Healing Sleep Routine For Body And Mind

Welcome to this meditation to help settle your mind before you go to sleep.

This may be helpful if you tend to have a little anxiety or stress,

If there's a lot going on in your life right now,

Or if for some other reason you just find it hard to settle your mind as you're going to sleep.

One reason for this could be that you've been so busy that this is your only time that your mind can be quiet.

It can feel like there's a lot to do in this quiet space,

Thinking,

Processing,

Feeling,

Planning,

Imagining.

So let's settle a bit of that together and see if we can help you let go of those needs to do and drift off to a relaxing,

Gentle sleep.

We'll go through some gentle practices and thought exercises,

But none of them are necessary.

If you drift off at any point,

That's perfect.

And if you don't,

Keep in mind that rest is most of what you need from sleep.

If you're having trouble falling asleep tonight,

Rest your awareness at the bottom of your breath.

Let that be enough.

If you haven't already,

Go ahead and get settled.

Make sure the meditation is the right volume for you and that you're as comfortable as you can be in your body right now.

Adjust and wiggle.

If there is a lot of stress or tension in your body tonight,

You could try squeezing your fists and then releasing them.

You could also do this with other parts of your body like your shoulders,

Scrunching them up and then relaxing them,

And any other part of your body that feels like it's holding tension that you want to release.

This is optional.

If it feels right,

You could take a couple of deep breaths now,

Or maybe you're just noticing your breath.

Check in with how you're feeling in your body in general.

What's your mood?

What kind of day have you had today?

If you're like me,

You may have a mental checklist of things that need to be done before you can go to sleep at night.

Check in with these.

Is there anything you've forgotten to do?

Anything you need to check or set before you can go to sleep,

A pill,

An alarm?

If there is something you've forgotten,

Take a moment to consider whether you need to pause this meditation and do it right now,

Which you can.

Or if it's something that you can leave for the morning.

If it is,

Just make that agreement with yourself that you'll leave it until the morning.

It doesn't need to be done right now.

When you're ready,

Acknowledge the land beneath you,

Supporting you.

Notice the temperature of the air,

The quality of light or darkness in the room.

Consider your relationship with this land that you're on right now.

And now we'll imagine a circle of protection around yourself,

Your room,

Or your house or apartment,

Wherever you are.

Identify that this is a circle that invites healing energies,

Deep rest,

Support,

And good dreams.

Anything that's not in alignment with your highest good can enter the circle.

Feel that circle of safety settling around your body,

Around your space.

Now let's take a moment to offer our prayers or meditations.

If you have a prayer or meditation practice,

Feel free to do this your own way.

Otherwise,

You may simply begin with gratitude.

What are some things you're grateful for today?

And then notice if there's anything you want to ask for,

Safety,

Protection,

Healing,

Connection.

And there may be a request there as well for someone else,

Someone that you want to hold in your heart or your prayers,

Or send some energy to.

When this feels complete for you,

Offer a thank you to whoever it is that you're offering these thoughts to,

Your higher self,

The universe,

A deity,

Nature,

Whatever it may be.

And now we'll notice if there's any part of your body that needs a little extra attention or energy today.

It might also be a problem,

A conflict,

An emotion,

Or an issue in your life.

And see if you can locate that struggle in a part of your body.

If it feels right to place your hands there,

You can go ahead and do that.

You may also just imagine that you're placing your hands there.

Invite a warm,

Loving,

Healing light into this part of your body.

There may be a color that comes up for you as you imagine this light.

It could be golden,

White,

Pink,

Blue,

Whatever comes to you is perfect.

The color may also change as you rest here,

And that's perfect as well.

This lovely light brings calm and safety,

Quiet,

Healing,

And support.

It has everything this part may need to heal,

Release,

Or resolve.

Even if it is a problem that needs to be solved in the outer world,

This gentle,

Restful light will help you find the solution,

But not in your conscious working thought.

This healing will come from deep rest,

From quiet,

Even from dreams.

