful continuity.
Within your own life.
You have changed.
Will continue to change.
Discovering new interests and dreams.
Meeting new versions of yourself.
Through experiences.
You cannot yet imagine.
While always carrying forward something essential.
That is entirely your own.
Your own inner life every season.
Every chapter.
Adds to you.
Every experience creates another reflection.
And you are free to choose what you carry forward.
What you cherish more deeply.
And what you allow to shine.
A breeze sweeps across the bluffs stirs the small flowers and grass around your feet.
Drawing your attention.
To the lantern beside you.
Flame trembles slightly behind the glass.
Bright and warm.
Protected within the beautiful structure made to carry it.
You lift it again as you rise from the bench.
Feeling the satisfying weight of the brass handle.
Settle into your palm once more.
For continuing onward.
The sunlight has lowered.
While you rested by the sea.
And now the lanterns glow.
Is easier to see.
Its light catches upon tiny imperfections.
The old pearly glass.
Creating little variations of goals.
It to move as you walk.
There is something reassuring.
Carrying this light with you.
Cared for so thoughtfully.
That the coastal breeze may dance around the lantern.
While the flame continues to glow.
Your own light deserves to be cared for in much the same way.
Your dreams deserve your attention.
Your creativity.
Deserves room to wander.
Your time and energy are precious.
You may choose who to share them with.
People,
Places,
Ideas and experiences.
That make your life feel expansive.
Your inner world and inner life.
Belongs to you.
And there is wisdom in knowing.
What you wish to share freely.
What he wished to nurture quietly.
And what feels most worthy.
The generous light you choose to give.
You may protect what is precious.
And still let it shine.
Envision it safe.
Within the walls and boundaries you design.
Intended to.
The way it feels best tended to.
Path begins climbing gently toward the lighthouse.
And with each turn.
Another view of the ghost appears.
Twilight has settled over the rocky coastline.
Washing the world in shades of blue.
As the last colors from daylight soften into evening.
The sea stretches toward the horizon in deep cobalt.
Reflecting a sky.
Now shifts from cornflower to dusky indigo.
Blue meeting blue.
Until it becomes difficult to tell.
Where one ends.
And the other begin.
Up ahead.
The black and white lighthouse.
Rises boldly against the twilight.
Familiar silhouette becoming clearer.
Everything around it deepens into blue.
You reach the end of the cage.
Stand close enough.
To appreciate the lighthouse.
And all its simple beauty.
Tower rises sturdily from the earth.
Weathered by countless seasons beside the sea.
Its lantern room surrounded by glass.
Lush beautiful beam.
Piercing the night.
The ivory light.
Move slowly outward across the water.
Sweeping over the darkening teal.
Continuing beyond your sight.
You stand with your smaller lantern glowing beside you.
And watch the lighthouse shine.
Perhaps you feel.
Beautiful simplicity.
Of allowing your own life to shine just the same.
To inhabit yourself fully.
Honor the qualities that make you uniquely you.
To trust the things that delight and inspire you.
To reach out.
Rather than hold it all in.
To give your imagination.
Room to roam.
And your curiosity.
Room to lead you somewhere unexpected.
To let your enthusiasm as naturally when something moves you.
Your laughter to cascade freely.
Into the moments that enliven it.
Your sensitivity.
Deepens the way you experience this world.
May let your voice carry the thoughts and ideas.
That could only ever come from you.
There is room for your fullness here.
There is room for every source of life.
The lighthouse sends another broad beam across the water.
While the lantern in your hand.
Casts its smaller circle of gold.
Across the path.
Farther below.
The first warm light appears.
One of the cottage windows.
Along the distant shoreline.
Other windows begin illuminating.
One by one.
Evening gathers around them.
Each occupying its own little place.
Within the enormous landscape.
The light you see in others.
They remind you of the light that glows within you.
Fullness invites more fullness.
There is room within this great expanse.
For every expression.
What it means to be alive.
Your particular life.
Something.
Could only ever come from you.
And so you shine your light.
You shine it with ease.
