Off To Sleep

This meditation is designed to help you wind down from the day and fall asleep. It starts with gentle breath work then goes into mindfulness of the body to release tension and feel grounded. This method was designed to relax your nervous system and your mind so you can find some ease in falling asleep.

Transcript

Let's get you to sleep. You made it through your day. Whatever happened, Whatever you did, Didn't do, Said, Didn't say, It's done. It's behind you. You don't need to review it. You don't need to plan for tomorrow. The only job you have right now is to be here, In this bed, Breathing. Whatever's on your mind, You can set it down, Just for now. It'll still be there in the morning if you need it. But right now, None of that is your responsibility. Right now, The only thing that matters is this breath. Let's start with three rounds of slow breathing. In through your nose for four counts, Out through your mouth for eight. Nice and easy. Here's the first one. Breathe in. One, Two, Three, Four. Now let it go, Long and slow. One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight. The second round, Breathing in, Two, Three, Four, And out, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight. Let everything drain out with exhale. Last one, Breathe in, Two, Three, Four, And out, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight. Let the tail end of that exhale be longer than it needs to be. No rush. Good. Now let your breathing do its own thing. You're not managing it anymore. You're not counting. Just let it be whatever it wants to be. Shallow, Deep, Uneven, Doesn't matter. Your body already knows how to breathe while you sleep, So just let it do its thing. We're going to move through your body now, Slow, So there's nothing to achieve here. You're just visiting each part of yourself and giving it permission to let go. Start at the top of your head, The crown. Just notice what's there. Maybe some buzzing, Maybe some tightness, Maybe nothing at all. You don't need to change it. Just feel it and imagine it softening, Like warm water poured over the top of your skull, Slowly running down. Your forehead, Let it smooth out. All those little muscles between your eyebrows, The ones that scrunch when you're thinking, Worrying, Concentrating, They're off duty right now. Let them go slack and release. And your eyes, Let your eyes get heavy behind your eyelids, Really heavy, Like they're sinking back into your head. You don't need to look at anything. You don't need to track anything. Let them rest in their sockets like two stones settling into sand. And your cheeks, Your jaw, Let your jaw drop open slightly, Just enough that your teeth aren't touching. With your tongue, Let it fall away from the roof of your mouth. Let it get thick and heavy and still. Notice your ears, Not listening for anything, Not monitoring the sounds in the room, The hum of whatever's humming, Maybe just some street noise. Let all of that be background. None of it requires your attention. Your neck, Feel the back of your neck against the pillow. All that tension from holding your head up all day, That's done now. The pillow has it, So let your neck go soft and release. Your shoulders, These are the places that carry everything, Stress, Responsibility, Posture, Getting through your day. None of that is needed right now. Feel your shoulders drop, Not pulling them down, Just stop pulling them up. Let them melt towards the mattress. Feel the space that opens up when they release. Your arms, Your upper arms heavy against the bed, Your elbows, Your forearms, Feel the weight of them. Your wrists, Your hands, Notice where your hands are resting right now. Feel the texture of the sheets against your fingers, Your palms. Let your hands go completely limp. And imagine them made of something warm and heavy, Like they're filled with warm sand. Let your fingers curl however they want to curl. Now your chest, So feel the chest rise and fall. Don't need to control it, Just watch it from the inside. Feel the gentle expansion and the gentle release. Your ribcage softening, Your heart beating in there, Steady, Doing its thing without any help from you. Your belly, Let your belly be soft, Completely soft, No holding, No bracing. Let it rise and fall with each breath. This is the part of your body that tightens first when you're you've been clenching it, So let it go, Really let it go. Let it be round and loose and easy. Your lower back, Feel where your lower back meets the mattress, Or maybe there's a little gap there. Either way, Just notice it. Let the muscles on either side of your spine release. Feel your whole back, Upper, Middle, Lower, Pressing into the bed. Feel where your body makes contact. Shoulder blades, Mid-back, Low-back, The full surface of you held up by something solid and soft. Let gravity do all the work here. You're not holding yourself up. You haven't been for a while. The bed is holding you up. You don't have to do anything about anything, Just feel the weight. And your hips, Your glutes, Heavy, Sinking into the mattress, Your thighs, Fronts and the backs and the sides. These muscles that carried you through your day, Upstairs, Through hallways, Standing on the train or the office, They're done working. Let them go slack, Just releasing here. Releasing any tension at all. Just letting the legs spread out through the bed. Your knees, The back of your knees, Just notice them. Your shins, Your calves, Feel the weight of your lower legs resting on the mattress. Your ankles, Your feet, Let the feet fall open, However they want to fall. Turning out a little, Maybe a lot, Doesn't matter. Your toes, Don't even try to do anything with your toes, Just let them exist. Now zoom out, Feel the whole shape of your body in bed. The full weight of you, Head to feet, Pressing down into the mattress. Feel all the places where your body meets the bed. The back of your head, Your shoulders, Your back, Your hips, Your legs, Your heels. You're not floating, You're the opposite of floating. You're sinking, Slowly, Gently, With every exhale, A little heavier, A little more settled. Like warm wax slowly spreading out, Like your body is becoming part of the bed. There's nowhere to go, There's nothing to solve, There's no next thing, Your day is done. You did enough, Just this body, This bed, This breath. And if a thought comes, That's fine, Don't fight it, Don't follow it, Just let it pass through like a car going by outside. You hear it and then it's gone, And you're still here, Still heavy, Still warm. Every exhale a little heavier, Every breath a little closer to sleep. You don't have to try to fall asleep, You just have to stop trying to stay awake. You can let go now.