Hey,
Welcome,
It's Doug.
Because this is a sleep meditation,
I want you to get into a lovely laying down position.
Take your time,
Get settled into the most comfortable position you can.
And that may mean a little bit of fidgeting to start with.
That's all okay.
That's why I give you this time to do it now.
Maybe you like to lie on your back,
Maybe you like to lie on your side,
Maybe you like to lie on your front,
Whatever it is,
Carve out that perfect space as we spend this perfect time together.
If you need more time to do that while I'm speaking,
That's all good.
Do what you need to do and then get settled.
As you do now,
I'm just going to explain the session.
One of the most famous expressions we use is,
I slept like a log.
Of course,
That's usually reserved for those that slept really well.
And I want to get you to that stage,
But that expression comes from the 1600s and it's used to purvey this notion of a heaviness and immobility while sleeping,
Almost as if you were so tired that you didn't move a muscle during your sleep.
I want us to aim for that same notion of immobility and heaviness,
And of course,
Good sleep.
But I want to update that phrase for modern times using more contemporary references.
So join me as we use some strong visualization to evoke the deepest sleep you've ever had.
I want you to imagine you are the foreman of a construction site and you're busy doing the rounds.
You've got your hard hat on,
You have your clipboard and you're going to inspect this amazing site.
Now this site that we're speaking about is your body.
So we're going to be checking everything in your body and mainly we're checking to see if every element is relaxed.
So we start at the top of the scaffolding at the head and face.
So start here for me.
Begin to examine the face,
The head,
And just walk around this body part,
Making sure everything is turned off,
Everything is relaxed.
Now that may seem obvious,
But you would be surprised.
So let's make sure we check all the different areas.
I want you to check the brow and make sure it's not in a frown.
Check those eyebrows,
Then stroll over to those eyes and check that they aren't closed too tight.
Travel your way down a bit and check in with the lips and the mouth.
Although the mouth is closed,
I don't want it shut like a window.
I want it drawn like a curtain.
Let's enter inside the mouth now.
Just check in with each of your teeth.
Are they tightly gripped together or are they just loosely hanging?
As you do this,
You may loosen off your jaw too.
It's like you want a slight gap between your upper and lower jaw.
As you do all this,
Check in with the face and let it feel the most relaxed it has all day.
As if all the muscles can just turn off and just hang out.
The forehead,
The eyelids,
The cheeks,
The teeth and the jaw.
Each element relaxed and switched off for the night.
We take the elevator now down to the neck and the shoulders,
A place that can often hold on to tension.
Checking in with that muscle that connects the shoulders to the neck,
The traps and just relaxing them by gently letting the shoulders fall away from the ears.
Imagining you have this lovely long regal neck.
Check in with the muscles at the front of the neck and then check in with the muscles on the back of the neck.
Just feeling all of them totally switch off.
The head will then just fall and you can check here if that head feels nice and heavy in the pillow of yours.
If it is,
Then excellent.
You can take it off your clipboard.
Face relaxed,
Head and shoulders relaxed.
If you need a bit more time,
That's okay too.
Just forever looking around the site and switching off whatever needs switching off.
Let's take a journey now to the arms.
You want to check that you are holding no weight in these arms.
So imagine that the arms are just dangling from the shoulders.
While you're here,
Check in with the hands too and just see that not balled into a fist.
Just let them softly open up and when we have no tension in the hands,
They fall into this gentle curve.
So find that place between a fist and a straight open hand.
You'll find that natural position.
Now as if you're looking from the top of the shoulders down,
Almost like the arms are shaft,
Check in with the biceps,
Making sure that they are relaxed.
Now look at the back of the arms and be sure to relax them.
Now all the way down to the forearms,
Making sure that they are completely switched off.
Once again,
Just double checking those hands on a nice,
Comfortable,
Relaxed,
Calm position.
Excellent.
Take them all off your list now.
We climb down now and take our observation to the torso and just checking that the only thing moving in our upper body is the belly and the chest rising and falling.
Everything else is soft and relaxed.
There's no tension in the chest,
Making sure there's no tension in the back.
Imagine walking around your torso,
Just making sure everything softens a bit,
Allowing the whole upper body to just completely relax and then once you're happy with the rounds you've done,
Take that upper body off your list.
We come now to the hips,
The bum,
The legs,
The feet and starting from the top,
Working our way down,
We check in with each one.
Let's do that together.
Checking in with your glutes,
Your bum,
Being sure that there's no tension residing here.
Then we begin to let the hips relax and what can really help this is to let the feet fall out,
Outwards,
Almost like you're in a slight plie position.
Now come to those thighs,
Make sure they hold no tension,
Switch them off,
Travel to the back of the legs,
Get them to relax.
Coming down now into the calves,
Giving permission to this muscle to totally turn off.
And now check in with all 10 toes,
Switching each off one by one and once you're happy that they're all switched off from top to bottom and all the toes,
Then take off the lower body from your list.
We turn our attention now to building our sleep.
The site is secure,
It's in a good place.
Now I want you to imagine the shape of your body just as it is now.
Begin to visualize and imagine the indentation it makes in the bed and mattress underneath you.
This is going to form the foundation of your sleep.
This will be the footing from which you build and like a foundation of a house or a building,
We need to make it solid.
So as you visualize this valley that is created in your soft pillow and your soft mattress,
Just begin to connect with the shape and the contours.
In a moment,
I'm going to ask you to imagine a wet and warm concrete being poured into this indentation using 10 long breaths.
Each breath,
You're going to put a layer down.
The inhale will pour this concrete in and with the exhale,
You'll feel that concrete setting,
Getting harder and making your body heavier.
So each inhale,
You feel that concrete,
That warmth,
That liquid filling your body,
Filling these contours that are underneath you.
And each exhale,
You feel that concrete set and make your body heavier and even more still than it already is.
All right,
Let's try it together.
Have a nice sigh out breath first.
Now inhale and pour the concrete in all the way from your head to your toes.
Now exhale and feel that concrete solidify and get heavy.
Inhale,
Another layer goes on,
Head to toes.
Feel that warmth.
And now as you exhale,
Feel the heaviness,
Feel that change of texture as that concrete goes from liquid to solid.
Inhale,
That warm liquid concrete comes in,
Covers your body.
And as you exhale,
Feel that weight dragging you deeper into your bed.
Inhale,
Gently pour another layer,
Making sure it covers every bit of your body.
And as you exhale,
All these areas should be feeling very,
Very heavy.
Inhale,
Yet another layer,
Warm liquid concrete.
Exhale,
Invite that heaviness and that stillness in.
Inhale,
Pour.
Exhale,
Heavy.
Inhale,
Warmth.
Exhale,
Stillness.
Inhale,
Concrete goes in.
Exhale,
Concrete begins to set.
Inhale,
Cover that body.
Exhale,
Feel the heaviness.
Inhale,
Warmth.
Exhale,
Heaviness.
Imagine now the body is totally covered in concrete.
The foundation of your sleep is set.
There's nothing left for you to do.
You are totally still,
Totally sunken into your bed,
Totally immobile and totally happy.
You feel sleep begin to take over now,
That drowsy feeling weighing heavy on you,
That drowsy feeling building with each breath as you begin to slip into unconsciousness.
Moment by moment,
Breath by breath,
Allowing sleep to build,
Enjoying this heaviness,
Enjoying the sleep.
