Hayride Under The Stars: A Sleep Story

Good evening and welcome to Michelle Sanctuary.

You're listening to a Hayride Under the Stars,

A guided meditation and sleep hypnosis that will take you on a journey on a hayride through an enchanted forest,

Traveling under the jewel-toed kaleidoscope of changing leaves.

If you have not already,

You may wish to subscribe to this channel so you may find your way back to this autumnal mental vacation in the future.

Now find a place where you may safely bed down,

Cuddle up and gently drift to sleep as you listen to this relaxing escape for the mind.

And as you are listening,

You may think of my voice as the voice of a gentle guide,

Here to facilitate the transition towards deep relaxation and sleep.

Bringing back your thoughts,

Creating comforting visualizations that replace any lingering thoughts of the day.

Whenever your mind drifts,

As minds are known to do,

You may visualize these thoughts becoming like vibrant fallen leaves,

Taking flight on a cool autumnal breeze,

Going far off in the distance to a place things go when they are no longer needed.

And whenever you hear me utter the words right now,

You find your body becomes more relaxed as you bring yourself back to the present moment.

Feeling safe and warm right now.

You inhale and exhale,

Perhaps even sighing out loud if this helps you release tension in your chest and body.

And again,

Inhale for 1,

2,

3.

And exhale for 3,

2,

1.

And inhale for 1,

2,

3.

And exhale for 3,

2,

1.

And inhale for 1,

2,

3.

Maybe holding at the top before exhaling for 3,

2,

1.

Returning your breath to normal as you may recognize a subtle shift within your body,

Bringing you to a deeper sense of relaxation than even moments ago.

There are reasons why autumn makes it more inviting for us to sleep as it gets darker earlier,

And our melatonin production is affected.

It's possible to long for the comforts of a bed earlier in the evening.

And the crisp cool air is ideal for deep sleep as studies have shown that the best temperature for sleeping is between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit or 16 to 20 degrees Celsius.

With this in mind,

You may imagine the autumn crispness taking hold as you snuggle into the softest of blankets and inhale the cleansing cool air into your lungs.

While imagining the feeling of this fresh,

Colder air,

You may visualize yourself among tall rows of corn stalks in a saturated hue,

As if amber honey was poured upon them just as the fading sun hangs low upon the horizon in the distance.

Your feet are enveloped in comfortable boots as they crunch along a path that leads you from the rows of corn to a pumpkin patch,

Where bright orange spheres are entangled with dark green vines braided close to the earth.

And the air smells of sweet pumpkin and dried out leaves as a cool gentle wind gently guides the smell of a campfire in the distance.

You are bundled in a thick,

Soft sweater in your favorite color,

And you relish this as you give yourself a gentle hug,

Snuggled in warmth.

Continuing past the pumpkin patch,

You approach a strong,

Chestnut-colored horse tethered to a hay-filled wooden wagon that is filled to the brim with straws of hay that weave around the red guardrails like gilded tendrils,

Shimmering in the last of the light from the setting sun,

The sky above quickly deepening from shades of ruby and orange into a deep purple,

Bringing a sense of completion of another day.

You inhale and take in the satisfying sense of having made it through another day and coming upon your own personal moment for respite and enjoyment.

And every day you are entitled to the special time and place that is just for you.

To revive you.

To take account of all you have prevailed and enjoyed and all that you continue to learn,

Knowing right now that you may just let go.

When you find yourself approaching the hay wagon,

Placing your foot on a tiny middle step as you heave yourself up and discover a thick,

Flannel,

Plaid blanket is waiting for you,

Nestled within the piles of hay.

And as you settle in,

You notice a thermos engraved with your name on its copper tag.

This thermos containing your favorite warm beverage,

You twist off the cap and ingest the intoxicating elixir that flows down your throat and warms you within,

Like a flowing stream that originates from a hot spring.

Inhaling the night air,

As you lightly grab the leather reins of the horse and direct your friend to go onward.

And with the slightest of guidance,

She knows where to lead you as you have taken this journey many nights before.

And so you are free to lie down on your back and watch as the silver stars begin to twinkle above in the night's sky.

Riding past the rows of corn husks that blow in the breeze,

Taking you towards the edge of the maintained property and into the entry of the forest.

Laying on your back,

You feel yourself rocking back and forth,

Nestled deep within the softness of the flannel blanket,

The bed of hay below you,

Cushioning you in a gentle motion that brings further relaxation.

Your body melting like softened candle wax,

Warm and malleable and adapting to the surrounding environment.

Just going with the flow,

Right now.

And coming into the jeweled,

Toned and golden canopy of the forest,

The horse continues on the well-paved path that takes you deeper into this magical place,

Staring up at the leaves that gently fall around you.

Gracefully landing on the forest floor,

They create a rhythmic crunch as the horse's hooves and wheels of the hay wagon come in contact.

Nature's orchestra is tuning up for the night,

With a gentle breeze that rustles the last remaining leaves in the trees,

This breeze carrying the scent of maple and balsam fir and burning wood in a campfire that grows stronger with each movement onward.

