Welcome,
This meditation is created to gently guide you into sleep.
Before we begin,
Take a moment to make yourself comfortable in bed.
If it feels okay for your body,
Allow yourself to lie down on your back with a blanket resting softly over you.
Let your arms rest alongside your body or anywhere they feel at ease.
Allow your legs to be long and supported.
Make any small adjustments you need so your body can fully relax.
Once you are settled,
Know that there is nothing else you need to do.
This is a space for rest,
Softness and sleep.
Let's begin by taking a deep breath in through the nose and sighing it out through the mouth.
Let's do that a few more times.
Take a deep breath in and sighing it out.
Let's do that one more time,
Inhaling deeply and sighing it out.
Now allow your breathing to return to its natural rhythm.
There is no need to control it.
If it feels comfortable,
Invite the exhalation to be just a little longer than the inhalation,
Sending a quiet message to your nervous system that it is safe to slow down,
Safe to rest.
Now bring your awareness to the back of your body.
Notice how the back of your head rests on the pillow,
How your shoulders are resting on the mattress,
Your shoulder blades,
How your back,
Your spine is resting,
Your hips,
The backs of your legs,
Your heels.
Feel how the mattress receives your weight,
Holding you without effort.
Now gently shift your awareness to the front of your body.
Feel the blanket resting over you.
Notice where it touches your feet,
Your legs,
Your belly,
Your chest.
Some parts of your body are held from below by the bed.
Some parts are held from above by the blanket.
There's no need to hold yourself anymore.
You are fully supported.
Now we begin a slow,
Gentle body scan.
Inviting each part of the body to soften and release.
First,
Bring your attention to your feet.
Feel your heels resting into the mattress.
Notice the tops of your feet,
Your toes touching the blanket.
Without changing anything,
Just allow your feet to relax.
Let your toes soften,
The soles of the feet,
The ankles.
With each exhale,
Imagine the feet becoming heavier,
Sinking a little deeper into the bed.
Slowly bring your awareness into your lower legs,
The calves,
The chins,
Releasing any hidden tension.
And then the knees and the upper legs.
Feel the weight of your thighs fully supported by the mattress beneath you.
Nothing to hold,
Nothing to do.
And bring your awareness to the hips and the pelvis.
Notice the contact with the bed here.
Allow the hips to soften,
To spread gently,
To be fully received.
Feel your lower back settling.
You don't need to fix or adjust anything.
Just letting go.
Now bring your attention to your belly.
Feel how it gently rises with the inhale and softly falls with the exhale.
Allow the belly to be completely relaxed,
Soft,
Open,
At ease.
And move your awareness up to the chest.
Notice the gentle movement of the breath over here.
With each exhalation,
Invite the chest to soften and melt downward,
Resting into the support beneath you.
Now bring your attention to your shoulders.
Let them drop away from the ears.
Allow relaxation to flow down the arms,
The upper arms,
The elbows,
The forearms.
Feel your hands resting,
The palms,
The fingers.
There is nothing you need to hold.
The hands can completely let go.
Now bring your awareness to the neck and the throat,
Softening,
Loosening,
Creating space.
If your teeth are touching,
Gently allow the jaw to relax.
Let your tongue rest softly in your mouth.
Soften your cheeks,
Your forehead,
The tiny muscles around your eyes,
The space between the eyebrows.
Let the forehead become smooth and wide.
Feel the back of your head resting,
Fully supported.
Now sense your body as a whole,
Lying down,
Breathing,
Supported.
And with every exhale,
Feel yourself sinking a little bit deeper into the mattress.
Your body is heavy.
Your breath is slow.
Your mind can rest.
If thoughts arise,
There is no need to follow them.
Let them pass by gently,
Like clouds drifting across the night sky.
Again and again,
Return to that feeling of being held.
Being held by the bed,
By your blanket,
By the quiet of this moment.
There is nothing left to do now.
Sleep will come in its own time.
You may continue resting here,
Floating softly between breath and body,
Until sleep naturally takes over.
Allow yourself to drift,
To soften,
To sleep.
Good night.
