Hi and welcome to this sleep meditation for fighters.
This is a guided mindfulness meditation to help you relax,
Unwind and assist you in getting a really deep sleep.
So settle in now,
Get really comfortable in your bed,
Feather your nest,
Relax your arms wherever feels comfortable for you,
Relax your head on your pillow and then when you are ready find a moment of stillness.
Stillness in the sense that you resist the urge to wiggle or move and stillness by focusing on the breath.
Following the breath in and following the breath out,
Following the breath in and following the breath out,
Lifting weights in the gym,
Pad work,
Bag work and sparring may come very easy to you but resting your busy overactive mind may be a challenge.
Perhaps you're thinking of your upcoming fight,
Your to-do list,
Your diet,
Perhaps you're still processing what your coach mentioned in the session today,
Perhaps you're struggling with an injury and everything else that vies for your attention on a daily basis.
Listening to guided meditation is a great way to let go of these thoughts and get a good restorative sleep which is essential for the recovery of your muscles.
It is important to find a good balance between exercise,
Nutrition,
Rest and recovery and you've got to do what works for you.
So anytime you feel you need a deep restorative sleep you can come back to this practice.
Feel how the body is becoming heavier now and as you continue to relax together let's take a deep breath in,
Filling up your body with oxygen and a slow effortless exhale.
That's it,
Allow the breath to just be natural.
As you inhale invite in rest.
As you exhale breathe out any tension and release whatever is left of today.
At this very moment there is nothing else you need to do.
There is no need to be anywhere but right here with nothing to do and nothing to accomplish.
Just be right here right now.
Just like you close all windows on a computer as you shut down each tab give yourself permission to do the same for your day.
Simply close each tab of today.
Whatever you were working on,
Whatever required your attention today,
Just close the tab completely.
Now that you have put everything else aside it is time for deep deep rest.
Let yourself sink into the bed feeling the gentle pull of gravity.
Each time you exhale visualize that you are being pulled deeper and deeper into the bed.
Now shift your awareness to the body.
Just notice your entire being,
Becoming aware of the outline of your body,
Noticing where you begin and end,
Becoming aware of how your body is feeling in this moment.
Let's do a gentle body scan to see if there is any tension that can be softened in the body.
Let's start by resting the awareness on the feet now.
Allow the feet to relax completely,
Softening the toes,
The top of the feet,
The soles of the feet,
The heels,
Your ankles and bringing your awareness up to your calves,
Softening all the muscles completely,
Bringing your awareness to the knees,
Softening the knees.
Now you bring your awareness to the upper legs,
Let go of tension in the quads,
The hamstrings,
The thighs,
Noticing the sensations in the glutes and the hips and just allowing your entire lower body to relax as if your legs are glued to the bed and as you sink deeper into relaxation.
Just let your breath be natural,
Soft and gentle without wanting to change or control it.
Continue to let your awareness drift further up the body,
Relaxing the muscles in your abdomen and giving all those wonderful organs inside your body.
Rest and relax,
Letting go of any tension you may be holding in that area.
Now bringing your awareness to your entire torso,
Any muscles that are tight here are free to be relaxed as you welcome gravity to step in and do its job.
Relaxing the space between the ribs and the top of the hip,
Relaxing each individual rib,
Allowing the entire rib cage to just be and softening all the muscles in the area of the chest.
Feel your body becoming heavier and heavier,
Just noticing your breath now.
Let your shoulders be heavy and completely relaxed.
We often tend to hold a lot of tension in our shoulders,
So if you do,
Allow your shoulders to really slide down away from the ears and see if you can consciously,
Ever so gently,
Relax the traps and all the other muscles in the shoulders.
And as you're releasing tension,
You are sinking more deeply into the bed.
Let your awareness continue to travel to your arms,
Relaxing the upper arm,
Softening the biceps and the triceps,
Relaxing the forearms,
The palm of the hand,
Relaxing all your fingers,
Letting them curl up naturally.
Now feeling the entire length of your arms as they grow heavier and heavier,
As if they are glued to the bed.
Then bringing your awareness to the neck and throat area,
Softening all the muscles here,
Unclenching the jaw,
Relaxing the tongue,
Relaxing the cheeks,
And see if you can consciously relax all those tiny little muscles around your eyes.
Often when we shut our eyes,
We tend to press the eyelids together firmly,
But just see if your entire face can go slack now,
Without any expressions.
You're relaxing the eyebrows,
The space between the eyebrows,
And letting go of any tension in the forehead now,
Relaxing the crown of the head.
That's it,
Your entire being in deep,
In deep relaxation.
Feel how your body is completely attached to the bed,
Feeling heavy,
Safe,
Comfortable,
And ready for a deep,
Deep sleep.
And as your body is floating,
Floating,
Whilst listening to this guided meditation,
You feel almost as though you are entering into a dream-like state.
Your mind is slowing down,
Your heart is resting,
The whole world becoming quiet and peaceful.
You feel appreciation in your heart for your body's ability to sleep,
And you set the intention that your sleep be of the highest purpose,
Resting deeply,
So that you may have more energy,
And feel fully recovered when you awake.
Your body grows even more and more tired,
And you allow yourself to drift off into a deep,
Deep sleep.
