Hey,
It's Cyrus and welcome to this meditation to not even try to sleep.
We're just going to rest.
If sleep happens,
That's a great bonus.
This is the right session for you if you feel like you just can't sleep no matter how hard you try and maybe trying hard is the problem,
So we're just going to try to rest instead of sleeping.
We can think of restfulness as a middle step between wakefulness and sleep,
So if you can't sleep,
Let's just aim for restfulness as that's going to be better for your system than being awake and letting your mind race and being frustrated that you can't sleep.
So if that sounds good,
Get your room nice and cool or whatever temperature you like,
Turn off the lights,
Get it nice and dark or arrange it in whatever way feels good to you and then find a comfortable position to rest in.
And as you plop into this spot,
Just notice you might not have the most optimistic association with the spot that you're resting in,
But let's create a new association.
Just wipe the slate,
Clear the mental decks,
Enter the present moment and stay open to new possibilities.
And we're going to start with some deep breathing and I know it might be like,
Oh boy,
Here we go with the deep breathing.
This never works to get to sleep,
But we're not trying to get to sleep.
We're aiming for rest,
So let's down regulate the nervous system with some double inhales and long exhales.
Let's do it together.
Breathing in for a long inhale,
Sneaking in a second inhale and a long exhale out through the mouth.
Nice.
Let's find an even smoother rhythm.
Double inhale,
Long exhale.
Hopefully your nose is less stuffy than mine.
Another double inhale,
Breathing in.
A long exhale.
Doing great.
Finding a rhythm.
Let's get a couple more in.
Double inhale,
Long slow exhale.
Ooh,
That oxygen is yummy.
Okay,
Deepest one yet.
Double inhale,
Long slow motion exhale.
Nice.
Just notice that extra little bit of spaciousness in the brain and the body that the breath has opened up,
Even if it's only 10%.
And we're going to tap our acupressure points now to really chill out the nervous system a step deeper.
So if you're not familiar with this,
Literally just take one hand and tap the side of the other hand right below the pinky fingers.
Just start tapping.
Don't think about it too much.
A nice gentle firm tap.
And you can repeat the affirmations that I speak out loud in a gentle whisper or in your mind as you tap,
Whatever feels natural.
And as you tap the side of your hand,
Just repeating,
Even though I don't feel like I can sleep,
I choose to love and accept myself.
And now tap the top of your head right at the center of your head on the top.
And repeat,
I'm just aiming for restfulness tonight.
It might take me some time to get there,
But I'm just going to choose to be patient with myself.
If sleep comes,
That's a bonus,
But I don't need to rush anything.
And tap on the inside of the eyebrow,
The inside of the eyebrow,
Right between the eyebrows.
Repeating,
I give myself permission to be restful and do nothing.
And now tapping right beside the eye on either side,
It doesn't matter.
And repeating,
I allow my mind and body to rest deeply.
And tapping underneath the eye,
Just one inch below the eye on either side.
Repeating,
Even though I feel like I need to be on all day.
It's safe to switch off and just be right now.
Tapping above the lip,
Right above the lip.
Repeating,
Even though part of me feels like it has to manage everything.
It's safe to let that inner manager relax.
Tapping underneath the lip,
Right underneath the lower lip.
And repeating,
Especially because my inner manager's job will get easier if I'm rested.
Tapping right beneath the collarbone,
On the soft spot right below the collarbone.
I allow myself to let go of whatever's on my mind a little bit more.
It's safe to start to loosen my grip on my thoughts.
And tapping right underneath the armpit,
On either side,
About four inches below the armpit.
And repeating,
Whatever I'm feeling,
It's safe to feel it,
And it's safe to release it.
And now relax the tapping,
Relax your arms by your side.
And let's do one final double inhale,
Breathing in deep.
Slowly releasing out through the mouth,
Like you're breathing out through a straw.
And now just let your body land,
As if you don't have to hold it up.
You can just let your muscles release any holding,
Any bracing,
Any keeping it together.
You can just let your bed catch all of that,
And simply float.
And I invite you to notice any energy that you've been carrying with you throughout your day.
Any emotion that's been weighing on you,
Just allow that energy and emotion to float to the surface of your body,
Even though it might be a little uncomfortable.
If it feels safe in this moment,
Just allow any of that built-up energy or stress to be felt for just a few moments here.
And as it floats up,
Don't go into your thoughts,
See if you can stay in the body with your attention,
Simply tracking the energy,
Allowing it to flow and be felt without judgment.
