Lily's Bedtime

A guided relaxation practice to support children at bedtime. This body scan is combined with a little guided visualization to encourage children to feel loved and supported and to know that it's okay to rest. Bedtime can be a source of anxiety for children. With this meditation, there's no pressure to fall asleep. Instead we invite a sense of gratitude and ease into our body, and simply allow ourselves to be present and kind towards ourselves. There is no bell at the end of this recording. May this bring acceptance and a sense of ease.

Transcript

Hi,

I'm Orla and this meditation is especially to help us come back to our bodies and snuggle in and rest when it's bedtime.

So we can start by allowing ourselves to know what it's like to not be at rest.

We can scrunch our fingers in and make big fists with our hands and tense our arms and shoulders,

Tensing our tummy,

Scrunch our legs and curl our toes really tight.

And then we can scrunch up our face,

Make a really scrunchy tense face and kind of press in just as tight as we can with our body.

And then one,

Two,

Three,

We can release the tension from our hands and let them open,

Let our shoulders rest,

Let our tummy feel nice and soft,

Our legs can rest.

Two feet and letting your face be nice and relaxed,

Your forehead nice and smooth.

Taking a moment to really give all of your weight to the bed so that your whole body can feel just a tiny bit heavier.

Really let the bed support us.

You could put your hands on your tummy for a moment just to sense your breathing,

To sense this opening and expansion with your in-breath,

Like a balloon filling up.

And then sensing this settling and resting as you breathe out.

As your whole body remembers that it's okay to rest just for a moment.

And we allow ourselves to rest in our breathing like waves lapping in along a seashore.

This very safe,

Reassuring rhythm of the waves,

Breathing in and breathing out.

Our lungs take such good care of us with every breath.

So sensing our wise,

Kind lungs caring for us with every breath.

As our fingers grow farther apart with our in-breath and then snuggle in closer with our out-breath.

This is a warm,

Kind,

Snuggly,

Safe moment.

And letting our body know that it's okay,

It's okay to rest for a moment.

So you can release your hands and they can be in any position you want.

Just letting your body feel all snuggled and cosy.

Knowing you're a pillow or sheets or duvet around you.

Knowing that you're really safely enclosed.

You might have a favourite toy or teddy.

You can feel right beside you,

Your real friend.

So often during the day we have different things to do or different places to go.

And how lovely to have this time just for ourselves.

To take this snuggly moment.

To let our body rest.

Bringing your awareness to your heart.

Just sensing this love.

This very kind,

Loving,

Caring energy.

And it might be coming from you or it might be coming from people who you know love you so much.

It might be a member of your family or a pet or your very best friends.

People who you know have a big heart who really love you.

And allowing that love to be really present here now.

Like a beautiful energy field around you.

And it might have a certain colour.

It might bring a kind of a little tingling when you feel it.

It might feel very warm and loving.

Very safe and familiar.

Like a great big hug.

Where you know you can just snuggle in and rest.

This beautiful energy.

So snuggle in and we can take a moment to explore our body from the inside.

And really invite our body to rest deeply in this moment.

And if your mind wanders that's fine.

And if you fall asleep that's fine.

You don't need to be very alert for this practice.

It really is about letting ourselves sink in and rest.

So you can bring your awareness all the way down.

Let it sink down through your body.

So through your tummy,

Through your hips,

Through your legs.

And then find your two feet.

You can sense your right foot.

And wiggle your toes in to see what your foot can feel.

And then take a moment to dive into your other foot.

Wiggle the toes there.

See what you can feel.

Are your feet feeling warm or cool?

Do they feel a little tired?

Just noticing what your feet are feeling.

And we generate a really kind heart to take good care of our feet.

So we might imagine your feet being just surrounded with really caring light.

Just surrounded by this really gentle loving care.

So that your right foot and your left foot know that they're really cared for,

Really safe.

And they can start to fill with this heavy relaxed energy.

