Meditation For Sleep

Hello,

Welcome and good evening.

My name is Keri Bethan.

Tonight's practice will be a meditation to guide you to sleep,

Allowing you to create the trust in your body and in your presence that for tonight,

All is well,

So that you can feel comforted to let go of the day and drift into the night.

So join me now in finding comfort and safety in the warmth of your bed,

Dropping into a sense of being,

Being present with yourself,

Recognizing for a moment the ways in which you are protected right now.

Held,

Feel the support of the bed beneath you,

Your body embraced by the softness of your sheets,

And when you feel ready,

Gently close your eyes,

Sense the sky above you,

The moon,

The stars,

All present,

All here with you now.

Sense them watching over you,

Adding a layer of security,

A blanket of safety,

A deeper promise that all is well.

Begin to take in a few long,

Deep breaths,

As deeply as possible,

As you begin to release and let go of the day,

Releasing stress and worries with each exhale,

And surrendering them to the night.

The more relaxed you are,

The deeper you drift.

As the breath moves through the body,

Become aware of any bracing,

Any resistance to letting go,

And with a smile,

Invite your body to soften with each breath,

Sending your inhale to those areas of tension,

Lovingly letting go with your exhale.

There is no need to hold on,

Allow the breath to support you in letting go,

Releasing resistance to anything inside of yourself or outside of yourself,

Breath by breath,

And in the absence of this resistance,

Welcome in acceptance,

Welcome peace,

As you let the body relax more and more with each breath,

All that you have been holding onto,

All that you have been carrying from the day in body and mind,

Let it float out and away,

Breath by breath.

Feel yourself sink deeper and deeper into the bed with each breath,

As you imagine being held by the night.

With each breath,

A feeling of comfort and warmth wraps around you,

And let your breath become soft and slow,

As you move gently into rest,

Finding stillness within yourself,

As you arrive in this moment,

Sense the space around you and breathe with that space,

Become aware of your breath,

Notice its coming and going,

The sensation,

The sound,

The temperature,

And notice your body,

Notice how your body is alright right now,

With each breath,

Come home to your body,

Home to yourself,

Smile to your body with love and compassion,

Offer gratitude to your body for always being there for you,

Guiding you,

Supporting you,

There is a sense of friendliness here,

And as you move your awareness through the body now to ground in presence and safety,

Observe your experience without judgment,

Simply notice,

Placing your attention now at the top of your head,

And feel your head embraced by your pillow,

Feel all the sensations there and allow your head to rest,

As the attention moves down,

Notice the sensations through the forehead,

Raise the eyebrows,

And soften the brow as you release,

Softening the muscles around the eyes,

Nose,

Release the jaw,

Relax the mouth,

Thoughts may naturally arise,

And see if you can notice them passing without judging,

And then return your attention to the sensations of your body,

Your rest is found in the space between thoughts,

So see if you can let thoughts be,

Let them come,

Let them go,

An effortless flow as gentle as your breath,

So let go,

Breathe out into the quiet of the room,

As you soften the mind,

Return to the quiet of your being,

The quiet within you,

Finding peace,

Finding rest,

Bringing the awareness down now to your neck,

Throat,

Shoulders,

Releasing all that you have been carrying,

As you send your breath here,

Continue to let go with each exhale,

And let your attention slowly move down through the arms,

Hands,

Fingers,

Ensure that your hands are resting in an easy and effortless way,

Feel each of your fingers,

Your thumb,

Your palms,

The back of your hands,

And then moving your awareness to your chest,

Exploring all of the sensations in this area,

The expansion,

The release,

Arriving deeply in your body now,

Coming home to your heart,

And see if you can feel the heart beating deep within your chest,

Can you sense the gentle rhythm,

The pulse,

As you connect to the beauty and the support within you,

And send love to your heart for allowing life to be possible,

Always there for you,

Day and night,

As you breathe,

Allow your heart to soften,

And welcome the sense of a smile into your heart space now,

Relax your heart with your smile,

Sense ripples of ease moving through your body with each beat,

Each beat,

Each breath,

Working in harmony with your body to keep you safe,

It is safe to soften,

It is safe to let go,

Slowly moving your attention down to your stomach,

And releasing,

Relaxing the belly on each breath,

Taking a moment here to feel the sensations with a soft awareness,

Rising,

Falling,

Rising,

Falling,

And returning your awareness now to your back,

And take a moment to feel your connection to your bed once again,

As you move down through the shoulder blades,

The mid-back,

The lower back,

Feel how you are held and supported,

And relax now,

It is safe to rest,

And continue to let your relaxed awareness sweep through your body,

Feel the sensations within the hips,

Down through the legs,

Notice the weight,

The stillness,

As you allow them to rest and just be,

Becoming heavier as you drift deeper,

Releasing any remaining tension breath by breath,

Coming down now into the feet and toes,

And feel all the sensations here,

Allow the feet to relax,

Coming home now to the whole body,

Feel yourself at peace,

At peace,

Relaxed and easy,

One with the night,

Encourage that sense of peace to grow within,

As the body settles,

And you surrender to stillness,

Feel your body becoming calmer,

Relaxed,

Still,

Like a crystal clear mountain lake,

Waves gently lapping as they meet the shore,

As your breath gently meets the night's air,

And breathe with this feeling of peace,

Let it wash over you,

Sink deeply into you,

As you sink deeply into yourself,

Developing a sense of intimacy within yourself and this moment,

Rediscovering a sense of peace,

Of peace,

Feeling the safety of this moment as you return to the rhythm of the breath,

Rising and falling,

As you drift deeper,

Deeper,

Softly,

Gently,

Sinking into sleep now,

As sleep sinks into you,

Rest with the knowing that you are safe to drift,

Safe to dream,

There is a peaceful welcoming into this place of restful sleep,

And arrival home,

As you rest with your heart,

And letting go into sleep,

Becomes even easier now,

As you are filled with peace,

Safety,

Relaxation,

And love,

All present here now,

Supporting each other,

Supporting you,

Woven together in the tapestry of the night,

Rest in sleep now,

Whole,

Safe,

Held,

And free,

Sleep well,

Dream sweet,

From my heart to yours,

Namaste.