Mindful Breathing with Music for Falling Asleep,
Session 3 To take your relaxation-promoting breathing to the next level while preparing for a deep and restful sleep,
You might want to try this exercise,
Which guides you through a process of developing a visualization of yourself in a peaceful,
Familiar place.
This may help promote greater relaxation that sets the stage for restful,
Peaceful sleep.
This may be a place you've been happy in before,
Or even an imaginary place.
In practicing this visualization exercise with abdominal relaxed breathing several times,
You may notice that it becomes easier and easier and more natural to return to this place in your imagination.
This meditation was designed to provide an example of how your peaceful place visualization might sound.
You might want to use it as a guide for developing your own narration of the thoughts that express the true,
Comforting place that lives in your heart,
Your memory,
And your imagination.
And don't forget,
It's natural for your thoughts to drift off from your focus.
You can use Mindful Breathing for returning back to the exercise.
As we have experienced before,
After the narration,
You will hear some calm music.
You might want to adjust the loudness for support of your needs,
The ones you have at this time.
So let's get started.
First of all,
I suggest you take two deep breaths with me.
Breathe in,
And let the breath go.
One more time.
Breathe in,
And release it.
And now I recommend you get into a comfortable lying down position in your bed,
A position that you can comfortably maintain for several minutes.
And now again,
Locate the area below the belt that is the center of abdominal breathing,
The most relaxing type of breathing.
And now breathe in through the nose,
Noticing how your abdomen expands outward.
And then breathe out through the mouth.
And repeat this process on your own several times.
Now you're ready to begin your walk through your own secret garden.
You can decide to take this walk either by yourself or in your imagination.
You might wish to decide to invite someone whom you trust to come with you.
Now breathe in slowly.
And while breathing out slowly,
Imagine for a moment that as you are blowing the breath out,
You are standing in a green,
Sweet-smelling field in early summer.
A few feet in front of you,
You see an old-fashioned stone wall with an antique heavy wooden gate in its middle.
Slowly,
You walk toward the gate while breathing in and out slowly,
Being conscious but not controlling how your breath is moving in through your nose and then slowly out through either your mouth or your nose,
Whichever feels best,
While now breathing in your own mode,
Tempo,
And at your own pace.
As you move forward on your path,
You notice how the pleasantly warm air is warming your body.
With every breath,
You are becoming pleasantly warmer at the abdomen and with the out-breath,
More relaxed.
Listening in the distance,
You can hear the singing of the birds.
Passing by a tree,
You hear the rustling of a bird and then the bird's song wafting through the air.
The shrubs to your right have a pleasant smell as if their leaves were warming in the sun.
When you come closer,
You notice that there is a cluster of blooming lavender bushes there.
So you pick one of the blossoms and squeeze and rub the bloom between your thumb and finger and then hold the bloom up to your nose,
Taking in the sweet smell of fresh lavender.
A little further ahead,
To your left,
You see a patch of rosemary that you'd not seen on your way into the garden that invites you to pick a couple of its needles.
Squeeze them between your fingers and thumbs,
Maybe on both hands,
And then hold them up to your nose,
Taking in the pungent aroma of rosemary that will linger on your fingers even after you have left the garden.
Holding on to this exhilarating smell,
You move forward on your path.
You hear the honeybees humming in a flowering bush up ahead.
And a little further,
You feel unable to resist the temptation you find to lie down under a shady spot created by a large tree.
You feel the earth supporting you under your body,
And you relax into the earth beneath you,
Taking a few deep breaths while you take in the pleasant smells of the flowering plants around you.
The surface beneath you is buoying you up,
Supporting your body,
You feel a strong bond with this surface,
And with focusing on it,
You feel calm and relaxed.
Breathe in,
And breathe out.
Breathe in,
And release the breath.
Breathe out,
And breathe in.
Now,
Recall how you just felt.
You might want to bring to mind the sensations of a relaxed body you just experienced.
Savor these sensations while you refocus on your breath.
Breathe in,
And let the breath go.
Breathe out,
And release the breath.
Breathe in,
And release it.
What does it feel like now to feel calm and relaxed?
How do your arms and legs feel?
How does your abdomen feel?
Your chest?
Your spine?
Your hips and your lower back?
And the upper part of your body?
Give your body a quick mental scan while continuing to breathe at your own pace,
In your own rhythm.
And now,
Bring your awareness back to your breath.
Let your miraculous body continue to breathe on its own terms,
With its own rhythm and pace,
And without judgment or critique.
You are completely all right,
Just as you are.
And if any unwanted thoughts come to mind,
Remember this is normal.
You are normal.
Let these thoughts just float by like fluffy white clouds in a blue sky,
And gently return your awareness back to your breath.
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
Breathe in,
And release it.
With every inhalation,
You are nourishing this body,
And with every exhalation,
You are letting go of the stressors,
Tension,
And things that are causing concern,
While you feel your breath moving out of your body.
Your relaxed mind,
Your body,
And your mind are now.
And you can let go of those everyday worries,
Things that bother you,
To solve at another time,
And stay in this space while breathing in,
And breathing out.
Now,
You will hear some calming music.
Just let the music flow through your body,
Without judgment,
Or trying to control anything.
Notice the sensations you are experiencing,
And let the breath flow.
Flow with the music.
Flow.
