In this meditation we are going to be intentionally transitioning from the events of the day into a restful and relaxed state,
Getting ready for a really restorative sleep.
And so the first thing that I invite you to do is to find a comfortable either seated position or even better laying down in a bed or on the floor,
Being as comfortable as possible.
And so just make sure you have no distractions,
You're settled in.
And then I want us to start bringing our attention and our awareness into the body.
And as we do this we can start to also be aware of our breath.
And specifically maybe we start taking some breaths in through the nose,
Bringing that air down into the belly.
For these first few breaths you can exhale through the nose or even through the mouth,
Maybe even letting out a little sigh.
And continue with a few more inhales and exhales,
Really filling up the belly and letting those exhales go as long as possible.
You can imagine with each exhale we're kind of letting go of the day,
Of all the things.
Maybe with each exhale there are specific thoughts or stories or experiences from the day that you can just feel,
Not only your mind but even your body,
Letting go.
It's like that thought,
That story,
That feeling,
That experience is melting off of you with each inhale and exhale.
And as you continue with that rhythm of those restorative breaths,
Those intentional and conscious inhales and long exhales,
I want you to begin to bring your attention down,
All the way down to your feet and your heels if you're laying down,
Your ankles.
Imagine yourself just taking a breath all the way down,
Reaching your feet and your toes.
And on the exhale,
Maybe you feel your feet and your ankles and all those little muscles helping to stabilize and work to move us around.
Just relax and let go.
Your heels or your feet begin to feel even heavier wherever they're resting.
And then with your next inhale,
You can bring that attention,
Even imagining a ball of restoring and renewing energy traveling from your feet up your legs,
Your calves and your knees.
And if there's points on your body that are sore or tender or just need a little bit of extra attention and love,
Maybe you can you're welcome to just stop that ball wherever it feels good.
Maybe your calves,
Maybe your knees,
Your thighs,
Your hips.
Continuing to breathe nice and deep into the belly,
Letting go with each exhale.
And this is where we get to really start to tune into our intuition.
We get to trust our body.
Trust knowing that when we focus on our breath and we keep our attention in the body that it'll tell us what it needs and what we need.
And for right now in this safe place where you're totally relaxed,
I invite you to just surrender to that intuition.
And this may mean stopping at different places as you're scanning the body,
Directing that healing,
Restorative energy and attention with the breath.
And there may even be times where letting go with a big sigh or an expression with your exhale can feel really nice.
Each breath in and breath out as we listen to our intuition and we connect with our mind and our body and our nervous system.
We're really just giving each of those systems the permission to let go of the day,
To let go of all of the things and to seamlessly move into a healing,
Growth and restoration state.
And so with that breath you can continue to move up,
Maybe down into your belly,
Bringing that ball of energy,
Exploring what's down there.
And again,
Sometimes our stomach and our gut can hold emotions,
Frustrations or tensions from the day.
And this is a great opportunity to bring a nice,
Big,
Full breath all the way down into the belly.
And just let everything go on the exhale.
And if that feels good and you know you need a couple more of those,
Then take them.
Give your body what it needs.
It'll tell you.
And when you're ready with your next breath,
You can bring that ball of energy and that attention all the way up to your heart,
The area of your chest.
And as we breathe into our heart,
We can imagine all of the good things in our life.
The things that we're grateful for,
That we appreciate,
The anchors of love and gratitude and compassion that we have in our lives.
No matter the ups and downs,
There are these glimmers of love,
Glimmers of hope,
Of positivity.
The things that we know are always there for us.
You can breathe the things that you know into your heart.
And I also invite you to breathe in your passion,
Your purpose.
What are the things that light you up and feel just a little bit of that fire,
That amazing energy and capacity that you have that comes from your heart.
And finally,
With your next inhale,
You can bring that attention,
That ball of energy,
All the way up your neck,
Encompassing your head.
With your next breath or two,
Just giving your mind and your brain the permission to slow down,
Just to start settling for the evening.
And then notice your face and specifically any of those muscles around your ears or your jaw,
Your eyes or your mouth.
Sometimes we can hold on to little bits of tension,
Frustrations or stories,
Anxieties in these little muscles.
And so I want you to take a nice deep breath and then imagine all of those muscles softening on the exhale.
Your eyes,
The corners of your mouth and your jaw,
Your forehead relaxing,
Your ears just softening.
And it's okay at this point if you almost feel like you're drifting in and out.
Just that layer right between awake and asleep.
Just stay focused on the breath.
In through your nose,
Down into your belly.
With each exhale,
Now imagine yourself,
Your whole body sinking just one centimeter deeper into the ground,
To the floor,
The seat or the mattress that's supporting you.
You may notice those exhales getting longer and longer.
Maybe just enjoy the sensation in your body where you know right now there's nowhere else you need to be,
Nothing else you need to do.
The challenges and the to-do's,
The opportunities,
All of that will be there for you in the morning or whenever you wake up.
For now you can just cherish,
Savor each breath where you are simply here,
Present.
Your mind,
Your body,
Your heart and your nervous system all relaxed.
All doing exactly what they need to do to help you be at your absolute best through a peaceful and restorative sleep.
Whenever you're ready,
You can just take off your headphones or put your phone or device over to the side.
Feel free to just transition into a beautiful restorative sleep.
