Deep Sleep All Night – 9 Hours For Insomnia & 3AM Wake-Ups

Hello and welcome.

You have arrived.

Wherever you are right now,

Allow your body to settle.

If you're lying down,

Let the weight of your body sink into the bed.

Let your arms rest by your side.

Let your jaw soften.

And allow your tongue to gently rest in your mouth.

There's nothing you need to achieve tonight.

No goal.

No effort.

Sleep is not something we force.

Sleep happens when the body feels safe enough to let go.

And right now,

You're creating that safety.

Take a nice,

Long,

Slow,

Deep breath in through your nose.

And gently release through your mouth.

Good.

Let's do that again.

Inhale.

Exhale.

You don't need to control your breathing.

You just need to notice it.

Tonight,

I am going to guide you into sleep during this first hour.

And then,

Every hour through the night,

You're going to hear my voice softly reminding you that your body is safe and able to rest.

If you wake at any point,

Simply listen.

No frustrations,

No judgment,

No story.

Just come back to the breath.

Breathing in through the nose.

And exhaling through the mouth.

So,

In this first hour,

Let's begin by softening the body.

Bring your awareness to the top of your head.

Imagine a warm wave moving slowly downward.

Your forehead smooths.

Your eyes open wide.

Fall heavy.

Your cheeks soften.

Let your jaw unclench.

Allow your neck to release any tension.

And just allow the shoulders to drop away from your ears.

Feel your arms growing heavier.

Your hands relaxed.

Your chest softens.

Your belly rises and falls gently with each breath.

There's absolutely nothing to worry about.

There's nothing you need to hold in.

Allow the hips to sink.

Your thighs soften.

Your knees relax.

Your calves.

Your ankles.

Your feet.

Know that your entire body is supported.

If thoughts appear,

That's okay.

Let them float like clouds.

And just returning to the breath each and every time.

As you place one hand on your heart,

Or if you wish,

You can imagine a warmth there.

Say silently to yourself,

I am safe.

I am allowed to rest.

I'm allowed to be.

If today was emotional,

Maybe it carried some stress,

Some worry,

Or even some disappointment.

You don't need to bring this into your night.

Allow the night time to hold you,

To support you.

Allowing your nervous system to slow down.

Sleep will always come when we stop trying.

I'm going to count slowly,

From ten to one.

With every number,

Allowing you to sink deeper and deeper into rest.

Ten.

Letting go.

Nine.

Softer.

Eight.

Heavier.

Seven.

Drifting.

Six.

Quietening.

Five.

Halfway into sleep.

Four.

Deeper.

Three.

Nearly there.

Fully supported.

Allowing mind and body to accept sleep.

So we're just going to add a little more into your breathing,

As you breathe with me.

I want you to breathe in for two.

I want you to hold for two.

And I want you to breathe out for four.

All through the nose.

All belly breathing.

Here we go.

In two.

One.

In two.

Hold two.

Out four.

In two.

Hold two.

Out four.

In two.

Hold two.

Out four.

And just now,

Begin to count in your head.

And with each and every number that you count in your head,

I want you to double your relaxation in mind and body.

Allowing the mind to drift away.

Drifting with each number.

Drifting with each breath.

Getting lighter and lighter.

With every number.

Floating and floating further away.

With each and every breath.

Coming down.

With each and every breath.

Slowing down.

With each and every breath.

Quietening down.

With each and every breath.

Getting softer.

With each and every breath.

Getting further.

With each and every breath.

Getting lighter.

And now I want you to follow my voice as a guide with the rhythm of your breath.

I want you to inhale.

Three.

Two.

One.

Exhale.

Three.

Two.

One.

Inhale.

Three.

Two.

One.

Exhale.

Three.

Two.

One.

Inhale.

Three.

Two.

One.

Exhale.

Three.

Two.

One.

Inhale.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Exhale.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Inhale.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Exhale.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Inhale.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Exhale.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

And just continue to breathe like this for the next few moments.

As we move further into stillness,

We're going to allow your nervous system to shift deeper into relaxation,

Surrendering to a state of spaciousness and stillness.

I want you to shift your awareness inwards,

Into your own internal world.

To begin your journey into this deep state of relaxation.

We're going to do five rounds of breathing here.

Two breaths in through the nose,

And a long breath out through the mouth.

We'll start by exhaling the air out through your nose.

Now in.

Another sharp breath in.

And exhale,

Letting it go.

Inhale.

Inhale.

Now exhale.

Inhale.

Inhale.

Now exhale.

Inhale.

Inhale.

Now exhale.

Great.

