Hey,
It's Doug here.
I'm sorry to see you're struggling to get some sleep,
But listen here,
It's okay.
That's probably the most important message.
You may or may not know by now,
But stressing about not getting sleep is a surefire way not to get to sleep.
So we shift our focus to something else.
We give ourselves and our brain a task to think about and to concentrate on.
And through this action,
We can get away from the stress that comes with just lying there and thinking about why we're not sleeping.
For today's meditation,
We're going to harness the calming effect of deep breathing,
As well as the calming effect that the ocean has.
So often being out in nature looking at something as vast and as grand as the ocean is a great way to calm us as we realize there are other things bigger than us and that can be quite liberating.
Of course,
Right now while you lie in your bed getting out to see an ocean may not be the most feasible idea.
So rather let's bring the ocean to you.
I want you to start as always by getting yourself comfortable.
Get yourself into a position that may be easy to fall asleep in.
So although we're not thinking about sleeping,
We are getting body ready to at least get some rest.
As you lie there,
Just pay attention to what it's like to be in the bed.
Notice the lovely feeling of warmth that comes with being under the blanket.
Notice how your body depresses into the actual mattress.
Carving out this U-shaped structure in the mattress below you.
Feel all those areas of pressure and just let yourself be heavy.
If you haven't already,
It's a good idea to close your eyes.
And then I want you to bring one or two hands onto the belly.
Another option is to bring one hand to the belly,
One hand onto the heart.
Now as you bring your breathing in and out through your nostrils,
I want you to focus on where you're breathing into.
And that's where the hands become useful.
The hand or hands that are on your belly.
Now feel for the breath.
We're going to use some visualization now to get deeper into this analogy of the ocean.
Those hands or the hand on the belly,
Now I want you to imagine as a ship.
And your belly underneath,
I want you to imagine as the ocean.
Now what can be quite calming about the ocean is that gentle rocking effect as the swell comes in and out from underneath the boat.
I want you to breathe now into your belly.
Let that navel come away from the spine on the inhale.
And as you exhale,
Let that navel come back to the spine.
So you're getting this lovely ebb and flow,
Just like you would if you were a ship out in the ocean.
Inhale belly rises,
Exhale belly falls.
Inhale belly rises,
Exhale belly falls.
Now if you're on a ship in the middle of the ocean,
It's no good if that boat is rocking furiously from side to side as the ripples in the ocean cause an unstable environment.
And the same can be said for your breath.
Have your breath calm,
Deliberate,
But also smooth.
Gently going up and gently going down.
Your hand is the feedback for this.
How smooth can you make it?
No sudden movements,
No rocking the boat.
Great job.
Just imagining that hand as a ship,
That belly as an ocean.
You can also think about the heaviness that that body of water may contain and you can start to initiate that into your meditation.
Feeling the heaviness of the body as if it was the weight of the entire ocean.
Pushing you further into your bed,
Helping you sink.
Inhale belly rises,
Exhale belly falls.
This gentle rocking like a baby in a cradle.
Another element of the ocean that can be so calming is the sound.
So I want you now to initiate that sound of the ocean.
If you're a yoga practitioner you'll know it as the Ujjayi breath,
The notorious breath.
But if you aren't a yoga practitioner that's okay.
Just think about constricting your breath at the back of your throat,
Making almost a snoring sound as you exhale.
You can think about constricting that on the way in too.
So again this is gentle humming.
There's a whooshing of air coming in and out.
If this proves too difficult don't worry about it.
If you can just make this gentle sound of the ocean with your breath then do.
You now have the feeling of the ocean as well as the sound of the ocean.
You have the calming effects of deep breathing and the calming effect of the ocean.
All the while remembering to check in.
Is that breath smooth?
Is your hand,
Does that ship have an easy ride,
A relaxing ride?
Don't rock a boat.
This hand on your belly is your safe place where you can control the environment or you can make it as calm as you like.
You can literally rock your hand to sleep.
Feeling now the calming effect of this meditation.
Not just in your belly.
But extending up and down and sideways.
As your legs get heavier,
Your feet get heavier.
As they completely switch off.
As they completely let go.
The calming ocean now flowing up the body into the chest and back,
All of the torso.
Flowing down both arms into the hands.
Allowing them to just be and just relax.
You now feel this calmness go all the way up into your head and face.
As you take on the feeling of the ocean.
That calmness,
That heaviness,
That easygoingness.
You feel the calmness go all the way up into your head and face.
As you take on the feeling of the ocean.
That calmness,
That heaviness,
That easygoingness.
Water is known for taking the path of least resistance.
So try to do the same.
Just allow yourself to bend,
To mold,
To flow.
Sleep well.
