Fall Asleep With A Relaxed Body And A Grateful Heart

This meditation is intended to help you fall asleep with a relaxed body and a heart full of love and gratitude.

I will ring the bell to start the meditation but not at the end in case you fall asleep during the meditation.

So get into bed,

Get comfortable,

Situate yourself,

Adjust your pillow,

Notice if you're the right temperature,

If you have enough clothing or blankets on,

Adjust your clothing,

Your pajamas,

Adjust the sheets and just relax.

Allow your body to sink into the bed and just be there now.

Bring to mind someone for whom it's easy to love and for whom you're grateful.

It could be a person or an animal.

Let your body fill with love and gratitude for that being.

What does it feel like in your body when you just feel so much love and gratitude for that being in your life?

Really savor that feeling.

Let it permeate your entire body.

It might even fill up the entire room.

Almost like you can swim in that feeling.

And now allow that feeling to be offered to that person and imagine they are being filled up with that same feeling of love.

Allow it to permeate their body.

Maybe it fills up the room they're in.

And now tell them good night and wish that they have a good night of sleep.

And leave them still feeling the love and the gratitude.

Bring your attention back into your own body,

In your own bed,

Being supported by the bed,

Being covered up by clothing and sheets.

And turn your attention to your feet.

Really feel your feet.

You can wiggle your toes,

Point and flex your feet.

Notice how they feel as they contact the bed.

Notice how they feel where they contact clothing or the sheets.

Notice temperature.

And move your awareness up to your lower leg.

You still might want to point and flex your feet to feel the tightening in the calf and the tightening in the upper,

The top of the leg muscles.

Really be inside your calf,

Your lower leg.

And notice where the leg touches the bed.

And notice where it touches the sheet or the clothing.

See if you notice the temperature.

And allow your awareness to come up to your upper leg.

Again,

Contract and relax your thigh muscles.

Allow your awareness to really be inside that that muscle,

The top of your leg.

Notice where it contacts the bed as it lies there heavy.

Notice where it contacts clothing or the sheet.

Can you notice temperature?

Allow your awareness to come up to your buttocks and your hips.

Contract your muscles,

Relax your muscles.

And allow them to be heavy on the bed.

Notice the contact between the buttocks and the bed.

Notice if you can feel any clothing or sheets.

Allow your awareness to move up to your stomach and your low back.

Contract and relax your stomach muscles.

Notice how this affects your breathing.

Can you breathe all the way into your lower stomach?

Can you make your stomach rise with the inhale and fall with the exhale?

Notice where your low back lies heavy on the bed,

Where it contacts the bed.

Notice any clothing or sheets.

Allow your awareness to travel up to your chest and your upper back.

Can you contract those muscles and relax them?

Do you notice your breathing?

Can you take a deliberately full breath and a really slow exhale?

Really feel your lungs with air and slowly let it out.

And notice where the upper back lies heavy on the bed.

Notice where the skin contacts the bed.

Notice if you can feel the sheets of the blankets.

Is it heavy on your chest and back or is it light?

Let your awareness travel up to the shoulders.

Can you shrug your shoulders up towards your ears and then let them just relax and drop down?

Do you want to do some shoulder circles?

Nice easy rotations.

Maybe change directions.

And as you let them relax heavy on the bed,

Can you feel where they contact the bed or where they contact clothing sheets?

Allow your awareness to travel down your arms.

You can bend your elbows to contract your muscles.

Straighten them really strongly.

Feel the muscles contract and relax.

Notice as they move against the clothing,

The sheets or maybe the air and let them just rest heavy on the bed or on you.

Notice where there's contact between the arms and that which it's resting on.

Bring your awareness to your hands.

Make fists.

Open up your fingers wide.

Rotate circles at the wrists.

Notice all the fingers.

Notice the way they feel against the air or maybe against the sheets.

Notice the aliveness that you can feel inside your hands,

The energy and allow them to rest heavy and let notice where they contact that which is supporting them.

And notice if they can feel clothing or sheets.

And allow your awareness to move up to your neck.

Can you rotate your head a little?

Maybe side to side like you're saying no.

Maybe you bring your ear gently to your shoulder or go the other way.

Notice as you move your neck around you can feel the sensation of your the back of your head on the pillow like massage and allow it to just rest heavy.

Can you feel the sensation of the air against the neck?

And turn your attention to your jaw.

Can you squeeze your jaw shut?

Can you allow your jaw to relax open?

Can you allow your tongue to relax?

Your lips to separate?

Do you notice any sensation from the air?

Allow your attention to move up your face.

Can you scrunch your eyes,

Your nose,

Your forehead and let it relax?

Noticing that your head gets heavier against the pillow.

Maybe you noticed your ears scrunching and then relaxing.

Can you notice at your nostril when you breathe?

Can you feel the air coming in cool and leaving warm?

Bring your attention to your scalp,

The top of your head and the back of your head.

See if you can contract those muscles a little bit.

Maybe move your head around another opportunity for a little massage at the back of the head.

Can you feel the temperature of the air on this scalp,

The forehead,

The ears?

And just allow it to be heavy.

And allow your awareness to travel the entire length of the body.

From the head down to the neck,

Down the arms,

The upper trunk,

The lower trunk,

The hips,

The legs,

Down to the feet.

Notice the aliveness in the entire body.

Notice the heaviness as it lays against the bed.

Notice the support it's receiving from the bed.

You can just surrender into that support.

Notice that the bed is being supported by the ground,

Which is supported by the earth.

Just surrender into that support.

And with that support,

Allow yourself to drift off into sleep.

Your body knows how to go to sleep.

Just surrender and allow sleep to come as you're being supported by the earth.