The purpose of this meditation is to help center your thoughts,
Your mind,
And your body in preparation for relaxation and sleep.
Throughout the day we carry many thoughts and impressions,
Stresses and heaviness.
Restful sleep can heal and uplift,
But first we need to guide our bodies into the present moment and to let go of the heaviness of the day.
With your eyes closed,
Take a few cleansing breaths slowly in through the nose,
Slowly out through the mouth.
Repeat this pattern for a few moments.
Focus on the support of the floor or the chair or the bed lifting you up,
Holding you in position,
Countering the weight of you being pulled towards the earth.
The bed is supporting your head and your neck,
Your shoulders and your back,
Your hips and your legs,
Your ankles and your feet.
Let your jaw slack slightly open so that your teeth do not touch.
Let your tongue fall from the roof of your mouth.
Let your breath expand your chest and your stomach.
Focus on the rise and the fall of your torso.
As you focus on the counter pressure from your bed holding you up,
Notice the heaviness of the day wherever you might be holding it,
Perhaps in your stomach or your shoulders,
Your head or your neck.
As you notice where you're holding on,
Imagine the weight disconnecting from you,
Sinking downward from you into the floor or the cushion or the mattress top.
Let go of the weight and the heaviness.
Make sure that your hands are open as opposed to clenched.
Continue to breathe as the heaviness leaves your body.
Now that you've begun to release what isn't useful to your restful sleep,
We can fill your sleep with lightness and even healing.
As you breathe in,
You're breathing in light and optimism.
Envision the air filling all the way down to your toes.
Imagine it's the most cleansing breath that you've ever gifted to your body.
Sleep is healing and it's powerful.
It is a gift that you get to give yourself every day.
As you form the habit of total relaxation and lightness at bedtime,
Your body and your mind will learn to look forward to this time of day.
It will prepare for bedtime just as you are preparing yourself.
As you create the specific space and mindset,
You will create space for your mind to solve problems,
To find answers,
To reorder your priorities and to let go of the things that do not serve you.
What matters is what is happening right in this moment.
You will carry your thoughtfulness and your feelings of lightness into sleep.
When you wake up,
Commit to use those moments to pull that same feeling into your new day.
Fill yourself with gratitude and optimism.
Commit to be kind to yourself every day.
Once more,
Listen to the following visualization,
This time letting yourself drift into deep relaxation and sleep.
Focus on the support of the floor or chair or bed lifting you up,
Holding you in position,
Countering the weight of you being pulled towards the earth.
The bed is supporting your head and your neck,
Your shoulders and your back,
Your hips and your legs,
Your ankles and feet.
Let your jaw slacks slightly open so that your teeth do not touch.
Let your tongue fall from the roof of your mouth.
Let your breath expand your chest and your stomach.
Focus on the rise and the fall of your torso.
As you focus on the counter pressure from your bed holding you up,
Notice the heaviness of the day wherever you might be holding on to it,
Perhaps in your stomach or your shoulders,
Your head or your neck.
As you notice where you're holding on,
Imagine the weight disconnecting from you,
Sinking downward from you into the floor or the cushion or the mattress top.
Let go of the weight and heaviness.
Make sure that your hands are open.
Continue to breathe as the heaviness leaves your body.
As we close this meditation,
Your body and mind will carry the uplifting feelings into the evening to help you to rest and to heal.
