Welcome to this nightly sleep meditation.
This practice is designed to be used again and again in training your body and your mind into deep restorative sleep through gentle breath work and repeated visual cues.
By using the same rhythm and language each night,
We teach our nervous system and minds to recognize that we're preparing to sleep.
So just find a comfortable place to lie down,
Close your eyes,
And prepare to follow a path your body already knows to sleep.
Okay,
Let's begin.
Welcome back.
Tonight,
Just like every night,
We walk the same quiet path together,
A path that your body remembers,
A rhythm your breath knows,
A stillness your mind is learning to trust.
Close your eyes now,
And on your next gentle inhale through the nose follow your breath inward,
Let the breath become your path.
With each breath you walk deeper into yourself.
And ahead you see a small island,
Gently lit by two bedside lamps.
In the center of the island,
Your bed,
Soft,
Safe,
Waiting for you.
This bed is surrounded by water,
Calm and quiet,
Like a moat of peace.
The water moves with your breath.
If your breath is short and shallow,
The waves grow restless.
If your breath is slow and soft,
The ocean becomes calm.
Still moving,
Always moving,
But peaceful,
In and out,
Like you.
Above,
The sky inside your mind stretches wide,
Filled with stars,
The moon and the occasional drifting cloud.
These clouds are your thoughts.
When your thoughts are many,
The clouds cover the stars,
But as your mind settles,
The sky clears and the moonlight returns.
Each night you come here,
The path feels more familiar,
Your breath settles more quickly,
Your thoughts drift away more easily,
Because your body remembers what to do.
Just like every night,
We're about to soften our body,
One breath at a time,
One body part at a time.
I'll tell you which area we're relaxing before we breathe into it,
Then we'll squeeze and hold,
And as we exhale,
We'll just let it go.
Okay,
Focus your awareness on your right foot,
Inhale,
Hold and curl the toes under,
Gently squeeze the foot.
Good,
Now exhale and release,
Now move to your left foot,
Big inhale,
Hold and curl the toes under and gently squeeze,
And release.
Bring your awareness to your right hand,
Inhale deeply,
Hold and as you make a fist,
Squeeze and release.
Now your left hand,
Deep inhale,
Hold,
Curl the fingers into a fist and squeeze,
And release.
Now focus on your right leg and buttock,
Big inhale,
Hold and squeeze the muscles,
And let go.
Now your left leg and buttock,
Big breath,
Hold and squeeze,
And let go.
Now bring your awareness to your right arm,
From your wrist to your shoulder,
Deep inhale,
Hold and tighten the arm,
And let it relax.
Now your left arm,
Deep inhale,
Hold and squeeze from your wrist to your shoulder,
And relax.
Now focus on your torso,
Chest,
Belly and back,
Deep inhale,
Hold and engage your core,
And relax.
Now bring your attention to your face,
Deep inhale,
Hold and scrunch up your face,
Your forehead,
Your eyes,
And relax.
Now prepare to gently squeeze your whole body,
Big breath,
Hold and engage from your head to your toes,
Squeeze,
And relax.
One last time,
The whole body,
Big inhale,
Hold and squeeze every muscle in the body,
And relax.
Each night your body remembers,
Each breath builds trust,
And every release brings you closer to sleep.
Now we breathe together,
Just like last night and the night before,
The same 4,
7 and 8 rhythm,
The same signals,
Trust your body,
It knows what to do.
I will guide you when to inhale,
When to hold,
And when to exhale.
When you inhale try to use the nose,
And when you exhale use the nose or the mouth,
Whichever feels the most soothing to you.
Ok,
I invite you now to exhale empty the lungs as quickly as you can,
Inhale,
Feel yourself relaxing,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Let go a little more,
Exhale,
Inhale,
You are safe to surrender,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Hold,
Every breath takes you home,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Trust this moment,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Your breath is your anchor,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Hold,
Sleep is arriving,
Exhale,
Now let your breath return to its natural rhythm,
No effort,
Soft,
Soothing.
Each night you breathe this way,
Your body remembers,
Your breath the path,
And sleep quickly follows.
Let's count down into sleep now,
Each number a step deeper,
Each number signals surrender,
Same words,
Same numbers,
Every night.
5.
Your body is heavy and still.
4.
Your breath flows slow and calm.
3.
Your thoughts drift away like clouds.
2.
You're letting go completely.
1.
You are asleep.
The lamps beside your bed fade slowly,
The stars return to the sky above,
The ocean flows gently around your island,
And your breath,
Calm and natural,
Keeps you gently afloat.
The bed holds you,
The night surrounds you,
And there's nothing else to do,
Every night you hear these words,
Your body learns the path,
Every night it becomes easier to let go,
You are safe,
You are still,
You are deeply asleep.
Good night.