Looking back and forth,

You're reminded of when you were a child,

Being nurtured and held tightly by a loved one in a rocking chair,

Recalling what it was like to be soothed and allowing yourself to let go,

Right now,

Into the enveloping,

Soothing feeling of safety and comfort,

Feeling you were right where you deserve to be,

Nestled and warm and cozy,

Tired and heavy,

Sinking deeper and deeper into your bed of hay.

The sounds of crackling and popping wood in a fire is getting louder as the horse leads the wagon to a small clearing in the woods,

Where you come into a place to camp for the night.

Feeling the warmth,

You are parked near the glowing embers and lively flames,

Watching as the smoke travels higher and higher up,

Towards the canopy of leaves above,

And you see the brilliant orange moon,

The seemingly limitless blanket of stars that float above you,

Inhaling and exhaling.

Feeling in your heart center a warmth that travels and causes a tingling eruption of goosebumps over your skin as you sense the magic that is in the air.

Your eyes are feeling heavy and tired,

Your body full of warmth and peace,

Inhaling and exhaling right now,

Noticing how deeply in tune you feel with the beauty around you in this special place for solitude and healing and rest.

Once again you look to the sky,

Through the clearing of rich,

Vibrant mahogany and golden and magenta leaves,

To the sparkling sky and the fiery harvest moon that takes center stage,

Radiating beams of light that form a halo around it.

You watch as the large,

Vibrant leaves fall around you,

Landing on the forest floor,

And suddenly as if scrawled in cursive with a glowing pan of moonlight,

Words begin to appear on the leaves.

A fiery cherry red maple leaf falls with the word peace illuminated on it,

An amber colored leaf falls with the word unwind glowing on its surface.

This continues as a gentle breeze blows more leaves around you and you are feeling so tired as you see each word.

Gratitude,

Kindness,

Hope,

Imagine,

And more burgundy and lime green leaves fall with these words glowing on them,

Love and bliss.

The word connected appears,

And the words balance and beauty.

And as you are watching these leaves fall down from above,

Drifting towards the earth,

As you so comfortably relax on the soft blanket in the hay wagon,

You realize that they are falling to form a healing circle around you.

The circle of vibrant leaves set aglow by these positive messages reminds you that you are safe and serene.

You are contained within this magical circle of inscribed leaves that convey optimism and security.

You feel the warm and healing light around you,

And you inhale the scent of burning fire and the dry leaves right now.

As you close your eyes feeling so heavy and tired and so very relaxed and calm,

You are embodied by love and light in a healing circle of emblazoned words on fallen leaves.

And deep within there is a stillness,

And only you are aware of what is going on inside.

This is your private time that you deserve,

And you should feel very proud of yourself for taking this time right now to heal and to rejuvenate so tomorrow you may rise and accomplish what waits for you with a new day.

A fresh start to begin again.

The leaves are rustling and echoing through the depths of the surrounding forest.

The stars twinkling so brightly in the orange orb of the moon above on this enchanted autumn night as you drift down,

Down,

Down,

Knowing sleep is so dear.

And if you are ready to sleep,

Or if you are already asleep,

You are so very much at ease and content.

And if you are still listening,

You feel the heaviness and tiredness overwhelming your body.

And at any time,

You can release your mind from engaging and cross the bridge to your sleeping life.

With this repeated activity of meditating and setting aside the special time for yourself,

Your intentions are set and you need to do nothing.

Just surrender to this peace and serenity.

Surrender to this moment.

You are safe.

You are well.

You are alive.

And with each breath,

A gentle easing.

Living with more ease and more effortlessly than you have all day.

And when a new day comes,

Which it always does,

You will have these tools in this memory of an autumn night beneath the stars and harvest moon.

Of a magical night in a wagon of hay that allowed your spirit and your heart to re-engage with the beauty and majesty in the world.

Beauty that is always there if you simply open your eyes and embrace the moment.

But right now,

There is nothing for you to do.

You have nothing that needs tending.

It is safe to relax and let go.

You may drift to the sweetest of sleeps,

To the kindest of dreams.

Free to imagine the best possible scenarios and live out the best possible dreams behind your heavy,

Closed eyelids.

Just drifting,

Your mind and thoughts like an early morning fog,

Hazy and lucid,

Blurring to ease you down to sleep,

Remembering what it felt like as a child,

Rubbing your eyes,

Trying so hard to keep them open and stay awake.

This tiredness takes over anyway and leaves you defeated into sleep to a healing night of rest and release.

Letting go,

Such a sweet surrender,

Knowing that all will be okay.

Detached from the waking world and drifting to the pleasurable,

Unconscious dreamland where you will find grace and rest.

I am going to count you down,

Feeling heavier and going deeper down with each count,

Drifting away,

Floating to sleep.

And ten,

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

You are safe.

You are at ease.

You are blessed.

You are wise.

You are on your way.

You are finding sleep,

Drifting to sleep,

And the deserved sweet dreams to await you.

Good night.

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