So that your two feet start to get heavier.

They really weigh more against the bed.

Almost as though someone was pouring molten metal.

This very heavy,

Leaden energy filling up your right foot and your left foot.

So that for a moment your two feet know that it's okay to rest really deeply.

We really sense this heavy relaxed energy.

Our feet have taken so many steps for us today.

They've done so much for us.

They've walked and they might have gone up and down stairs.

They might have run or danced or skipped.

Done a sport.

Amazing feet.

So we really make a gift of this moment to reassure them that it's okay to rest.

Can really let go and let themselves be taken care of.

We allow this heavy relaxed energy to soak into our two ankles.

And then to start to move through our legs.

So that our two ankles fill with this heavy relaxed energy.

And then the lower part of our legs.

And then letting them both fill with a heavy relaxed energy.

Really sensing this easeful,

Weighted,

Heavy energy.

Really inviting this part of our legs,

These two calves,

To rest really deeply for a moment.

Just letting themselves be fully supported.

This is our time.

Our space just for us.

And allowing this heavy relaxed energy to soak into our two knees.

So we're sensing your right knee and your left knee.

And then allowing it to soak into your two thighs.

The longest bones in your body are in your thighs.

And you have strong muscles that let you dance and run and skip and play.

Sensing what the skin of your thighs can feel.

Your pajamas or the sheets,

Your duvet.

And then allowing your thighs to fill with this really heavy relaxed energy.

So that your two entire legs feel really weighted and heavy.

That they can rest really deeply for a moment.

And allowing that heavy relaxed energy to wriggle its way into your hips.

So to really encompass your hips,

Your lower tummy,

Your lower back.

This little cradle of our body.

Allowing it to be held with such kindness and love.

Like there's a lovely glowing energy that really holds now our whole two legs.

And this little cradle of our body in this deep care.

So that our hips and seat can fill with this heavy relaxed energy.

Our lower tummy can rest.

Our lower back.

And that this feeling of ease and relaxation starts to move up through our tummy,

Through our back.

Sensing it fill our whole tummy.

We know sometimes our tummy feels anxious or feels butterflies when we feel a little worried about something.

And in this moment we can invite our tummy to relax so deeply.

That we know this is a really safe place to be.

That it's a good time for us to rest.

It's our time.

So allowing your tummy to rest really deeply.

Really letting go.

Sensing your wise lungs breathing in and breathing out.

You might even be able to sense the area of your heart.

Sensing your heart beating.

Your heart is always beating for you.

It's your truest friend.

And even when we curl up and sleep our heart keeps beating every moment of our life.

So we really allow our heart to enjoy this space of rest.

We know sometimes when we feel maybe worried or a little angry it can be difficult for our heart.

So we make a present of this moment to our heart.

We allow our whole heart to be surrounded with this kind loving energy.

Like a beautiful shining warm light all around our heart.

Soothing.

Relaxing.

Feeling so safe and snuggled.

And as our heart knows that it's safe to relax.

It might be that our shoulders understand that it's safe to rest too.

We might notice our shoulders becoming a little more heavy.

Our shoulder blades relaxing a little bit.

And as our shoulders relax sometimes our arms catch that feeling.

Soaking down our arms with this heavy relaxed energy.

So that our upper arms rest really deeply.

Our little elbows.

Our forearms.

Letting your two wrists relax.

And then coming all the way into your left hand and your right hand.

Just sensing these two kind hands.

These hands have done so much for you today.

They've pushed back the covers and they've brushed our teeth or washed our face.

They've helped us get dressed.

They've fed us.

They've lifted up glasses of water or juice or milk for us to drink.

They've taken really good care of us.

They might have hugged our loved ones,

Member of our family or friends.

They might have held someone's hand.

They've written or drawn.

Maybe played an instrument or a game.

These are great hands.

And they do so much for us.

So we can allow our hands to have this moment.

