This is a guided meditation for peaceful sleep.
Take the time now to get in a comfortable position.
You can sit in a chair,
On a meditation cushion,
On the floor with your hips elevated,
Or you can lie down in Shavasana,
A relaxation pose,
A yoga mat,
Or the floor.
Avoid lying in bed at this time because most likely you'll fall asleep.
Instead of falling asleep,
We want to enter a state of awareness,
A stillness,
A presence.
And so as you sit comfortably,
You might lift your shoulders up to your ears,
And then roll them back and feel your shoulder blades walking down your back,
Creating space between your shoulders and ears,
Rolling gently your neck,
Moving your chin up and down,
Taking a deep inhale and then opening your mouth and exhale to release.
Doing that a few times as you inhale fully and deeply through your nose,
And then open your mouth and exhale.
In this last breath,
You might even take a gentle yawn as you open your mouth.
Softly smile and see how that just brings a little bit of calm to your body.
Once you feel comfortable adjusting your sit bones as you need to,
Lifting them a little bit,
Sitting tall but not rigid,
Feeling the crown of your head extending to the sky,
But feeling your belly nice and soft.
If you're on the floor lying down completely,
Imagine that the earth is holding you up.
Just release.
Feel your sit bones in your chair or on the earth and shut down your eyes.
As you take one hand and place it on your heart,
Take your other hand and place it on your belly,
Just below your belly button.
We'll continue this deep breathing,
But try to breathe through your nose this time as you fill up your belly with air on the inhale.
Feel it rise.
Feel that air travel to your chest.
And then a slow exhale through the nose.
Can you feel that wave of your breath?
Inhale,
The belly fills up,
The chest fills up.
And then exhale,
It reverses,
Releasing the chest and then the belly.
So often when we find ourselves rushing through our day or we're feeling stressed,
We tend to breathe very shallowly just in the chest.
So this is a great practice to find peace,
To soften,
To connect to your breath,
To breathe into the diaphragm,
Deep into the belly.
Your eyes are closed down.
Softly swallow to release the back of the throat.
Release the tongue from the top of your mouth.
And then just let your hands rest now in your lap or on your thighs or on the floor.
Your palms can face up or down,
Whatever feels more comfortable for you.
Sometimes when we turn our palms up and open,
We're open to receive energy.
Sometimes though we've received enough and we want to just turn inward,
We might want to turn our palms down.
So see what you feel like you need in this moment because each moment is different.
Each day is different.
Each night is different.
You are different in this moment.
So let your breath naturally breathe your body now.
Just let it travel in and out.
As you bring your awareness to the crown of your head,
Letting your mind start to quiet.
Now it's very common and natural at the end of the day to have our mind running around.
Maybe your body is physically worn out or tired,
But your mind might still be racing.
And so I want you to imagine that your mind is the sky,
Big blue sky,
Spacious,
Open,
Limitless sky.
Feel your mind expand as you breathe.
And when you notice your thoughts traveling back in,
Turn those thoughts into clouds very gently,
Calmly,
And quietly.
Just imagine that the thoughts turn into fluffy white clouds in this big blue sky.
And you can see the clouds.
They travel in,
But then just let them float on by.
Your mind produces thoughts and then let them go.
Try not to attach to any of them.
Don't force them to go.
We don't want to create a storm.
This is a beautiful,
Simple blue sky with floating clouds in and out.
Let them float in and let them float out.
And as you do this,
Your brow is softening.
Your eyes are relaxed and closed.
Every muscle in your face is releasing.
The jaw is relaxed.
You might even yawn.
Your tongue is releasing from the top of your mouth.
As you swallow again,
You feel even an inner ear release.
The throat is soft.
Your shoulders are relaxed away from your ears.
Your belly is relaxed.
The breath can travel in and out smoothly,
Peacefully.
Every muscle in your body now is soft,
Relaxed,
Heavy.
But you feel this lightness in your heart with each inhale.
You feel it expand as though your heart is rising to the sky with each breath.
And every exhale is a simple release,
Letting go of any tension,
Letting go of any stress,
Inviting peace in your body,
Peace in your mind,
Peace in your heart.
You have nothing else to do here,
But let your breath breathe your body.
Let everything else go for the next few minutes.
Simply be here with your breath.
When the thoughts come in,
Let them float out and enjoy the space in that sky.
Enjoy the space between your thoughts.
Enjoy the pause between your breaths.
And I will let you know when it's time to return.
Start to bring awareness back to your body as you wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Now you may be enjoying this stillness and you may stay here as long as you'd like.
Remember that this is a new moment,
A fresh,
Clean slate.
You are anew.
You can let everything go and begin again.
Treat yourself with loving kindness as you move forward and see if you can carry this peaceful feeling with you throughout the rest of your evening,
Throughout the rest of your sleep,
And throughout the next day.
Taking your deepest breath in and out.
And you can stay here or if you're on the floor,
Push yourself up to a seated pose.
Place your hands in front of your heart.
Bow your head and as we end our meditations,
We say the word Namaste,
Which means I honor the light in you.
And we're saying that to everyone around us and we're saying that to ourselves.
So as you bow to your own heart,
Place your hands together.
Namaste.
May you go in peace.
May you feel at peace.
And may you share that peace with all those you meet.
Thanks for listening.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
