We'll begin this meditation just by settling into bed,
Turning off any distractions,
Doing any last little things you need to do to really get comfortable in bed,
Preparing yourself for a wonderful night of sleep,
Taking a moment to let go of whatever happened earlier today.
If there's anything on your mind about something that's happening or coming up later in the week or in the future,
Just imagine you're packing that away.
Maybe you put it in a box,
Maybe you set it outside,
But just give yourself permission to give those things a break because right now is your time for rest and sleep and rejuvenation of your body and mind.
Once you've settled,
Just feel your body resting in your bed.
Feel yourself being supported by the mattress and noticing the points of contact between your body and your bed beneath you.
We're going to begin just by taking five deep belly breaths.
So exhale all the air out of your lungs,
Taking a big belly breath in and a long,
Slow,
Relaxing breath out.
Do that again,
Big breath in and a long,
Relaxing breath out.
Then do this two more times,
Imagining that on every exhale you're releasing tension,
Stress,
Anything.
Every exhale brings you a little bit closer to that state of sleep.
One more big,
Deep breath here.
Now we're going to slowly count to 20.
On your next inhale,
Think inhale one,
And on the exhale,
Think exhale two,
Inhale three,
Exhale four.
Continuing with this,
Inhaling five and so on,
Making your way to 20.
Continuing on.
If you get distracted,
That's okay.
Just begin again at one.
Just focusing on the number and your breath.
You probably have a few more rounds.
Let's do one more inhale and one more exhale.
And once again,
Feeling yourself melting and sinking into bed.
We'll do the same thing,
But now we'll count backwards from 20 back down to one.
So on your next inhale,
Think inhale 20,
Exhale 19.
Inhale 18,
Exhale 17,
And so on.
Slowly counting backwards from 20,
Taking your time.
There's no rush.
With every breath,
Each number,
It's like you're counting backwards,
Getting closer and closer to sleep every time.
Continuing to breathe.
You might be on your last few rounds,
And completing,
Counting all the way down to one before releasing numbers,
Releasing counting.
Just become present with your breath.
We'll take five more deep breaths here.
Just inhaling through the nose,
Exhaling,
Letting it all go.
Do this a few more times.
Two more big,
Deep breaths here.
And now in your mind's eye,
Imagine yourself deep in a mountain jungle.
The forest around you is alive.
It's ancient.
It feels wise,
And it's draped in moss,
And it's brimming with life.
Ferns are down below by your feet.
Vines are curling up trees,
Reaching towards the canopy above.
And in the air,
You can hear the beautiful bird songs,
The rustling of a slight breeze the tree leaves,
And in the distance,
The steady rush of water.
As you look around,
You can see the sunlight that filters down through the treetops,
Casting these golden light beams that dance across the forest floor.
You begin to walk through the forest,
Along a winding trail,
The earth soft beneath your feet,
The air is warm,
A little bit humid,
With the scent of rain and flowers and earth.
As you walk through this forest,
You can just feel that serenity.
You know that this is a sacred and special place.
And as you continue to walk,
The sound of falling water grows louder now.
You follow your walking path until the trees begin to open up around you,
And you see an incredible waterfall cascading down the mountainside.
It's pouring down into a glistening clear pool,
And it's sending up this fine mist into the air,
Where you can see little glimpses of sparkles and rainbow light as the sunlight pours down through the mist.
And just beside the pool's edge,
You see a smooth,
Sun-warmed rock.
You make your way over towards it.
You settle down,
Feeling the comforting heat of stone beneath you,
Grounding you,
The waterfalls pouring in the background,
And you become immersed in the sound.
As you close your eyes,
You just let the warmth of the rock seep into your body.
You can feel the cool mist on your skin,
And the little dapples of sunlight dancing across your skin as you just rest here,
Listening to the sounds of the jungle,
The birds,
The animals,
The breeze.
There's nothing you need to do here.
You just allow yourself time to breathe and be,
And enjoy the sounds and the rhythm,
The life of the wild world around you.
You feel yourself be completely at ease,
So grounded and comfortable.
Listening to the waterfall,
The sounds of the jungle,
You open your eyes and look at the pool of water.
It's so clear.
You can see right down to the bottom.
There's rocks and a few fish swimming.
You just watch the little ripples of water as they move across the pool as the waterfall continues to pour down the mountainside.
You just give yourself time to be and rest,
Enjoying this special moment in this special place.