Just like it's a present.

Like it's a gift that we give them.

To rest really deeply.

To have nothing to do just for a few moments.

So that our right hand and our left hand can rest really heavily.

Your two hands resting.

And again enveloped in this kind,

Warm,

Loving,

Beautiful energy.

So safe.

And we'll move our focus again and come all the way up to our shoulders.

Allowing this heavy,

Relaxed energy to begin to soak into our neck.

Sensing our throat.

So much happens in our neck.

It breathes for us.

Swallows our food.

The spinal column in our neck holds up our heavy head all day long.

So we allow our neck to fill with this beautiful,

Easeful,

Relaxed energy.

So our neck can rest really deeply.

And as our neck rests,

Our head might know that it's okay to rest as well.

Sensing your head lying against your pillow or your bed.

From the back of your neck,

Sensing up your head,

Aware of your hair,

Your scalp,

Aware of your skull,

Your wonderful brain resting inside your skull.

Then coming to the very top of your forehead.

And then washing your awareness over your face.

Very gently,

As though it was little feathers coming across your face.

This beautifully light attention.

Aware of your forehead.

Allowing it to fill with this heavy,

Relaxed energy.

So it can be really smooth.

Sensing your eyes resting.

Your eyes have seen so much.

All the beautiful colors and pictures and the people in your life that your eyes have seen.

All the smiling faces of people who love you.

Wonderful sights in nature,

Beautiful places.

Your eyes might have seen a lovely beach or a mountain top.

They might have seen snow,

Beautiful flowers.

They've seen our very best friends.

They've read books for us and watched wonderful films.

They've seen such kindness in the people who we love.

These are great eyes.

So we really allow them to have this moment to rest really deeply.

Just infusing them with this kind,

Loving,

Warm energy.

Letting them know that it's okay to rest.

Sensing our nose.

Maybe thinking of some of the favorite things that we've smelt with our nose.

Maybe something baking or fresh bread.

Beautiful flowers or our favorite food.

The scent of vanilla.

Maybe how our parents feel as we snuggle in and give them a hug.

That scent of our loved ones.

So we can thank our nose for this.

You can surround your little nose in this warm,

Kind energy and let your nose know that it's okay to rest now.

And then we can move again and discover your two ears.

Your right ear and your left ear.

Your ears have heard such wonderful things.

The voices of people we love.

They've listened to wonderful music,

Birdsong.

They might have heard the waves rolling in along the seashore.

They've heard laughter of our friends.

Heard people sing us happy birthday.

These are great ears.

So again we surround our ears in this really loving energy.

Let them know they're really safe and they have no jobs to do for a little while but it's okay to rest.

And then allowing ourselves to be aware of our lips.

Sensing your lips and sensing your mouth.

Your mouth has tasted amazing flavors.

And your mouth also speaks such beautiful words for you.

I bet it's sung wonderful songs.

It's able to speak with such kindness to your friends and your family.

Sometimes it makes people smile.

It can ask for help.

It can share when you're feeling a little sad.

The ability to speak with the people in our life is really precious.

It's a sweet wonderful mouth.

We can allow our mouth to fill with this beautiful relaxed energy.

Feeling our whole mouth and jaw,

Our whole face and head.

Including our neck,

Our whole body and arms all the way down to our fingertips.

And washing through including our hips and legs all the way down to our wiggly waggly toes.

So that your whole body is surrounded with this beautifully kind protective loving warm energy.

Keeping you really safe.

Warm and snuggled.

So that your body feels so safe and can really give all its weight to the bed.

Almost as though the bed pushed up slightly to catch your weight just a little bit more.

And the bed is holding you so safe.

Sensing this lovely warm energy all around you.

Rest well and sweet dreams.

Reviews

Kids and I love your smiling voice 😊 - a delightful meditation to listen to while putting them to bed x

I listen to your sleep meditations and I fall to sleep 😴 really easily