Simply imagine this beautiful,

Soft,

Gentle light surrounding this part of your body,

Soothing,

Protecting,

Assisting this part to do what it already knows how to do.

We're allowing that natural process to happen on its own.

When you're ready,

Imagine this light expanding.

Feel it surrounding your entire body,

Gently filling the spaces around this place until it is all the way around your body.

Every part of your body will get this healing and support from here.

Allow this gentle light to bathe your head.

Feel your forehead relaxing,

Space around your eyes.

Feel your skull relaxing,

Maybe even right to the ends of your hair.

Your cheeks can soften,

Your jaw,

The root of your tongue,

Your ears can relax.

Feel this light moving toward your throat and neck,

Soothing any tightness here,

Allowing the muscles to relax,

The light gently moving into any areas of imbalance and softly reminding the body how to correct these issues.

Feel the light moving over your shoulders,

Right and left.

Down your arms,

Right arm,

Left arm,

Right elbow,

Left elbow.

Right hand,

Each finger.

Left hand,

Each finger.

Feel the light bathing your heart and your lungs.

Feel the easeful,

Gentle breath moving in and out of your lungs,

Around the space of your heart.

This light gently holds,

Gently witnesses whatever is happening in your heart and your chest.

It moves even to the back of your heart,

Your shoulder blades and the space between them.

Feel them wide and soft.

Feel the light moving into your stomach and diaphragm.

Your liver is here on the right,

Possibly needing a little bit of extra love and attention as it filters your food and your world.

Your kidneys and adrenal glands are just behind the stomach,

Here in the mid to upper back.

Feel that part gently filling with breath,

The light softly soothing this area.

Now the light moves into your lower back and your lower belly,

Your lower torso.

The light is gently soothing your guts,

Your lower spine.

Notice the breath easily moving downward into this place,

Without needing to change your breath or breathe in any particular way.

Just imagine the muscles around this area relaxing,

Softening,

Releasing,

So that the breath is really effortless.

And now this light moves into the pelvis,

Surrounding the pelvic organs and the sacrum.

You may even feel the breath moving down this low,

All the way to the bottom of your spine.

This light is gently surrounding and healing this part of your body,

Supporting it,

Giving it everything it needs.

And the light continues to move down your legs and into your feet,

Your right thigh and hip,

Left thigh and hip,

Your right knee and your left knee,

Your right shin and the left shin,

The muscles and fascia of the right foot and ankle.

Each toe relaxing,

Softening,

Receiving the light.

And then the left foot and ankle,

The muscles here,

The beautiful machinery of the toes,

Feeling each one relaxing as it receives this healing light.

As the light moves down into your feet,

You may notice that it is also clearing energy that you don't need.

Anything that might come from someone else or somewhere else,

Or just something that's been processed that you don't need anymore.

Allow this energy to release out through your feet into the earth below you,

Trusting that the earth knows how to recycle this energy,

Return it to source,

To bring it back as something that is needed somewhere else.

And feel the light surrounding your entire body,

Like a cloud of safety,

Calm and connection.

Notice what color or colors you may see now.

Maybe it's more of a feeling,

A mist,

A shimmer.

Allow this light to stay with you,

Softening your body deeply,

Holding you here as you need.

This light is helping to hold your rest and your sleep.

Trust that it can hold your body,

Your emotions,

Your thoughts and everything else within it.

Allow for the possibility that your rest could help you in all kinds of ways,

Even if you can't quite get to sleep.

This light is like a friend to you,

As your mind wanders as it wishes,

Moving from place to place,

Without needing to control it,

Or stop it,

Or bring it back anywhere.

And then allow even the image of this light to go free.

Trust that it can hold you,

Whether you are thinking about it or not.

Trust that you've done enough,

You're safe enough,

There's time enough.

Allow yourself to drift away,

Without any concern about where you'll go.

Trust yourself to rest.

I wish you a wonderfully deep sleep.