Good evening.
It's Doug here.
And this is your 10 minute meditation to help you fall asleep.
Now if you're struggling to get to sleep,
No doubt part of the problem is in that word.
Struggle.
Sometimes it can feel like a fight to get your rest.
So instead of fighting,
We're going to do the opposite.
We're going to let go.
So lie in your comfortable bed.
Start by noticing your breath.
Notice if it's laboured or if it's quick and fast.
And start by calming it all down as you slow it down.
It can be useful sometimes to count a four count to inhale and a four count to exhale.
And feel free to make that longer.
But again,
We're not looking to struggle or strain.
We're looking to let go.
Just counting our breath in.
Just counting our breath in.
And counting our breath go out.
Noticing what it feels like to inhale.
And what it feels like to exhale.
Pay particular attention to the exhale.
The exhale very naturally in our life is one of letting go.
We sigh when we relax after a hard day's work.
We also exhale when we're relieved.
And just in a very physical,
Visceral way.
When we exhale,
We don't actually have to push.
We simply relax the diaphragm.
So wrapped up in an exhale is this natural tendency to let go.
So we're going to use that to our advantage now.
We're going to use the inhale to bring attention to a body part.
And we're going to use that exhale to let go and say goodnight to that body part.
So let's start by inhaling our awareness into our feet and our toes.
Feeling that lovely feeling of them being warm in that bed.
And as you exhale,
Saying goodnight to those feet and those toes.
As you let go of any tension that resides in them.
Letting go of the muscles,
The tendons,
And even the skin.
Inhaling now into the shins and the calves.
As you feel how they feel in this warm bed.
Maybe how they press down into that lovely mattress.
As you notice the warmth that surrounds them.
Both from the top and the bottom.
And then each time you exhale,
Letting go of these muscles.
And saying goodnight to the lower part of your legs.
Letting go of the tension.
Letting go of anything that has been held onto.
The next inhale brings awareness into your thighs,
The back of your legs,
Your bum,
Your groin.
Feeling this part of your body and how it feels in the bed right now.
Feeling that delicious feeling of being in bed,
Wrapped up warm.
This area of the body now feeling totally relaxed and calm.
Resting after a hard day of carrying you around.
As you use that next exhale to just let those legs completely dissolve into the bed below you.
No longer needing them to carry you anywhere.
Except off to sleep.
You should feel now like everything from the waist down is completely turned off.
Completely supported by the bed below you.
Completely calm.
And with no desire to move it at all.
We now breathe in to our torso.
The belly,
The back,
The chest.
And with the inhale we bring awareness to how the torso feels in the bed right now.
How your pajamas feel touching your skin.
How the duvet feels resting on your chest.
Noticing the temperature,
That feeling of comfort that comes with it.
Maybe even noticing the duvet rising and falling with your inhales and your exhales.
And with each exhale,
Seeing if you can switch off each one of the muscles in this area.
The muscles in the back,
The muscles in the stomach,
The muscles in the chest.
As we soften not just the muscles but the tendons and even the skin.
As we feel yourself getting that ever bit heavier.
The next inhale brings awareness of the entire area from our fingertips into our hands.
The forearms,
The upper arms and shoulders.
Noticing how these limbs feel right at the end of the day.
Relaxed and heavy in this bed.
Noticing how the bed supports them.
Being aware of any tension that still resides in them.
And with that exhale,
Letting go.
With nothing to hang onto.
No reason to grip or to hold.
But instead letting sleep take hold of us.
Breathing now into our neck,
Head and face.
Being aware of any tension that we may hold on here.
We feel the neck long as the shoulders fall into the bed.
As our head sinks into the pillow.
As our face feels calm.
As we relax the jaw,
The eyes and even the head itself.
We allow the pillow to completely support this head.
This place of busy activity that now we allow just to be.
No need for it to do anything,
To look any way,
To feel any way.
But just to be relaxed and calm.
We now tap into how this entire body feels in this bed.
This warm,
Comfortable bed.
Knowing that right now there's nothing left to do.
But to relax,
To breathe and to enjoy this restful state.