Let's return to a slow breath in and out through the nose.

Over the next few minutes,

We're aiming to calm the mind,

If possible,

By reducing the number of thoughts.

Our aim here is to lower the frequency of the brainwaves associated,

Bringing a restorative and relaxed brain function.

We'll start by noticing the breath again.

Can you hear the sound of the breath?

Or is the sound so soft and gentle that you can't hear it?

Notice any sounds that are close to you.

Listen to these sounds around you.

Notice the sounds far away.

Now let's shift your attention away from the sounds and onto the sensations of the skin.

What do you feel?

Notice the collarbone.

The arms and the hips.

Notice the legs.

Feel any sensation on the body.

As you begin to breathe further and deeper,

On the count of three,

We're going to slow the breath down even more.

Inhaling for four.

Exhaling for eight.

Softly and gently in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Now,

If you want,

And you want to be a rock star here,

You could slightly close the lips a little bit tighter as if you're blowing out a candle in slow motion.

As we begin in three,

Two,

One.

Inhale,

Three,

Two,

One.

In three,

Two,

One.

Exhale,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale,

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhale,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale,

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhale,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Relaxing your shoulders.

Relaxing your jaw.

Feel your heart slowing down with each exhale.

On your next exhale,

Breathe out through your nose.

Keeping this rhythm in and out of your nose as we scan through the body.

I'll go through one body part at a time.

And as you hear the name,

Imagine breathing into that area and then exhaling and then relaxing the body.

We're going to start at the tips of your toes as you breathe into your toes.

Exhale and allow them to relax.

The soles of your feet.

The heels.

The shins.

The thighs.

The belly.

The chest.

The lower and upper back.

The shoulders.

The upper arms and the elbows.

The forearms.

As we move on to the wrists.

Palms of your hands.

Tom's index finger.

Middle fingers and ring fingers.

The little fingers.

We next move to the neck.

The back of your head.

The forehead.

And now we move to the top of your head.

Your whole body in full relaxation.

Breathing into your body.

Relaxing and letting it go.

And just bring yourself back to your natural breath.

How is your body getting heavier?

How is it sinking deeper and deeper?

The rest of the body beginning to relax.

As we move back into our box breathing practice during our sleep.

We're going to take some nice deep breaths slowly and at your own pace before we engage in the box breathing practice.

I just want you to do some inhales and exhales in a natural and normal way.

Just continue to breathe for the next few moments.

Box breathing is a powerful yet very simple relaxation technique.

And it's just about bringing the rhythm of the breath back to a normal level.

It helps to clear the mind from the day's work and helps to relax the body.

Kind of getting you set up for a great night's sleep.

So how about we begin and just taking a full breath in for a moment.

All the way up.

And just releasing the breath.

Relaxing into an exhale.

Just getting all that stale air from the day out of your system.

One more deep breath.

All the way in.

All the way up.

Holding at the top.

And just releasing.

Allowing the breath to just flow out of the body.

As we begin our box breathing.

In four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale.

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhale.

Two.

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Deep breath in.

Expanding the belly.

Holding the chest and just holding the air at the top.

As you release,

Let go of all of the tension you've been holding on today.

We just take another deep breath in.

Holding for a moment.

And we're going to go back into our box breathing again.

Breathing in for four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Deep breath in.

Take it all in.

Breathe as deeply as you can.

And just holding the breath at the top.

Releasing the breath.

Allowing the tension to melt away.

And just holding for a moment at the bottom.

Deep breath in.

Belly expanding.

Chest expanding.

Hold at the top.

And again in your time.

Exhale.

Releasing tension from the body.

Okay.

Okay,

We're going to do another box breathing.

In three,

Two,

One.

Inhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Deep breath in.

Holding at the top.

And just letting it fall away.

Holding the breath at the bottom for a few seconds.

Holding.

Holding.

And just release the breath.

Take another nice,

Long,

Slow,

Deep breath in.

Holding at the top.

And on the exhale,

Letting go of any reasons that you would stay awake for tonight.

Allowing them to leave the body.

And we'll do our final round of the box breathing.

In three,

Two,

One.

Inhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold.

Three,

Two,

One.

Breathing in.

Two,

One.

Holding.

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhaling.

Three,

Two,

One.

Holding.

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale.

Three,

Two,

One.

Holding.

Three,

Two,

One.

Exhaling.

Three,

Two,

One.

And just take a nice,

Long,

Slow,

Deep breath in again on the exhale.

Holding at the top.

And just releasing in your time.

Releasing in your space.

Melting away any tension in the body right now.

As we bring ourselves into a very beautiful sleep.

