Sleep Meditation For When You Have A Busy Mind

Designed for the busy mind, this visualization sets the scene of your personal, cosy library to help file away your thoughts of the past and future, before relaxing on a comfortable sofa in front of a fire to rest and sleep deeply.
This practice includes a body scan and visualization for the first 20 minutes, with 432hz delta wave binaural beats throughout to encourage a deeply restorative sleep.

Transcript

Welcome to this sleep meditation for when you have a lot on your mind.

This practice is designed to help you release the thoughts and calm your mind before drifting into a restful sleep.

Please do not practice this meditation while driving or doing any other activity that requires you to be awake and alert.

Let's begin.

Please make yourself comfortable in your bed or wherever you are resting.

Cover up with a blanket to keep you warm and make sure your head feels supported.

You don't need to be lying in any particular way,

Just however is comfortable for you.

I'll give you a few moments to settle in.

To switch from the day of doing and activity into the intention of rest and relaxation,

Let's take three full breaths together.

Deep breath in through your nose.

Hold at the top for a moment.

Slow exhale as if gently blowing through a straw.

Slow steady breath into belly,

Ribs and chest.

Pause.

And slow exhale again through slightly pursed lips.

Deep breath in,

Fill it up.

Take that moment at the top.

Slow exhale.

Let it go and relax.

Soften your feet and your legs.

Relax the back of your torso,

Your low back,

Your middle and upper back,

And then the front of your torso,

Your belly,

Ribs and chest.

Let go of any tension you have in your neck and your shoulders.

Rest your arms and hands comfortably.

Open the muscles in your face,

Around your mouth,

Jaw and eyes.

Your whole body feels relaxed and at ease and it's ready to rest.

So with your body fully relaxed,

Let's turn our attention to the mind and help it to release and relax too,

So that it can join your physical body and rest.

I'd like to remind you that your mind is amazing.

It can process and store vast amounts of information,

But every so often when we have a lot going on,

It can get a feeling of being busy and full,

And with stories that we just can't let go of.

And when this happens,

It can feel difficult to connect to feelings of calm or contentment,

And it can feel difficult to rest.

Today we're going to treat the mind like a library.

Your mind,

Like a library,

Is a sacred space.

Your mind,

Like a library,

Has a lot of information in it,

Reference,

History,

Facts and fiction.

And in order for the mind or a library to operate at its most optimal,

It's best to keep it clean and clear.

So today we'll use some imagery to put away some of the stories that are busying in mind,

And allow it to find some peace.

Please imagine standing in a wide corridor.

You're facing a large set of double doors,

Standing several feet away from them.

And this wide corridor stretches off to your left and to your right.

Turn your attention to the doors,

And notice the detail of the doors.

Are they stained or painted?

Can you see the grain of a wood?

Are the doors simple and minimalist or ornate?

You can tell just by looking at the doors that they're solid and sturdy.

And to the left of the doors,

On the wall,

Is a brass plaque.

It's mounted on a piece of wood that matches the colour and age of the doors.

You see your name inscribed on the plaque,

And etched underneath are the words,

Designer and Creator.

You take a few steps across to the plaque,

And when your finger's over it,

The metal feels cool on your fingertips.

The edges of the engraving feel sharp and precise.

There's something regal about this place that makes you stand just a little bit taller,

A little more proudly.

You try to push on the doors,

But they're locked,

And at this point you notice a keyhole.

You reach in your right hand pocket and fish out a key.

You don't remember exactly where it came from,

But you know that it's the only one like it,

There are no replicas,

And that you've had it with you for as long as you can remember.

You've never lost the key,

Even when you've forgotten about it,

And you've always been able to reach for it in an instant.

You now understand that this is where the key is for,

So slide the key into the lock,

And turn it to the left.

You hear the lock make a deep,

Satisfying click,

And you're ready to enter the room.

You push on these magnificent doors,

And as expected,

They're solid and heavy.

They swing into the room,

Opening to each side of you.

