Hello,
I'm Rhys Jones and welcome to this Sleep Talkdown.
Over the next 30 minutes,
I'll be guiding you through a visualization designed to relax your body and mind in preparation for sleep.
If at any point you start feeling drowsy and are struggling to follow along with my words,
Don't try to hold on.
Instead,
Allow yourself to let go and gently drift away.
There's no expectation for you to get to the end of this recording.
And so,
Now,
I'll give you a couple of minutes to get ready for bed.
Get ready for bed,
Close your curtains,
Turn off your lights,
Slide under your covers,
Do whatever else you need.
In order to get comfortable,
My voice returns shortly.
The Sleep Talkdown will begin.
In this sleep meditation,
I want you to unchain your imagination.
I want you to explore the images that arise in your mind's eye and follow the connections you make from one image to the next.
I don't want you to do this in a grasping way.
Instead,
I want you to explore calmly and curiously from one moment to the next,
Watching as each moment develops and grows and evolves.
The experience may be purely thought-based or it may manifest as actual imagery.
Either way,
I want you to observe this process and let it lull you into relaxation.
Where do these thoughts come from?
Where do these images come from?
You?
Something more than you?
Or perhaps both?
These thoughts and images do seem to arise from your own being,
Sure,
But a deeper part of your being.
A part of you that you aren't consciously aware of at all.
Not in this particular moment,
At least.
You can prove this simple fact to yourself right now by observing where your mind goes to next.
Do you have any control over the content that arises?
It might seem as if you do,
But look closer and closer still.
Are you consciously steering this process or are you merely watching it unfold?
And so,
You continue exploring your mind.
And what a wonderful,
Sprawling landscape it is.
Lush and vibrant and alive.
Each landscape is unique to the individual.
But each landscape is similar in the sense of the substrate.
Consciousness.
Whatever you might be seeing,
Or thinking,
Or feeling,
Know that the experience of consciousness itself connects us all.
Wherever you are in the world,
Whatever your background may be,
Whoever you are,
We all share this baseline experience of consciousness,
Of brainwaves,
Of senses being stimulated.
And knowing this,
I'd like you to now explore this wondrous recognition,
This heartfelt acknowledgement.
I'd like you to conjure up a warm feeling inside your being,
Knowing that we are all united in this shared experience.
And as you go further into your mind,
Calmly and peacefully,
Feel yourself now being lulled into a deep sense of relaxation.
Closer and closer towards sleep,
Each step you take,
The thoughts and images that arise are calming ones.
Perhaps you're remembering a lovely holiday you went on in the past,
Or maybe you're picturing a loved one,
A pet or a family member.
Whatever it may be,
Follow the thread.
Again,
Not in a grasping or rushed way,
But in a way that brings serenity to you.
Bliss,
And slowly,
The veil of sleep will envelop you.
What a wonderful tool the imagination is.
It can be used in so many ways.
And here,
Today,
We're using it in a way to bring us closer to the edge of sleep.
Sometimes,
When preparing for sleep,
We like to clear our minds,
To rest in the emptiness and follow the breath.
Other times,
Like today,
We let the imagination roam.
Of course,
If left unchecked,
This roaming can lead to anxious thoughts.
And if this happens at any point during today's session,
I want you to take note of it.
Take a few long,
Deep breaths to steady yourself.
In and out.
In and bring yourself back to peace and serenity.
Remind yourself that any anxious thoughts can be dealt with later,
But not now.
This is not the time or the place.
Now is the time for peaceful exploration of the mind.
And the deeper into this session you get,
The more relaxed you become.
You feel yourself sinking into the mattress,
Light as a feather,
Yet supported.
You feel cozy and safe.
This is a place where you can truly let go.
With your eyelids closed,
The outer world is gone and the inner world is awakened.
Your mind is a place of safety,
Security,
A place where you can explore,
Risk-free,
And so continue doing that now,
Lightly and curiously and playfully.
And as my voice returns once more,
Use this as a chance to check in with yourself.
Where are you now?
What's your mind up to?
Perhaps you're thinking of an old school friend,
Or maybe you're imagining one of your favorite forest walks.
You might even be remembering your previous night's dreams.
There are no rules here.
Your mind is allowed to explore whatever it wishes.
The only boundary you have in place is that you don't wander off into worrying.
And that,
If you do,
You'll gently acknowledge it and remind yourself that you can deal with these things later.
There's always time to deal with these things later,
But for now,
We explore the frontiers of our mind,
Our memories,
Our fantasies,
And slowly,
As the night progresses,
Our dreams.
As we reach the end of this session,
Notice your imagination winding down.
Slowly,
The thoughts fade.
Gently,
The images drift away,
And you enter the void of dreamless sleep.
Think of this space as a rest stop before dreaming begins.
A charging area,
If you will.
Here,
Nothing seems to happen,
And your mind leans into the darkness.
Within this emptiness,
You feel just the same way as you did before.
Safe,
Secure,
Connected,
And as you drift away,
So do countless others,
United in this experience of sleep.
You are now in a state of supreme relaxation,
Fully at ease.
This visualization meditation has either lulled you into sleep or brought you right to the edge of it.
Either way,
What awaits you now is a night full of restoration and dreaming.
It's time for your body and mind to heal.
Give yourself over to this process fully.
Trust your body to do the work it needs to do.
And so,
With that,
I draw this session to a close.
Sleep well,
And we'll talk again soon.