Allowing the last of the tension to fall away.

We're going to do one more last breath.

Your biggest breath yet.

All the way in.

Holding at the top.

And just continue to hold for a moment.

Just a little longer.

Allowing this goodness,

This restfulness to wash over the entire mind and body as it settles into a beautiful,

Deep sleep.

And as you release,

Allowing the body to settle.

And just continue to breathe in a natural and normal way for you.

So,

There are a number of factors that can affect your sleep.

And there are things that you can do that will really help you to sleep better.

Breathwork and meditation are both very powerful tools for improving sleep.

It's important to acknowledge that it's not a magic cure all.

Sleep,

Of course,

Is a complex process.

Really influenced by so many factors.

And it's important to address these factors to achieving a truly restful night's sleep.

For me,

Here are some of the culprits that can interfere with your own beautiful sleep.

We have lifestyle factors.

When you have an irregular sleep schedule,

Inconsistent bedtimes and wake-up times,

It will disrupt your body's natural sleep-wake cycle.

And this is an important factor to teach your body to sleep in regular times.

Lack of physical activity.

Regular exercise can really improve sleep.

But it's important to avoid intense workouts close to bedtime.

Activity doesn't mean you have to be running marathons and ultramarathons.

It's just getting out for a walk,

Getting out for a little jog.

Poor diet.

Heavy meals,

Sugary foods and caffeine late in the day will absolutely have a big impact on your sleep.

So it's important to look into that.

Alcohol and nicotine.

While alcohol has the ability to make you feel sleepy,

It has been shown to really disrupt later sleep stages.

And nicotine is a stimulant that could keep you awake through the night also.

Next we move on to environmental factors.

We have light exposure.

Exposure to light,

Especially blue light from electronic devices has the potential to suppress melatonin production.

And this is one of the key components to tell your body it's time to sleep.

A noisy environment can also make it difficult to fall asleep or to stay asleep if you're a light sleeper.

One of my favourites is temperature.

An uncomfortable sleep environment,

Whether it be too hot or too cold,

Will always disrupt your sleep.

So finding that perfect temperature for you.

There are of course medical conditions with sleep disorders.

Conditions like sleep apnea,

Restless leg syndrome will significantly impact the quality of your sleep.

For others there are medical conditions such as chronic pain,

Thyroid problems and other health issues.

Emotional wellbeing,

Anxiety,

Depression and other mental health conditions are always linked to sleep disturbance as well.

So understanding these components is really important.

Meditation and bread work will be a part of a holistic wellbeing approach to improving your sleep.

Meditation and bread work can be a valuable tool in your sleep toolkit.

But it's really effective when it's combined with a holistic approach that addresses all of the other factors.

If you have sleep issues I'm sure you know this already but I'll mention them again just in case.

Here are some ways to really create a sleep conducive environment that fits within your own personal lifestyle.

Firstly,

Establish a regular sleep schedule.

Try if you can to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day,

Even on weekends.

Creating a relaxing bedtime routine.

Try to wind down with calming activities like reading,

Taking a bat or listening to some really beautiful music.

Optimise your sleep environment.

Sound simple.

Make sure your bedroom is dark,

Quiet and of course cool.

And we're all guilty of this.

Limit screen time before bed.

Avoid,

If you can,

Electronic devices for at least an hour before sleep.

A healthy diet and regular exercise will absolutely help to improve your chances of a good night's sleep.

And of course,

Limit caffeine,

Limit alcohol.

These substances will keep you awake at night.

So for this section of the night we're going to add a mini bread work session to help you to continue to sleep.

If you're asleep,

That's okay.

Continue to enjoy the moment.

If you're awake,

This is a beautiful technique to help you to get back to sleep.

Before we jump into this bread work technique I want you to become aware of your natural breath.

How are you breathing right now?

How is your inhalation?

How is your exhalation?

I want you to really focus on bringing a natural,

Normal breath right now.

If the breath is long let it be long.

If the breath is short let it be short.

By creating this simple foundation for the for the bread work exercise really helps to deepen your connection between your mind,

Your body and your sleep pattern.

So as we bring ourself into self-awareness paying attention to our breath let's bring ourself into this present moment.

And just keep an eye on your physical and emotional state.

How are you feeling right now?

Physically and emotionally?

What comes to mind?

As we notice the breath it can really help identify any signs of stress.

And of course many of us experience that in this modern world.

Some signs of stress can be shallow breathing or holding your breath.

So as we're in this moment of awareness how are you breathing?

Is it shallow?

Is it deep?

Are you holding your breath?

