Hello and welcome to this sleep meditation.
I'm Stephen and this meditation contains music and gentle notes just to help you drift off to sleep and it will slowly fade down into nothing and silence near the end.
And there will be a lantern path story and it really doesn't matter if you hear it all or even get to the end of the beginning,
That's all fine.
So just a warning,
You will fall asleep at some point and you may not consciously hear the whole meditation and that's a good thing,
But just please only use this meditation if it is safe to fall asleep and you are in a safe place.
This is your time to gently rest and I invite you to drift off to sleep sometime over the next few minutes.
So before you begin,
Just make sure you're all prepared and the lights are dim or off and your mobile phone is on silent and the screen is off or face down.
And remember your body knows how to sleep and your mind knows how to sleep and they also know how to fall asleep.
All we're doing in this moment is just allowing the moment to happen and your body will drift off to sleep before your mind and that's perfectly fine.
And you may notice thoughts going through in your head,
That's fine as well,
Your mind evolved to think,
Your mind evolved to analyse the situation and that's all fine.
And it will slowly fall asleep when it's ready.
So here is something to remember and as I mentioned the body often falls asleep first and then the mind will follow.
So tonight you do not have to wait for the mind to fall asleep,
Just let your body lead the way and when your body feels safe it will soften and when your body softens it will fall asleep.
And now we will give your body a little treat,
A little simple gift,
A way to let go of the day's tension and we'll start with the legs and feet and just take a slow deep breath in and as you breathe in just tense up your feet,
Tense your calves and your thighs and hold them firm,
Hold and now just release them and just feel them relax into the bed.
And next we'll do the torso and all that area and just breathe in and then gently tighten your stomach and your chest,
Your back and hold that feeling for a moment and now let go,
Allowing the whole middle of your body just to drop and become heavy and relaxed.
And just breathe easy for a moment.
And now we'll do your arms and hands and just breathe in and just hold your hands tight and your arms and your shoulders,
Tighten them and now just allow them to relax,
Allow them to become heavy in this moment and fall wherever they feel natural.
So finally we're going to do the whole body and as you just breathe in deeply now just tighten everything from your face and your arms,
Your fingers,
Your toes,
Your bum,
Everything,
Just hold it all really really tight.
Allow everything to relax,
Just letting go of all the tension for the day,
You become really heavy in the bed and it just feels just so nice to do that.
It's just like a beautiful gift to the body and from this moment in the body will fall asleep.
Feel the weight of your head on the pillow and let it be fully supported,
There's nothing to hold.
Allow your breath to be easy.
You do not need to change your breath,
Just be aware of it.
Breathing in calm,
Breathing out relaxed.
Breathing in calm,
Breathing out relaxed.
And with each breath you're just allowing your body to relax even more.
And as you feel completely safe in the bed and completely supported,
You notice your body's falling asleep and soon the mind will follow.
Now we're going to drift together into a gentle story.
There's nothing to think about,
You can listen in on the story,
Or simply let the words fade into the background as you sleep.
You find yourself standing at the edge of a small village,
The quietest time of the night,
And the world feels nice and quiet.
A narrow path opens ahead,
It winds gently between low stone walls.
The walls are covered in a pale moss that glows in the moonlight.
Every few steps along the path,
A small lantern hangs from a wooden post.
Its light is not bright,
Only warm,
Just enough to guide you forward.
As you continue to walk slowly,
Your steps are light,
As if the ground itself is guiding you.
The air carries a faint scent of something sweet.
Perhaps night blooming flowers.
Their petals are half closed,
Waiting for morning.
And then you pass a small wooden bridge.
The sound of water gently beneath it.
The sound is steady.
Beyond the bridge,
The path curves gently uphill.
The lanterns lead you on,
Each one a little smaller than the last,
Until they seem to blend into the stars above.
As you climb,
You notice how still the air is,
And how far away the rest of the world feels.
There are no voices here,
No demands,
Only the slow,
Steady sound of your steps,
And a little lantern light.
At the top of the hill,
You find a small clearing.
In the centre,
A bench made of smooth,
Pale wood.
And you gently sit down.
The wood feels warm,
As if it's been waiting for you.
From here,
You can see the land below.
Village lights look like a handful of stars,
Scattered on the ground.
Above you,
The sky holds the real stars.
Somehow,
It feels as if they're breathing for you.
A soft wind passes,
And you hear the faint chime of something far away.
You close your eyes here,
Safe in this quiet place.
The warmth of the bench,
The softness of the wind,
The gentle sounds all holding you.
Your breath slows again.
Each inhale,
Like a small wave reaching the shore.
Each exhale,
The wave sliding back into the sea.
And here,
In this place,
You feel the body singing deeper,
And the mind following.
Soon,
The story fades,
And you are only resting,
Drifting deeper.
Until there is no difference between the breath,
The body,
And sleep itself.
Just aware of your breath,
Breathing in peace,
Breathing out sleep.
Everything is so still.
There's nothing to do but sleep.
You feel safe.
Your body's asleep.
Your mind's asleep.
It's as though the whole world is asleep.
You
