Once upon a time,
Sleep came easily and naturally to you.
And in this guided journey,
I'm going to help you remember just how that felt in your body,
So that drifting into relaxing,
Restorative rest becomes effortless for you again.
Like a well-worn path to a favorite spot in nature,
Instead of trying to fall asleep,
Or worrying about sleeplessness,
You're going to simply remember in your body how lovely it feels to surrender all effort and trying,
To release the cares and concerns of the day,
And to drift into the sanctuary of your own inner realm,
Where you can breathe softly,
Dream if you choose,
And rest deeply.
So make yourself comfortable,
Just adjusting your position if need be,
So that your body feels beautifully supported by the surface you are lying on.
Let your head feel comfortably heavy on the pillow,
Giving up its weight and allowing yourself to be held.
And now,
Take a smooth breath in through your nose,
And let it out through your mouth.
And as you continue to breathe softly in your own time,
Allow your belly to rise on the in-breath,
And settle back down on the out-breath.
Breathing in calm,
Breathing out relaxation,
And as you notice your body naturally downshifting into a more peaceful state,
Lean softly into that.
You're sending a signal to your nervous system that this is your time for you.
Right now,
No one and nothing needs your attention.
You are safe.
You are relaxed,
And you can just enjoy the drift and flow as your breath moves in and out.
You don't even have to try to breathe in any particular way,
Just noticing that your in-breath carries the quality of calm,
And your out-breath invites you to let go and melt deeper into the surface you are lying on.
That's good.
And as your physical body relaxes,
Your mind naturally and effortlessly follows.
And you can use the movement of any thoughts that arise to help you drop deeper into relaxation,
And you can use the movement of any thoughts that arise to help you drop deeper into relaxation.
Let's practice that together.
Imagine your mind as a cinema screen.
You are sitting in your favourite comfortable seat with your feet up,
Watching the images that appear.
And whatever thoughts arise on the screen of your mind,
Your job,
If you can call it a job,
Is to just notice them.
Instead of being hooked into a story or swept along by thoughts,
You effortlessly become the observer.
You get to notice with a light curiosity the thoughts moving through,
And as each thought or series of thoughts arises,
You give it a label.
So,
Thoughts of the future you might label with the word planning.
Thoughts of the past you might label remembering.
And other thoughts you might simply label noticing.
Thoughts of the past you might label noticing.
Thoughts of the past you might label noticing.
Noticing,
Noticing.
And when you get bored with the thoughts,
Whenever you feel like it,
You can put your attention onto the subtle movement of your breath.
In and out.
You can also naturally allow yourself to drop beneath these words or the music you are listening to.
You don't need to pay attention to either.
This guided track is only there to watch over you as you settle,
Relax,
And melt even further.
This guided track is only there to watch over you as you settle,
Relax,
And melt even further.
And you may discover now that your thoughts arise more slowly.
As your body settles and relaxes more and more and more.
Deeper and deeper you go.
You may notice pleasant sensations of warmth or heaviness.
You may even notice a feeling of drowsiness curling around the edges of your awareness.
Just go with it as your body's natural rhythm of rest takes over,
Offering calm and comfort.
And allowing the flow of relaxation to slowly and smoothly spread over your face.
Softening the muscles of your head,
Moving down to your neck.
Allowing the muscles of your neck and shoulders to soften and melt.
Giving your torso permission to soften and relax too.
And letting your breathing become even easier and more peaceful.
Moving more and more with each cycle of breath.
And feeling the relaxation spread from your shoulders down your arms and into your hands.
Feeling,
Loosening,
Letting go.
And bringing awareness to your pelvis and your hips.
Making their weight become heavier.
And allowing the rest and relaxation to flow from your hips down into your legs.
Breathing gently and steadily down into your feet.
Softening,
Melting,
Letting go.
And as the relaxation spreads throughout your entire body now,
Just allowing it to melt And as you relax,
You settle your nervous system into rest mode.
Feeling the release of sleepy hormones,
Melatonin and human growth hormone that help your body enter that delicious mode of effortless restoration.
Letting your autonomic nervous system do what it does so well.
Putting your cells into balance.
Strengthening your immune system.
Easing your digestion.
And supporting the repair and the healing of your cells.
Breathing easy.
And entering the sweet sanctuary of your own inner dimension.
And You may find yourself in a place in nature you know and love.
By a stream.
On a beach.
At the top of a mountain.
In a forest.
Or it may be in a new landscape your imagination dreams up.
All you know is that here there is a sense of deep peace.
A feeling of coming home.
Allowing yourself to drift and deepen further into the bliss of delicious,
Restorative rest.
The music will continue to hold you.
As these words fade away.
And you drift deeper and deeper into sleep.
The music will continue to hold you.
As these words fade away.
And you drift deeper and deeper into sleep.
The music will continue to hold you.
As these words fade away.
And you drift deeper and deeper into sleep.
The music will continue to hold 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
