Welcome to this meditation to help you drift into a deep,
Restorative sleep,
So that you can awaken in a morning refreshed and energized.
As this is a meditation for sleep,
It should not be listened to while driving or doing any other activity that requires you to be awake and alert.
Please make sure your alarm is set if you need to wake up at a specific time after your rest.
And be sure that all other notifications it can be are silenced.
Take a little time now to move into a comfortable position.
You can lie any way that is comfortable for you.
It's okay to fidget a little bit to get settled.
And while we begin with the intention of inviting stillness into your body as we rest,
Know that it's okay to move at any time if it will help you to be more comfortable.
Invite your eyes to close if they haven't done already.
Take a deep breath in.
And slowly let it go.
Take another deep breath in.
And long slow exhale.
Or more like that please.
And choose now what kind of rest you're going to experience.
Is this a relatively short night of sleep or a long one?
When or what time would you like to wake up?
And how would you like to feel when you wake up?
Please bring to mind the image of a wooden chest with a heavy lid.
See the chest in front of you.
It's colour.
Notice if it's plain or if it's ornate.
Notice the details of the chest,
Its texture and its size.
Let's open the chest.
Its lid is attached to strong hinges that glide smoothly as you lift it.
Glancing inside you see that the space within is magically infinite.
You can place into this chest all the thoughts in your mind,
Your worries,
Your stresses,
And the events of the day as well as any past events that linger in your mind.
You can also place into this chest any worry for the future,
Events coming up,
To do lists and concerns.
Put your head now and put anything that's heavy in your mind or in your heart into the ice box.
And also catch any of the other thoughts that bounce around in your mind on repeat as ones that are a little harder to put your finger on but that often lead to a background feeling of anxiety or stress.
Don't be tempted to engage with them,
Just catch these thoughts like catching a butterfly in a net and coax them into the box too.
Now take the heavy lid and lower it down until it fits perfectly on top of the box.
There's also a sturdy latch that you can pull down to secure it.
Leaving your thoughts in the chest,
You now feel ready to rest.
So let your mind rejoin your physical body as we guide it into a deep state of relaxation.
Begin with being aware of your head and face,
Especially any tension in the forehead or around your eyes.
Soften away this tension as you exhale.
Your jaw and mouth relax,
Even your ears and your scalp.
And feel this relaxation flow down into the neck and throat and down into your collarbones.
Your shoulders can relax and your arms rest comfortably.
Soften and close your hands a little and then let your fingers curl in naturally,
Relaxed.
Soften your belly and notice its gentle movement as you breathe.
Let go of any holding of tension in the pelvis or in the glutes.
The sense of relaxing continues to flow down your body into your thighs,
Relaxing the upper legs and the lower legs and your ankles all the way to your toes.
Your whole body feels relaxed and at ease.
Your whole body feels relaxed and at ease.
Breathing heavier and heavier as you rest into the support for bed.
Guiding your attention to your breath,
Allow your exhales to grow a little longer than your inhales.
Inhaling nice and easy,
Exhaling slowly,
Fully.
Let all of the air out.
Notice a gentle inhale and a long,
Long exhale.
Continue these long exhales for a little longer.
Feel yourself sinking deeper into the bed.
Feeling safe to slip into a deeper sense of relaxation.
Feeling safe to slip deeper towards stillness and rest.
Letting your body relax.
Long,
Easy exhales.
Your mind can rest too.
Breathing heavier and heavier as you move closer towards sleep.
Your whole body sinking into the bed.
Letting go.
Just letting go.
Deeper and deeper.
Feeling more and more relaxed.
I'm going to count down from 10 towards 1.
With each count down you feel a little more relaxed,
A little heavier,
A little closer to deep,
Restorative sleep.
10 Long exhale.
9 Feeling relaxed.
8 Letting everything go.
7 You're so,
So comfortable.
6 Relaxation washes over your whole body.
5 Feeling at ease.
4 Letting go.
3 Drifting off.
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