You shine it with joy.
You shine it with understanding.
You shine it because it is your most natural state.
And with this light.
That all begins as a spark within.
You may let yourself be seen.
In the ways that feel true to you.
You may celebrate what excites you.
Speak warmly of what you love.
Create what calls to you.
Jerusal,
Peculiarities and unique features.
Have become signatures.
Who you are.
This life is your home.
And it deserves to glow from within.
As the lighthouse beam crosses the water.
Riding each blue wave.
That reflects it back into the night.
It also catches the mist.
It makes the mist glow.
This light that reaches outward.
Far as you can see.
Illuminating the deepest blue blacks.
Until the vastness.
Feels filled with hope.
And lie You turn toward the cottage below.
Where the windows glow Your lantern swings softly from your hand.
Casting warm pools of golden light.
To guide each step.
Overhead,
The first faint stars begin appearing.
Amongst the feathery silvery blue clouds,
The moon rises over the sea.
Sea stretches beside you.
In shades of indigo and marine blue.
Receiving the slow sweep of the lighthouse.
As the beam travels across the water.
At the same time.
A heady wave of sleepiness moves through you.
Softening your thoughts and drawing you toward the welcoming cottage below.
Prelude to sleep meets you along the way.
A heavy yet pleasant feeling in your body.
As you reach the cottage door.
And step into the warmth within.
Golden lamplight fills the rooms.
Carrying the comforting fragrance.
Of cedar wood.
See you soon.
The faintest trace of smoke.
From a fire burning low in a wood stove.
The little home beside the sea.
Manifests.
Whatever way feels most beautiful to you.
Perhaps borrowing details.
From somewhere you have stayed.
Loved before.
Somewhere you have dreamed of visiting.
You're simply a place.
That takes shape.
Your imagination.
Every detail brings a sense of ease.
Holding the space for your tiredness.
Protecting your light.
Reassuring you with a deep feeling of safety.
You set your lantern somewhere safe.
Begin the lovely ritual.
Of shedding the outer layers.
Have carried you along the coast.
The ritual.
Of an ideal bedtime unfold.
Steamy warm water.
A lush lather of soap.
Perhaps bergamot and cedar.
Are lavender and sisal.
Something familiar.
Instantly soothes.
Plush towel still warm from the dryer.
Freshly laundered pajamas.
Fuzzy slippers.
Everything you encounter.
From now until morning.
Offers only softness and comfort.
You move through the cottage.
Sleepy rituals slowing your heart rate.
Deepening your breath.
Allowing you to feel so wonderfully fulfilled.
And taken care of.
You carry the lantern into a bedroom.
Overlooking the sea.
For the warm glow of the cottage.
Meets the rich nocturnal blues beyond the windows.
Generous bed greets you.
Beneath layers of blankets.
As a mountain of pillows supports your head.
The lantern glows on the bedside table.
Or beyond the window.
The lighthouse continues its slow projection.
The deep blue sea.
You feel your hands come to rest.
Over your heart.
One atop the other.
Feeling the warmth of your palms and the steady life beneath them.
Feel the light.
You have carried with you.
All along.
Belonging entirely to you.
She.
By the you that has always been.
May you continue to honor this light.
Care for it.
Trust it.
And give it room to illuminate the light that is yours.
As sleep draws you deeper.
Your dreams may reveal.
Even more of what is waiting within you.
Illuminating possibilities.
You have yet to imagine.
Expressions of yourself.
Still waiting to unfold.
Your light will guide you.
Bringing more clarity.
A deeper trance.
In the person you are becoming.
And as you sleep you may settle into the beautiful feeling.
Being at home within yourself.
Feel your heart filling with hope.
The lantern glows beside you.
And the lighthouse shines beyond the window.
Each light steady in its own way.
Carry that hope into your dreams.
Knowing there is so much within you.
To celebrate.
Embrace illuminate.
As you drift into a deep and peaceful sleep.
Your light shines softly from within.
Finding peace.
Finding serenity.
Finding your light.
Finding sleep.
It's time to dream away.
