Hello,
If you're listening to this meditation,
I'm guessing it's because you seek the relief and restoration of sleep.
But perhaps it's eluding you right now.
Perhaps you've been lying in bed for what seems like a long time.
Maybe the mind is very busy with thoughts buzzing around your head,
Plans,
Worries,
To-dos,
Regrets,
Fantasies or just random nonsense.
Perhaps the body is tense,
Uncomfortable or fidgety.
This practice is an invitation to return home to the comfort,
Peace and relaxation that can be found in the present moment and in our sensory experience.
It's an opportunity to let go of thoughts and allow the mind to rest and the body to guide you into sleep.
So let's begin by getting as physically comfortable as possible.
If you've been lying in bed for a while,
You might try turning your pillow over to its cooler side which can be helpful in giving a sense of a fresh start to the process of drifting into sleep.
Lie in a position that feels most natural and comfortable to you.
It doesn't matter whether it's on your back or on your side,
Whatever feels right for you.
I'm inviting you now to take a deep breath in and hold it for a few seconds before releasing slowly.
And as you release the breath,
Perhaps visualizing a balloon deflating and changing from being stretched,
Taut and tense to relaxed and empty.
Repeating the practice again,
Taking a deep breath in,
Holding and slowly releasing.
And really sensing into that experience of deflation and release.
Taking one more deep breath in your own time.
And then allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Just allowing it to breathe you effortlessly.
And before we begin by connecting to our physical experience,
Let's take a moment to acknowledge and to thank the mind which has been so busy up to this point.
Inviting you to thank your mind for working so hard,
So relentlessly to serve and help you.
All the planning,
Worrying,
Anticipating,
Ruminating and wondering.
It's your mind trying to protect you,
To avoid disaster and to be your best.
It means well,
But now is not the time for that.
Now it's time for it to stand down,
To rest.
There'll be plenty more for it to do tomorrow.
You might like to silently offer your mind words of acknowledgement or thanks,
Such as thank you mind for all your hard work,
You can stand down now,
It's time for us to rest.
Or whatever words feel right for you.
Sometimes what gets in the way of sleep is a sense of not having done enough,
Of items on the to-do list remaining unchecked.
Whatever you've done or not done today,
Let that be enough.
It has to be enough,
Because the day is done.
The to-do list never ends,
But the day does.
Congratulate yourself for whatever effort you made today,
However well it went or not.
Whatever choices you made today,
It was the best you could do today.
We all only ever have today,
And tomorrow is a new day,
With fresh choices,
A new beginning.
So let's begin that reset,
Right now.
So taking a few moments now to check in with the body,
And offer the body some acknowledgement for all its effort in supporting you today.
Your muscles and bones have worked hard to carry you through your day,
And now it's time for them to rest.
And even if your body has held pain and discomfort today,
It too has tried its best with what it's capable of right now.
So perhaps offering your body some silent words of appreciation for its efforts,
Such as,
Thank you body for supporting me today,
Feel free to be at ease now.
And inviting you to sense into the place which you are resting,
Such as a bed,
Mat or couch,
Really feeling into the softness supporting and holding your body.
Allowing your body to let go of holding on,
To release all tension,
To surrender to gravity and allow itself to be supported.
You may have spent your day supporting others,
Now it's your turn to be supported.
Sensing into the fabric or material against your skin,
The textures,
The temperature,
Feeling it enveloping and cocooning your body,
And perhaps inviting a sense of gratitude for having such a comfortable and safe place to rest and relax in.
And allowing that gratitude to gently spread throughout your body like warm water and letting it seep into your bones.
Now inviting you to recall a place or a time when you felt completely relaxed,
At ease,
Safe and at peace.
That might be a childhood memory,
A moment on holiday,
Or even the moments after a challenging experience has passed.
Just giving you a few moments to identify a suitable memory.
And so without getting lost in the detail of that memory,
Just inviting you to focus on how you knew you felt safe,
Relaxed and at peace.
What is it within you that recognises that feeling?
And if such a suitable memory didn't come to mind,
Instead simply allow yourself to imagine what ease,
Safety,
Peace and relaxation feels like.
Where in your body do you feel it?
How is it written on your face?
Can you sense it around or behind the eyes?
At the corners of the lips?
Or do you sense it in the chest?
In the shoulders?
In the heart space?
In the abdomen maybe?
In the limbs?
Or somewhere else?
What is the texture or temperature of feeling peace and relaxation?
Is it a sense of warmth?
Or coolness?
Of lightness?
Or heaviness?
Is it a sense of release?
Or something else entirely?
Really sensing into the very corners and depths,
Into the fullness and wholeness of the body with curiosity and kindness.
Noticing what is present in the memory or visualisation of safety,
Of peace and of ease.
Feeling that experience to spread throughout the body.
Perhaps now bringing an awareness to the gentle rhythm of your heartbeat.
Seeing if it's possible to sense the subtle rocking of the body as the heart pumps,
Nourishing and sustaining you quietly in the background.
And bringing an awareness to the gentle rhythm of the breath,
Allowing it to breathe you effortlessly.
To gently rock you.
And sensing into the ebb and flow of the inhale and the exhale,
Like waves gently washing up and down a beach.
Filling you with peace and ease with every inhalation.
And releasing and relaxing with each exhalation.
Allowing now this gentle rocking,
This ebb and flow of the body's innate wisdom and knowing,
To release you into the bliss of deep and easeful sleep.
