Meditation To Wind Down And Sleep

Welcome to Meditations with Hanya.

This meditation is designed for the evening when you're winding down and getting ready to sleep.

So find yourself a comfortable position.

Maybe you're lying down in your bed,

Ready to rest,

Or find any relaxed position.

Feel free to close your eyes and bring your attention inward.

Begin by noticing your body.

Are there areas that you might still be gripping and holding tightly from your day?

Perhaps your shoulders,

Your jaw.

Take a moment to send your awareness to any areas of tension and relax those areas in your body.

Remind yourself it is okay to soften,

It is okay to just let go.

There is an old New Zealand prayer that highlights the fact that the night is for stillness.

And one of the lines I say to myself every evening before I sleep is,

It is night after a long day,

What has been done,

Has been done.

What has not been done,

Has not been done.

Let it be.

This powerful message reminds us that our active minds will want to keep wandering.

That's just the nature of the mind.

Can you take a moment to pay attention to all your thoughts in this moment?

Are they thoughts about what you have accomplished in your day?

Or thoughts of unfinished business?

Are they thoughts of interactions you have had with people along the way?

Skillful or unskillful words that were spoken?

Are they repetitive thoughts?

Scattered thoughts?

Can you simply observe them for what they are?

Just thoughts?

Can you recognize that whatever has been done,

Has been done?

There is nothing that we can do to change our past from an hour ago or eight hours ago.

The power now lies in rest.

So in this moment,

Thank your mind for all of its efforts.

You have done what you can.

And just like the sun that slowly exits the sky of our awareness,

Let your thoughts start to dim and quiet.

So like the sun,

You too can look expectantly to a new morning with unlimited possibilities.

You are welcome to stay in your resting position.

But if you are ready to return to this space,

Slowly make small movements and open your eyes.

Thank you for practicing with me.

Namaste.