Your nighttime holiday for deep rest begins as you drift on the sea of sleep.
The soothing meditation will carry you toward slumber,
Allowing rest to arrive naturally,
Without effort or force.
However you arrive is exactly right and you may release all cares and concerns.
Like the tide.
Sleep moves on its own perfect rhythm.
All you need to do is simply allow it to rise and meet you.
William Wordsworth once penned,
The ocean is a mighty harmonious.
You are invited to find such harmony as you imagine a stretch of coastline entirely your own.
Floating in the sleepy waves as the salty water the healing air.
And the ethereal moonlight.
Bring you out of thought and into rest.
It's time to dream away.
Welcome to Michelle's Meditation Sanctuary.
I am Michelle and my voice is here to accompany you,
Steady and reassuring.
Like a dear friend,
Reminding you that you deserve this time for yourself.
Think of my words as a guide.
Giving you the freedom to make this all your own.
And fall asleep whenever you like.
This is your sanctuary.
There is nothing you need to do here except soften.
No performance.
No need to get it right.
Say goodnight to perfection and judgment.
In any pressure that tries to mount itself on you.
You can put all these feelings and demands to bed.
Let your body settle.
Onto whatever surface holds you now.
And let your eyes rest closed.
Heavy already?
The promise of the night ahead.
And as you prepare to visit the sea.
Know that this is not any single sea.
It is your sea.
The one that lives quietly in your imagination.
Drawn from memory.
Of something live.
Or drawn from something longed for.
Beneath the moonlit sky.
Tides continue their ancient rhythm.
Waves arriving.
Waves releasing.
Moving with an ancient wisdom.
Belongs only to the sea.
Breathing in.
.
.
Breathing out.
Your breath follows the same timeless rhythm.
Each inhale arriving like a gift.
Each exhale releasing softly.
For as long as there have been oceans.
There have been times.
And within you.
There has always been this natural rhythm too.
The rhythm of breathing.
Resting.
And letting go.
Sleep is not something separate from nature.
It's one of nature's quietest expressions.
A faithful return.
A place your body already knows how to find.
Enduring different times throughout your life.
Sleep may find its way to you differently.
Sometimes it arrives.
As a light and playful touch.
Almost like an undertow.
It's an invitation to wade in slowly.
At other times.
Comes in like a heavier swell.
Rolling in from far off.
Arriving suddenly.
So you almost forget come morning.
When it arrives.
Sometimes sleep softens the edges of every thought.
There is nothing left but stillness.
As you listen to the sound of the waves.
You may notice the small worries of the day.
Beginning to drift beyond you.
Like pieces of driftwood.
Carried along by a current.
They're simply passing by now.
Moving with the water.
While you remain safely held.
In this quiet moment.
There is only your breath.
Softness around you.
Calm shoreline beneath the moonlight.
Welcoming you closer with each unique wave.
Picture the shoreline just beginning to reveal itself to you.
Perhaps it's a wide open beach.
Silvery reflective sand.
Seems endless beneath a rising moon.
Or maybe you find yourself.
And a small remote island.
Powdery opal dunes.
Wrapped in warm,
Salt air.
And the hush of poems.
Entirely your own.
Or maybe your shore has a rocky,
Jagged coastline.
Dark stone and tall pine.
Where the trees impart a resinous perfume.
As their feathery needles rustle overhead.
Where your coastline might be the warm south seas.
Turquoise by day.
Inviting waters.
As warm as bath water.
Whatever shoreline you envision feels familiar and also unique calmer than you ever experienced before.
A deep feeling of trust grounds you.
With an absolute promise.
Peace can be found.
Feel the air as it moves over you.
Cool and clean.
Carrying soul.
And the particular scent of your shore.
Whether it be damp stones.
.
.
High in resin.
Or warm sand.
Something faintly sweet and tropical.
Let it fill your lungs completely.
Notice the temperature of it.
Against your skin.
Cooler than the day has been.
Carrying the first hint of night.
Settling in Breathe in slowly.
Drying that sea air.
Deep into your chest.
And breathe out.
Releasing anything.
That doesn't need to travel with you.
Into sleep.
Once more in.
Expanding.
And then enjoy a long sigh out.
And if a yawn rises to meet you.
Like the crest of a wave.
At any point.
You may welcome it.
And enjoy another sigh.
Letting go without holding back.
Sea air has always been a kind of balm.
It has a way of reaching parts of us.
Nothing else can quite touch in the same way.
Softening the space between the eyes.
Easing the grip of your jaw.
Loosening thoughts.