Emotion is meant to be in motion,
So let's just let it move for a few more moments,
Just imagining space open up around the flow of that energy,
As you track it with your attention.
You don't have to carry this with you into the state of rest,
You can feel it and let it flow through you,
And then out of you at its own pace,
Continuing to track it in whatever form it transforms into for another moment.
And now allow any of that old energy from your day to be released out of your body into a bigger energy.
Whatever resonates with you,
Just imagine it flowing up and out and through your body into the bigger energy field,
Not thinking,
Just relaxing and allowing it to evaporate effortlessly,
To unstick itself as you become lighter and lighter with each effortless breath.
And as you open up a little more space in the body,
Whatever old energy is still there,
Just allow it to be as it is,
And be willing to let it flow out at its own pace in that state of non-resistant awareness that you've opened up.
And also notice the space and lightness that you've opened up in your energy field in your body,
And in that space just start to welcome in the energies of love and peace and restfulness,
Or whatever else you wish to welcome in in this moment.
Notice the colors and textures and patterns of those energies,
What they are for you,
And start to breathe them in gently and enjoyably and abundantly into your body,
Not thinking,
Just welcoming it in freely with each breath at your pace.
Imagine those energies permeating every cell and fiber of your body,
So that the love and the peace and the restfulness are total and complete more and more with each moment,
Overflowing with it.
And let your breath slow to an even slower cadence,
Not making it slow down,
Just gently steering it in the direction of a little bit slower with an almost effortless intention,
Really starting to slow each breath down to a pace where you can enjoy and savor each inhale,
And enjoy and soak in the restfulness of each exhale.
Nothing to do and nowhere to go,
Just the simplicity of enjoying each slow inhale,
And each blissfully slow exhale.
And now take that simple spotlight of attention and guide it down towards the mouth,
Feeling the tongue and the lips,
Feeling the neck,
Let the mind float towards the collarbone,
And give yourself permission to gently notice and let go of thoughts as you stay in simple rhythm and connection with the body as you move towards the shoulders,
Just feeling the shoulders with a simple attention.
Attention.
And just enjoy dancing down to the biceps and triceps,
Feel the lower arms,
And notice the details of the palms,
The blood pumping in the palms of the hands,
And the aliveness of energy dancing quietly in the fingers,
And just smoothly bounce down towards the toes,
Feel the toes,
And now notice the soles of the feet,
And the tops of the feet,
Feel the ankles and the way the energy moves in unison with your attention,
As you move to feel your calf muscles and your shins,
Just savoring a restfulness as you move to your knees,
And then to your quads on the front of your thighs,
And then the entirety of your hamstrings on the backs of your thighs,
Feeling your glutes,
Your pelvis,
Your hips,
Your lower belly,
Dropping down to the lower back,
Rising up to the upper belly,
And dropping down to the middle back,
Making your way up to the upper back,
And letting your attention rise to the chest,
Feel yourself connected to the heart as you rest your attention at the chest,
Feel your chest with the rhythm of the breath as it comes to you as slowly as it naturally does,
Let all thoughts and distractions dissolve into the heart like an incinerator of love,
Feel the heart's gravitational pull vacuuming in everything that arises in your consciousness,
As you rest there with a gentle dedication,
Letting go of sleep,
If it comes,
Then it comes,
If it doesn't,
Just say it,
And savor the rest as you deeply rest within your heart,
Letting all thoughts gently dissolve into the heart,
And let yourself relax and fall into the heart and rest there more deeply than you've rested in a long time,
Notice that you are safe in this moment,
And it's safe to relax and rest at your heart,
Whatever normally is hanging on,
Whatever normally is standing guard,
It's safe for those parts of you to rest as well,
If sleep comes,
That's okay,
And if it doesn't,
That's okay too,
Because our bodies and minds are getting a deep state of rest,
Conscious,
Deep rest,
Notice any muscles that are still carrying the slightest bits of tension,
And don't even try to relax,
Just observe those muscles for a moment,
Without judgment,
And if they feel safe to relax on their own,
Just allow them to relax at their own pace,
Effortlessly,
Consciously,
Allowing that to unfold,
And whatever thoughts come up,
Just notice,
And in an unrushed way,
Allow them to unfold,
Allow them to drop into the heart,
And be dissolved in your loving awareness of the heart,
And with that gentle,
Meditative intent,
Whatever comes up,
Even if you find yourself lost in thought,
Just come back to the heart,
And allow yourself to progressively ease in,
To a deeper and deeper state of restfulness,
At your pace.
