Good evening.
This is a meditation to help you sleep when you have a presentation the next day that's occupying your mind.
We'll focus for a few moments on preparing for a good outcome and then we'll use a visualization to release the mind to sleep soundly.
To begin,
Make sure that your alarm is set for the morning if you need to be up at a specific time and if possible silence all other notifications so you can rest undisturbed.
Start to get comfortable.
Adjust your pillows and blankets until you can settle in.
When you've found a sweet sense of comfort,
See if there's anything you can do to make yourself even 5% more content.
Take a deep breath in and slowly let it out.
Breathe in and out.
Breathe in,
Relax and out.
Relax.
Continue to breathe in and out naturally.
We'll begin our visualization right here as if you could see yourself lying in a bed.
You see the shape your body is in.
Cozy and comfortable.
And you see yourself looking very relaxed and drifting off to sleep effortlessly.
Breathe in,
Relax.
Breathe out,
Relax.
Moving forwards in time,
You see yourself experiencing a night of deep,
Restful sleep.
And in your mind's eye,
Time travel to the morning.
It's getting close to the time you're due to wake up and you've been sleeping soundly all night long.
And as your alarm is about to go off,
You see yourself stirring,
Already sensing the beginning of the day.
Your alarm sounds and you see yourself waking easily and stretching.
You know you've got an important presentation today and you're feeling good about it.
In your mind's eye,
Run through the highlights of your morning routine.
A shower that leaves you feeling refreshed and ready to go.
Dressing in your chosen clothes.
And doing any of your other regular morning practices like meditating or eating breakfast.
And if you have one,
Giving your dog or your cat some extra attention.
Now also run through the highlights and key points of your morning as if everything is going to plan.
Feeling ready for the day ahead.
Travel forwards in time to your presentation.
It's a few minutes before.
You arrived in good time and you feel calm and relaxed.
You have time to prepare yourself by taking a calming breath in and slow exhale.
You remember to do this at least three times.
Calming breath in,
Slow breath out.
In your mind,
You know you're ready for this presentation.
And the corners of your mouth lift up just a little bit with this knowledge.
Just one more big inhale and slow exhale.
This is your time.
As it's time to present,
You place the fingertips of your right and left hand together.
Fingers straight but relaxed.
Slightly extended apart from one another.
Steepled together.
This is Hakini Mudra.
It helps you to communicate clearly.
You feel relaxed and confident.
You don't need to go through the presentation in your mind right now.
It's already in there.
Just see in your mind how you're sitting or standing as you present.
Your posture is good,
Exuding just the right amount of openness and confidence.
Your breath remains deep and even throughout.
You take your time and you feel happy with your pacing.
Clear,
Calm,
Confident.
Clear,
Calm,
Confident.
In this moment,
Know that you have done your best with your presentation.
Envision what a good or even great outcome looks like to you.
See it in your mind's eye.
And feel how it feels.
Anticipate a positive outcome.
Now it's time to let that go and allow the mind to settle into rest.
Imagine yourself to be standing on a dock.
A beautiful lake stretches out in front of you,
With mountains all around.
There are storm clouds overhead,
Moving along quickly in the wind.
And as you look to the lake,
You see that the surface has been made choppy by the wind and the storm,
Its peaks creating white horses.
You can see there is silt and sand in the waves muddying the water.
But you're aware that whatever storm created these clouds and rough waters has now passed.
The wind is settling to a gentle breeze.
The sky is beginning to clear.
Blue sky replacing the clouds.
You take a seat in a comfortable chair and tuck into some blankets to make yourself cosy.
And you watch the water start to settle.
Even the breeze is beginning to cease.
The air around,
Now calm,
Is just a gentle and even flow of your inhale and exhale.
The waves are evening out to just a gentle roll,
Not even breaking the surface.
And you can start to see the sand within,
Falling down to the bottom.
The top of a water is getting clearer and clearer.
And the longer you watch,
The more clear the water becomes.
Continue to watch the sand The top of a lake now is totally flat,
Like glass.
Its mirror-like surface reflects the sky and scenery around you perfectly.
Your mind too is feeling calmer,
And still,
Just like the surface of a lake.
And also like the lake you feel clearer now.
You can see through the crystal waters all the way to the bottom.
Your mind is free and clear.
Everything is so still.
You feel your body and mind relax even more.
There is nothing you need to do now but rest.
Remind yourself,
You are just like still water.
I am clear.
I am calm.
I am clear.
I am calm.
I am clear.
I am calm.
Now let yourself drift off.
Relax.
Relax.
If at any time thoughts enter your mind,
See them like sand in the water.
Inhale.
And as you exhale,
Let them settle to the bottom.
Relax.
Give yourself permission to rest.
Let yourself drift off to sleep.
Let yourself be focused on the water bowl.
You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You
