Hey,
It's Doug.
One of the biggest barriers to sleep is worry and overthinking.
The lights turn off and our mind turns on.
So tonight we're going to actively combat worry and instead calm that busy mind of yours.
We're going to evoke the wisdom of the Stokes for this one.
As Seneca writes,
Two things we must therefore root out,
The fear of distress in the future and the memory of distress in the past.
The one concerns me no longer,
The other concerns me not yet.
So of course this is easier said than done,
But I'm here to give you the secret.
You see,
You can only focus on one time point at a time.
They are mutually exclusive.
So to avoid thinking about the future or the past,
You're going to think about the present.
So throughout this session,
I just need you to commit to only thinking about things that are happening right here and right now.
Anytime you think about past troubles or future worries,
That's okay.
You just calmly take note of that and come back to your experience.
Now you may retort,
But Doug,
I'm in a dark,
Silent room with nothing going on.
What on earth am I going to focus on?
Well,
That's where you're very lucky,
Because I'm going to show you how.
Just listen to my voice and let me show you the hidden world of your experience.
To start with,
Let's focus on your body.
Get yourself nice and comfy.
You can help your body get some rest by getting into a restful position.
Do what you got to do.
Pillow under the knees.
One less pillow for the head.
Get a bit warmer.
Get yourself comfortable.
Ready?
Great.
So how does that feel?
Are you as comfortable as you could be?
Great news.
Let's begin to breathe in and out slowly,
Deeply and gently.
Deep in and deep out,
Letting each breath last a little bit longer than the one before.
And as you're doing that,
Can you start to feel your body expanding on the inhale and relaxing on that exhale?
Can you pay even more attention to your breathing,
Feeling your belly lift,
That air travel through the nostrils,
Down your throat and into your lung?
And then can you feel that belly go down and that air travel back out through the throat and exit through those nostrils?
See if you can begin to track that breath,
Noticing all these different points of its journey into your body and then back out,
Traveling with that breath,
Pinpointing where it is in the body at each element of your breath cycle.
Just feeling that breath,
Noticing its journey.
Now with your next few breaths,
I want you to see if you can feel not just where the breath is,
But how the breath makes you feel.
Using that inhale to notice the expanse of your ribs stretching out,
Your belly rising.
And then using that exhale to notice the relaxation that accompanies it.
Inhale feeling expanse and exhale feeling relaxation.
Each cycle of breath,
Getting to know your breath that little bit better.
Now using that next inhale,
Bring some awareness to how your skin feels under that duvet.
Is it nice and warm?
Can you pinpoint exactly where you feel the warmth?
Can you fully appreciate the warmth with each breath?
Using that inhale to become aware of the areas where you feel warmth the most and using that exhale to fully enjoy that gorgeous feeling.
Inhale warmth,
Exhale enjoy.
I'd like you to shift your focus one last time with me.
Start to become aware of the weight of your body.
Just noticing what areas press into the bed the most.
Each inhale become aware of that weight,
Those places of pressure pressing into your mattress and each exhale handing over that weight to the bed beneath you.
Using each cycle of breath to feel heavier and to sink deeper into your mattress.
Inhale heavy,
Exhale sink.
Beginning to feel that mattress fully engulfing the very outline of your body.
Now simply breathe and enjoy any of these experiences as they come up while this music gently plays out.
This is your experience and it's beautiful.
Sleep well.