In front of you is a truly unique space,

And as you take a few steps in,

The doors slowly and silently swing back to their close position.

There's something innately familiar about this place,

It's cozy,

And you feel instantly at home here.

The walls on either side of a room have bookshelves from floor to ceiling.

In front of you,

A living space with a large sofa,

Looking towards tall and wide windows that frame a fireplace.

The fireplace has the embers of a fire glowing all shades of red and orange.

And through the windows you see an evening sky,

The sun starting to set over snow-capped mountains.

Bring your attention back into the room.

Either side of you,

The bookshelves reach from floor to ceiling,

With handy steps for an easy reach to the higher shelves.

Some shelves appear to contain series of multiple volumes and epics,

While others hold short stories.

Some books are wide,

Some slender,

Some short,

And some tall.

Some are old,

And others are new.

In this library there is every genre,

From romance to tragedy,

To comedy and inspirational stories.

There's reference,

And there's fiction.

On the shelves to your left,

There's a plaque like the one outside the room that says PAST.

You look across to the opposite side and see a matching sign on the other shelves,

But this one says FUTURE.

You have a sense of order in this room,

Like you could find anything you wanted to in an instant,

And you feel calmed by this.

You take in a deep breath,

And relax as you breathe out.

You notice that outside,

Evening is drawing in,

So you turn on a couple of lamps and cast a warm glow across the room.

Then you move to the fire and add a couple of lugs from the basket next to it.

You feel so comfortable here.

Pausing to enjoy the warmth of a fire,

Tension drops out of your shoulders.

Take a deep breath in,

And relax as you breathe out.

Breathe in,

And relax as you exhale.

Already feeling calmer and more at ease,

Turn your attention back towards the sofa.

You notice that there are several books lying around.

Some are open,

Others closed.

Some are stacked on the small end table next to the sofa,

Others on the floor.

These books represent the thoughts that fill your mind right now,

The thoughts that are on repeat.

Pick each of them up,

Notice these thoughts,

The books,

And then without being tempted to engage with them,

Without being tempted to sit and read them,

File them away on their shelves.

Some thoughts are books about the past,

Around a particular event or experience.

Take each of these books and slide it easily into the place on the shelf labeled past.

It's lesson learned and stored.

You can put it away.

Every so often,

You may come across a bundle of notes that feels junky and disorganized,

Repetitive and even mean.

And as you glance at it,

You realize it's full of nothing but doubts and self-defeating thoughts.

These notes are clearly well used,

But you know you don't really want to read them again.

You can throw them in the fire or file them under the section untruths.

They may be part of your story so far,

But that doesn't mean you have to pick up these papers again.

Books about future events.

The pages of these books blank and yet unwritten and incomplete can be filed in the future section.

Near these unwritten books,

You find another well-used notebook,

Full of the worries surrounding events that haven't happened yet.

It's full of doubts,

Assumptions and sometimes fear.

You're welcome to file this in the fire too,

If you like.

Knowing that while you have experienced these thoughts,

And they have to date contributed to who you are,

They do not serve you now,

And you don't need to fall back into these fearful patterns.

You look around and admire this clean,

Relaxing space.

Your mind is feeling clearer.

It's time for you to enjoy the space and allow yourself to relax.

Yawning with tiredness,

You climb onto the plush sofa and snuggle into it.

The fire in the fireplace has made the room a perfect temperature,

But you still pull up a blanket to get even more cozy.

You feel relaxed and at ease.

You feel ready to rest.

You feel ready to sleep.

Through the windows,

You notice the sun has set,

Leaving just the smallest hint of light in the sky over the mountains.

It's a clear night,

And even from where you are in this room,

You can see the twinkle of stars appear in the darkening sky.

Feeling relaxed and at ease,

You feel more and more sleepy.

You watch the fire dance gently,

Your eyelids growing heavy.

It's safe to rest here.

Give yourself permission to sleep.

Feeling heavier and heavier.

Allow yourself to drift into sleep.

Reviews

I like the music and the practice. Helps quiet the mind.