Your Bedtime Story And Relaxation: River's Wisdom

Join Maya on her journey of introspection by the riverside, where she unveils a profound metaphor of unity with the universe. Discover the essence of Vedantic teaching and witness Maya's transformation as she guides others toward a deeper understanding of interconnectedness and fulfillment. After the story, a guided lying-down meditation will help you achieve restful sleep, allowing you to wake up refreshed and ready to embrace the day with tranquillity and positivity.

Transcript

Namaste and welcome back.

In a peaceful village situated near the banks of magnificent river,

There lived a thoughtful young woman named Maya.

She spent her days contemplating the mysteries of life,

Often sitting by the river to find solace and inspiration.

Once,

Sunny afternoon,

As she watched the river flow gently,

She noticed a single droplet of water that had separated from the river and was floating downstream.

She observed the drop as it navigated its way over small rocks,

Through winding curves and under the warm,

Radiant sun.

Maya felt a deep connection with the solitary drop.

She saw it as a symbol of the individual self and the river as a symbol of vast universe.

The drop appeared distinct,

Separate,

And yet it was undeniably a part of the greater river.

As Maya pondered this,

She noticed the drop approaching a waterfall.

It hung perilously on the edge,

About to descend into the churning waters below.

Her heart raced and she wished to protect the drop from its impending fate.

Just as the drop was about to fall,

It seemed to hesitate for a brief moment.

Then,

With a graceful descent,

It merged seamlessly with the river,

Becoming one with the vast,

Flowing expanse of water.

Maya realized the profound wisdom in this simple scene.

The drop,

Despite its apparent separation,

Had always been a part of the river.

It had merely forgotten its true nature.

In that moment of unity,

The drop found its way back to the source,

The river itself.

She understood the analogy,

Just as the drop merged with the river,

In the same way we could let go of our fleeting separate individuality and gain our true identity or oneness with Brahman,

The ultimate reality,

Which is sat-chit-ananda or pure existence,

Pure awareness and pure bliss.

This is the essence of Vedantic teaching.

Inspired by this revelation,

Maya began to journey of self-discovery and inner exploration.

She sought to recognize the connection between her individual self and the ultimate reality.

Just as the drop had merged with the river,

Over time Maya deepened her understanding through meditation and self-inquiry.

She gradually transcended her limited identity and realized the profound truth.

She was not just an isolated drop,

But an inseparable part of the vast river of existence.

Maya continued to live her life by the river,

But now her perspective had shifted.

She felt a profound sense of unity with all of creation,

Recognizing the underlying oneness that connected every living being.

Her heart was filled with love and compassion for the world and she shared the wisdom she had discovered with anyone who sought to understand the profound truth of Aham Brahmasmi.

As the years passed,

Maya became known as a wise and compassionate teacher in her village,

Guiding others on the path to recognizing their oneness with the ultimate reality and the fulfillment that it brought.

With this,

Let's prepare to sleep.

Now before we get started,

Just take a moment or two to get comfortable lying in your bed.

Make sure you are under the covers.

If you do fall asleep during this practice and even if you don't usually go to sleep on your back,

I would like you to begin the practice by lying flat.

Maybe your knee is slightly bent.

You can keep a small pillow under the back of your knees if you like.

Just lie flat on the bed in supine position.

Now gently close your eyes and start taking a few nice big deep breaths,

Breathing in and out through the nostrils only.

As you inhale,

Feel that whole body is getting healed and with exhalation,

Feel that all the cares,

Tensions and worries from the day are flowing out.

Let go of the deep breaths now,

Releasing any tension from your entire body.

It is not necessary to deliberately release tension in each part of the body.

Just develop the feeling of total relaxation.

Just enjoy that feeling of letting go,

Body is relaxed,

Sinking into the bed beneath you.

We are going to have a simple practice to wind down.

Just follow along with the voice and the instructions.

Try not to overanalyze or intellectualize the instructions.

Now gently shift your awareness to your surroundings.

Start to notice all the different sounds present here.

Without getting struck with any one particular sound,

Try to keep your awareness moving from sound to sound.

Observe one sound,

Notice it and then move to the next sound.

Observe this sound and then move to other sound.

Like this,

Keep your awareness moving from sound to sound.

Keep the awareness moving from sound to sound and try to find the most distant sound which you can hear.

Let go the sound awareness and feel your body from within.

Now,

We begin body scan.

I will name a body part.

You just become aware of that body part.

Feel it and then just move to the next body part which is named.

Become aware of the right hand,

Right hand thumb,

Fingers of right hand,

Whole right hand,

Whole right arm,

Right shoulder,

Right side of the chest,

Waist,

Hip,

Whole right leg,

Right foot,

The toes.

Now,

Left hand,

Left hand thumb,

Fingers of the left hand,

Whole left hand,

Whole left arm,

Left shoulder,

Left side of the chest,

Waist,

Hip,

Whole left leg,

The left foot,

The toes.

Feel the both legs together,

The buttocks,

Stomach,

Chest,

Back,

Shoulder blades,

Arms,

The neck,

The head,

Forehead,

Eyes,

Nose,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Mouth,

Lips,

Chin,

The whole face,

The whole head,

The whole neck,

The whole back,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Again,

We will go through the whole body,

This time a little more slower and in detail,

Starting with the right hand thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger,

Fingers and thumb together,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper part of the right arm,

Right shoulder,

Right armpit,

Right side of the torso,

Right side waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Kneecap,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

Fifth,

The whole right side of the body,

From toes to the fingers,

Fingers to the toes,

The whole right side of the body.

Now go to the left hand,

Become aware of the left hand thumb,

First finger of left hand,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger,

Fingers and thumb together,

Palm of the hand,

Back side of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper part of the arm,

Left shoulder,

Left armpit,

Left side of the torso,

Left side waist,

Thigh,

Kneecap,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Left foot heel,

Sole of the foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth,

Whole left foot,

The whole left side of the body,

From toes to the fingers,

Fingers to the toes,

The whole left side of the body.

Now to the back,

Become aware of the lower back,

The right buttock and the left buttock,

Middle back,

Upper back,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

The whole back side together.

Now go to the top of the head,

The crown of the head,

Forehead,

Both sides of the head,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The space between two eyebrows,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right side cheek,

Left side cheek,

Bridge of the nostrils,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Upper lip,

Upper jaw,

Tongue,

Lower jaw,

Lower lip,

Chin,

Throat,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Chest,

Right part of the chest,

Middle part of the chest,

Left part of the chest,

Upper part of the belly,

Middle part of the belly,

The navel area,

Lower part of the belly,

The whole of the right leg,

The whole of the left leg,

Both legs together,

The whole of the right arm,

The whole of the left arm,

Both arms together,

The whole of the back,

Buttocks,

Spine,

Shoulder blades,

The whole of the front,

Abdomen,

Chest,

The whole of the back and front together,

The whole of the head,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Become aware of your breath now.

Just feel the flow of your breath,

In and out through the body.

The breathing is natural,

Automatic.

We are not trying to change the rhythm of the breath.

We are not doing it.

Just witnessing the breath.

Maintain the awareness of breath,

Dural awareness of breath.

Now,

Keeping the awareness on the breath,

Start mentally counting down your breath from 54.

As the breath comes in,

Count 54.

As it flows out,

54.

Breathe in 53.

Breathe out 53.

Like this,

Continue.

Not trying to fall asleep,

Just counting down the breath and knowing that it really doesn't matter too much when the sleep comes.

As you lie there in this way,

Both the body and the mind are getting all the rest that they need.

If you lose track of the countdown,

Come back to 54 and start over.