That I've held on too tightly.
With every breath you take here.
Sensing the salt in the air.
Nervous system remembers.
At near water.
There is permission to soften.
Embrace your own fluidity.
To breathe a little deeper.
Simply be.
There's only ease Only the low steady whispers of somewhere safe.
And notice how you're breathing.
Has already begun to slow.
Emulating the rhythm of the incoming waves.
In.
As you breathe out,
Let go of any tension.
Treating.
There's no need for control.
A surrender comes naturally.
Your body takes over from here.
Faithfully serving you.
As it always has.
See the water approaching you.
Delicate and silky.
It's a gentle tide.
Moving toward you.
With warmth and care.
Eternal and pacifying.
Each wave arrives carrying relaxation.
Like pearly foam gliding across the shore.
As it returns to the sea.
Carries away anything.
You no longer need to hold.
Leaving behind.
Only stillness.
Ease.
Everything drips.
Until it dissolves completely.
Becoming nothing more.
And a small ripple.
Somewhere out past the horizon.
First small wave reaches you.
Feel it wash in around your toes.
The arches of your feet.
Your heels cool and weightless.
As it draws back out again.
Feel any tightness in your feet.
Drawn out along with it.
Past your toes.
And into the retreating sea foam.
Your feet grow soft.
Heavy.
Entirely at ease.
Sinking slightly into the wet sand beneath them.
The next wave reaches a little higher.
Moving over your ankles.
And up through your calves.
It arises and softens.
It retreats.
Releases.
Let your lower legs sink in.
Heavier now.
Do whatever surface holds you.
The way sand settles beneath a wave.
With nothing left.
To resist.
Another wave rises to your knees,
Bringing peace.
And then it delicately braces your thighs.
Warm water gliding over you.
Reassurance.
It's going to get easier.
And your body begins to sway.
Enjoying the tides continuing climb.
As it reaches around your hips now.
Circling gently at your lower back.
As you begin to lie backwards.
She began to float in peace.
Trusting that the ocean can carry you.
The water rises over your belly.
As your abdomen expands.
Helping you float each cresting wave.
With each inhale.
Feel your belly rise.
Like the wave beneath you.
And with each exhale.
Feel it settle.
Soft and unrestricted.
Low and easy.
Now the gentle water.
Over your chest.
Moving gently.
The rhythm of your own breathing.
Wave and breath.
Now indistinguishable.
From one another Feel your chest rise.
And settle at ease.
As the water recedes.
Any tightness that has lived here.
From a long day carried.
Too high in the shoulders.
Begins to loosen.
Drawn gently out to the sea.
The softness travels down into your hands.
The water filters between your fingers.
And your shoulders.
Down your arms to your wrists.
They undulate in the water.
The soothing tide gently massages your neck now.
Easing whatever has gathered there.
Your jaw releases.
Your mouth softens.
Let your lips slightly part.
The expression on your face.
Offers the placid contentment.
Someone completely open.
The possibilities of the night.
You feel the water reach the very crown of your head.
The highest point of you.
And with that final wave.
.
.
Your whole body is held.
Fully bathed in the calm.
And steady rhythm of the sea.
Weightless from your toes.
The ground of your head.
Gentle tingling sensation.
Brings an awareness to your scalp.
To an opening and relieves.
Happening all at once.
The incoming wave brings softness.
The outgoing wave brings relief.
Again and again.
Without effort.
Without counting.
Without needing to notice each one.
Your breathing has become.
Entirely tidal now.
Rising and falling without thought.
Needing nothing from you.
In this harmonious state.
Pure serenity and surrender.
You can no longer tell.
Where your body ends.
The sea begins.
You let the sea of sleep take you out into its deep blue depths.
Adjusting its whispers.
Carries you with a promise of support.
Relieving you.
All control Your eyes slowly focus on the sky above.
Celestial expanse and deep indigo.
Crackled with a myriad of stars.
The moon hangs full.
And pearly silver.
Laying a long,
Shimmering beacon of light.
Across the soothing blue waves.
It's a luminous role.
Leads you toward the horizon.
Where sleep beckons.
Coming closer with each gentle rise and fall of the waves.
Slipping farther from the shoreline.
You edge closer to sleep.
Sea of sleep a safe dreamy expanse.
Where the color shifts with each swell.
Small or large.
Silver in lavender blue.
Than a deep shade of cobalt.
As the wave recedes.
Before falling back to silver again.
It's mesmerizing repetition.
Invites your mind to slow down even more.
As your attention lingers.
