So tonight we have a special episode of the Grounded Sleep Podcast.
I would like to guide you in a meditation sitting up before you go to sleep.
So sometimes when we fall asleep,
We might feel restless and we're not ready to let go.
Or we just want to have a solid meditation practice before sleep.
So I invite you for this episode to sit up in bed.
And if you start to fall asleep in meditation sitting up,
Well,
That's great.
And you could just slide under your blanket and let go.
When I meditate in bed,
I'll sit on my pillow and have my back against the bed frame,
The wall,
Whatever's behind you.
Or do it however is comfortable for you.
And if you fall asleep during this meditation,
Well,
Congratulations.
There's no right posture here.
You can have your hands on your knees or your palms facing up.
Or sometimes I'll put one hand inside the palm of the other.
And you can have your back relatively straight.
You can close your eyes with some intentionality.
And so this is your pre-sleep meditation.
Just start to notice your presence.
There is an awareness that is emanating from you.
And you're just aware that you are aware.
So you're returning to a place that is pre-thought.
And you'll notice that your thoughts emerge out of awareness and then they dissipate back into your awareness.
They form like clouds in the sky and as they pass,
Over time,
They dissipate.
Your breathing is slow and steady,
And there's a balance and a rhythm to your energy.
All the cells in your body are in harmony.
The molecules that make them up are in harmony.
The atoms that make the molecules up are vibrating in harmony.
And the subatomic particles are also vibrating in harmony.
All of these countless parts that make you up,
All harmonizing together.
Every part is part of a whole,
And every whole is part of something bigger.
As you sit still and breathe,
As you prepare yourself to fall asleep,
You can be grateful for every particle,
Every bit of energy that makes you,
You.
From the top of your head,
You can send a wave of gratitude down through your body,
Down through every single atom of your body.
You had another day on earth.
Your body carried you through it,
And now you're going to have another sleep on earth.
And while you're asleep,
Your body and your brain will continue to function and help you rest and clean yourself out and dream and restore and heal.
As you're sitting here meditating,
You can honor that process.
It is a miracle.
Even as you meditate,
Awake,
You're getting deep,
Deep rest.
Just notice that.
You can also feel the energy of the night.
You can sense the stillness.
There is something so beautiful about it,
Just like there's beauty when the sun rises and the birds chirp.
There's a beauty when everything lets go and falls asleep.
And every time the mind wanders,
Just bring it back.
Allow yourself to return home to presence and realize as you sit still,
There is nothing to do.
There's nothing to figure out.
No amount of thinking will bring you to any conclusion.
And if you start to fall asleep at any point,
Feel free to just slide into bed and let go.
As you sit,
Your mind will begin to naturally relax.
And for some reason,
If it's disturbed,
Can you be relaxed even with a disturbance?
You don't need to react to it or control it.
Allow that breath to be slow and steady.
If at any point sleep begins to pull you in,
Allow yourself to let go.
Allow yourself to release into the night.
Allow there to be a seamless transition from your meditation into a deep rest.
