Sleep Meditation For Your Nervous System

This sleep meditation invites you to lie down, let your eyes close and let your nervous system rest for the night. With long, soft exhales, you say goodnight to each part of your body in turn, as a golden light moves from your scalp and forehead through your jaw, throat, shoulders, arms, chest, belly, hips, legs and feet. If thoughts come, you let them float by like clouds across a quiet sky. You do not need to stay awake or finish the practice. This content is educational and is not a substitute for one to one professional care. Please do not listen while driving.

Transcript

Welcome. This is a meditation for sleep. To let your nervous system heal while you rest. Thank you so much for joining me here. Sleep is the foundation. Of so much of our growth and our health. And when it evades us, It takes a toll. Sleep isn't just for rest. For your nervous system. The hours between when you close your eyes. And when you wake up. The most powerful healing window your body has. It's when stress hormones drop to their lowest point. And the brain processes the emotional weight of the day. And when the body finally has permission to restore. But here's the thing. A nervous system that's stuck in activation can't fully access that window. When your body hasn't gotten the signal that it's safe. It stays on alert. Even while you sleep. And sleep is light. Or fragmented. Or you're waking in the middle of the night with your heart pounding. Your body's not broken. It's just still on duty. What I'm going to guide you through tonight. Is a deactivation sequence. A gentle practice designed to take your nervous system from the vigilance of the day. And to the deep healing rest it's ready for. You don't have to stay awake for this or try to finish the meditation. All you need to do. Is lie down. Let your eyes close. Find a comfortable position. And let your body receive this. As we begin. Let your body settle. Into whatever is beneath you right now. Feel the full weight of your body. The back of your head. Your shoulder blades. The length of your spine. The weight of your legs. All of it resting. And releasing downward. You don't have to hold yourself up anymore. The bed is doing that. The Earth is doing that. Take a breath in through your nose. And let it out slowly, The long, Soft exhale. Releasing something you've been holding all day. Again. And through the nose. And releasing even slower this time. Let the exhale be a little longer than the inhale. Keep breathing. One more inhale. Noticing how the body lifts just slightly. And exhale, Feeling the body settle a little further into the mattress. From this point forward. Let your mouth stay gently closed. And your breath move naturally through your nose. Slow effortless. Whatever the body wants is okay. I'm going to guide your awareness through your body now. Not to check on anything. But simply to say goodnight to each part of you that worked so hard today. And we're going to infuse. Each part of your body. With a beautiful golden light. Beginning at the top of your head. Feel the skin of your scalp. The weight of your skull. If there's tension here from a day of thinking. Or holding everything together. Let the golden light. Soften it. There's no need for vigilance anymore tonight. Letting the light travel downward. To your forehead. The space between your eyebrows. Letting the skin there be smooth and unworried. Let your eyebrows release any expression they've been holding. As the soft protective light. Hoops down. Past your eyes. Behind your closed lids. Your jaw. Let your back teeth separate. Just enough to release the grip. Let your tongue drop away from the roof of your mouth. Allowing the soft golden light to bathe your throat. If there's anything you didn't say today. You don't have to speak it now. Just breathe and let the light bring ease into your throat. And let it rest. Now to your shoulders. Where so many of us carry what doesn't belong to us. Let them drop a little further into the mattress. If there's another layer. Let it go. Moving that light. The shade of a beautiful moonlight. Down through your arms. Elbows. Forearms. To your hands. Letting your fingers uncurl. Letting the hands be the hands of someone. With nothing left to do tonight. Moving down through the chest. Your heart. Take a breath here, Noticing the rise and fall of your chest. And that your heart has been going all day. Keeping you here. Without you having to think about it even once. Moving the light down through your chest. It's open and unguarded. Moving down to your belly. One of the last places that we allow ourselves to be soft. If your belly has been braced. Against uncertainty. Criticism. Or the weight of a full day. You can let it go. Letting it round. With each inhale. And fall with each exhale. Moving the light down through your lower back. Your hips. The ball of your pelvis. Resting heavy and still. This is one of the deepest places that the body stores the residue of stress. Breathe into it. Without needing anything to change. As you move down through your thighs. Your knees. The long muscles of your calves. And each one releasing its tone. As if the muscles are finally exhaling after a very long day. Down to your feet. The soles of your feet where you've been standing on the earth. For tonight, Let them be heavy and done. Your whole body. From the crown of your head. To the soles of your feet. Bathed in protective golden light. Here resting. And being held. With nothing required. Except to receive. I want to tell you something about what happens in your nervous system when you sleep deeply. Your body has two primary nervous system states. And their partners. With range. The sympathetic state is your activation, Your alertness, And your readiness to respond. It has served you well today. The parasympathetic state. Is your restoration. Digestion. Healing. And the state your body has been waiting to return to, To sleep tonight. As you lie here. Allowing your exhales to be longer than your inhales. Connecting with your brilliant breath. Your body fully supported. And nothing being asked of you. Your nervous system is receiving the signal to begin the handoff. From activation. Into restoration. This handoff is the most important thing. That happens tonight. Continue breathing. Slow. Letting your exhales be long. With each exhale. Imagine your nervous system exhaling too. Releasing a little more of its vigilance. Trusting more fully than it doesn't need to stay on duty tonight. If thoughts come. . . Let them float by. They're not problems to solve tonight. They're just the mind doing its version of what the body is doing. And releasing what it gathered during the day. Let the thoughts float like clouds across the sky. That's becoming quieter and more still. Your breath is slower now. Your body feels heavy. The room around you is quiet. Notice how the boundary between your body and the bed is becoming less distinct. You're being held. And simply resting. Let your awareness become soft. Aware of your slow breath. The peaceful darkness behind your eyes. Warmth of the bed. Weight of your relaxed hands. As you move deeper into rest. Your brain will begin to move through its own process. The day will be sorted. Filed and released. The stress hormones that rose with the morning. Will continue to fall. Your immune system. Comes online. Your cells repair. And all of this happens without your effort. Because you had the wisdom to stop. And lie down. And let your body do the work. What it has always known how to do. Let yourself go now. Your nervous system knows the way to rest. And is always known. And now you're simply letting it lead. You are safe. And held. And every exhale takes you deeper. Your body is working for you even now. Healing what needs healing. Releasing what needs to be released. And restoring. What was spent today. Tonight. You just rest. Safe. Still. And hum.