And it's a horrific pattern.
Beneath you,
You sense the current.
Moving slower quieter.
And the waves above.
Deep beneath the surface.
Unlike the waves.
They don't rise and fall.
They simply flow.
Steady and certain.
And as each one passes.
Beneath your floating body.
Seems to carry a feeling up through you.
Some are cooler.
Some warmer.
They all carry a different feeling.
Inviting you.
To lean into.
What you most need right now.
One current moves beneath you.
You feel a quiet sense of peace settle in?
Spreading outward from your chest.
Like the warmth through water.
And other current passes.
Safety rises through you.
Settling into your bones.
The way heat settles into sand.
Remains long after.
The sun has set.
Current of release.
Moves through your shoulders.
Easing what little remained there.
Last small holdings of the day.
Finally letting go.
Hope drifts through you next.
Bye!
Happy.
Followed closely.
By a current of belonging.
The simple unspoken understanding.
You are exactly where you are meant to be.
Held by a sea.
Held by your sea.
That has been waiting for you.
All along.
Current of contentment.
Moves through your abdomen.
More.
.
.
And slow.
Spreading like honey drizzled into tea.
It's followed by the current of gratitude.
Rises all the way up through your chest.
Out through a long slow sigh.
On a deep cellular level.
It feels as though the sea is thanking you.
For simply showing up.
One last current.
Moves beneath you now.
Quieter than the rest.
Trust.
It asks for nothing.
It simply confirms.
Which your body has already begun to know.
That you are safe here.
And that letting go.
Comes with this delicious reward.
Let each of these currents thrive in whatever way they wish.
There's no need to hold on to any of them.
No need to push them along faster.
They arise.
They move through.
The way the sea always does.
Leaving behind.
A little more ease.
Little more lightness.
Than was there before.
As all these tranquil feelings flow through you.
The ocean reminds you.
It is so vast and deep.
That there's nothing.
It cannot hold for you.
And as the night deepens.
.
.
A new dress.
Closer and closer to sleep.
You begin to notice.
Tiny points of light.
Beneath the surface.
Soft glowing threads.
Of neon aquamarine.
Silvery blue.
Drifting just beneath the water around you.
Bioluminescence Stir gently by your own breathing.
Each time you exhale.
The water nearby seems to answer.
Small ribbons of light.
That spread beyond you.
Expanding like clouds of ink dropped in water.
The sea breathes alongside you.
Matching your cadence.
Tiny stars scatter beneath you.
While the sky's stars are scattered above.
Tiny cluster of this light.
Just lazily past your fingertips.
And as you move your fingers.
The light follows.
You draw in the sea.
Becomes your canvas.
Whatever you choose to create.
Words.
Messages.
Are even the simplest swirls and designs.
Take no effort.
You watch them glow faintly blue-green.
Before they fade into darkness.
Deep nocturnal blues of the sea.
And the line between sky and sea.
Begins to blur.
The bioluminescence.
And a perfect reflection.
Stars and the water.
Makes it impossible to tell.
Which is above.
Which is below.
You're floating.
Somewhere in between.
Waking and dreaming.
The tender space.
Where anything feels possible.
Sleep slowly arrives.
Azure Hill.
Currents beneath you.
Continue to slow.
The waves above lengthen.
Softening into long delicate swells.
Everything.
From the light a water.
Your own breath.
Begins to move at the pace.
Of something settling in for the night.
The moonlight rests on the water.
You rest along with it.
As the sea air.
Moves over you.
Leaving a warm kiss on your skin.
Your breath meets it with a sigh.
You feel the tides of sleep.
Still moving.
Still easy.
Still asking nothing of you.
You are floating.
You are help.
And nothing remains to do tonight.
Nothing remains to solve.
Sea of sleep.
Delivering on its promise.
Perhaps with a touch.
Perhaps with its heady cascade.
Carries you to slumber.
The way it has carried everything.
Without thought and with total acceptance.
Let your breathing grow softer.
And slower with it.
The spaces between my words.
Grow wider.
And let yourself drift into those spaces of quiet.
Whenever you're ready.
Sinking a little deeper each time.
Held completely by the water beneath you.
As my voice begins to fade.
Into the soundtrack of the night.
And the song.
Of the surf.
Sleep finds you Wave by wave.
Rawr!
By breath.
Movement by movement.
Patience.
And certain.
The sea of sleep carries you now.
Out past the reach of thought.
Past the shoreline of today.
Deep and peaceful dreams.
Finding serenity.
Finding rest.
Finding sleep.
It's time to dream away.