With this nine hour meditation we're bringing breath awareness we're bringing mind awareness we're bringing body awareness.

With breath awareness it strengthens the connection between your mind and your body.

Allowing you to better understand and respond to your body's signals.

So as we find a comfortable position just move around a little bit.

As you're feeling more comfortable notice the natural rhythm of the breath.

Notice the flow of the inhale.

Notice the flow of the exhale.

Now there's no cheating here I don't want you to change your breath.

I just want you to observe it.

I want you to notice the sensations of your breath just entering and leaving the nostrils.

The rise and the fall of the chest or belly.

And take a moment to notice the quality of each inhalation.

Take a moment to notice the quality of the exhalation.

There are going to be times in this meditation where the mind of course will wander.

No judgment here.

Just gently bring your attention back to the breath.

So with this next meditation breath work we're going to do a thing called a three part breath.

This practice involves expanding your breath into all three chambers of your torso.

The belly the ribcage and the chest.

What's great about this is the benefits of enhancing the lung capacity.

The amount of oxygen that we take in.

It's very grounding.

It's amazing at calming the nervous system.

Which for most of us I think we could definitely do it.

It balances the energy of the body.

More specifically if you were looking at Chinese medicine you'd be looking at the chi energy that flows through your body night and day.

So just take a nice little breath in there.

Natural and normal.

Ensure that you're comfortable.

Comfort is queen.

So definitely make sure you've found your position for sleep.

So with this technique we're looking at three stages.

Stage one is breathing slowly deeply through the nose and just allowing the belly to expand.

As you continue to inhale expanding the ribcage upwards and outwards.

And then finally filling the chest with air.

Holding the breath for a moment.

And as we exhale begin exhaling gently from the upper chest first.

Moving on to the ribcage.

And then finally drawing in the belly to completely empty the lungs.

Now we'll go through this again one more time.

And then we're going to let you just continue to breathe like this for five minutes or so.

With the inhale it's the belly first inhaling slowly and deeply through the nose.

And just feeling the belly expand.

Next we move to expand the ribcage.

And finally filling the upper chest with air.

Holding for a moment.

And then releasing the chest by exhaling gently.

Continuing the exhale by the ribcage.

And finally the belly until the lungs are empty.

Holding just for a moment or two.

Inhale belly.

Ribcage.

Chest.

Exhale.

Chest.

Ribcage.

Belly.

We're going to do that one more time.

Inhale belly.

Ribcage.

Chest.

Holding for a moment.

Hold.

Chest.

Ribcage.

Belly.

Holding for a moment.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Holding.

Exhale.

And just continue to breathe in this way for the next few moments.

Now I'd like to give a few little tips for this beautiful practice.

It's important to start slowly.

It's going to take time to learn this technique.

So don't give yourself a hard time.

You are not going to get this right the first time.

Don't overthink it.

Breathe the usual way.

A way that's comfortable for you.

Once you get more comfortable I want you to do more smooth transitions of the breath.

From each stages.

Stages from stage 1,

2 and 3 of the inhale.

Stage 1,

2 and 3 of the exhale.

Just get some nice transitions between these once you feel comfortable with the initial starting process.

Always be kind to yourself.

Don't force the breath or strain yourself.

Take this technique and breathe as naturally and normally as you can.

So at this moment if you are wide awake right now I really appreciate this is super frustrating.

Questioning yourself.

Why?

Why is this happening to me?

Unexhausted.

So as we continue through this meditation through the evening we're not going to use brute force to try and get yourself to sleep.

That's the opposite of what we need right now.

It's all about bringing peace of mind to where you are right now.

Bring a sense of ease and relaxation to the body.

That that's our only aim.

This is possibly the wrong time to say this.

However,

Let's give it a shot.

If you know anyone else who suffers from sleeping difficulties insomnia at its worst ask them how do you sleep?

A 99% will give you a long list of rituals before they go to bed.

Screen time.

Not drinking water after 6.

Having their favourite pillow.

Essential oils.

Or even an app in the background.

Now,

Ask the same question to somebody who doesn't experience any issues with their sleep and the answer is typically oh,

I just sleep.

So it's really important to understand your relationship to being awake right now.

Understanding your relationship to sleep.

As we know,

Sleep is one of the three pillars of your health and well-being.

Nutrition,

The breath,

And your ability to sleep well.

These three factors influence how you recharge your life force.

Take away one of these pillars and living life becomes really hard.

Let's begin by noticing where you are right now.

The space you're trying to sleep in.

The room.

The bed.

The covers.

All of these create a wonderful night's sleep.

Notice the mind.

Where is it right now?

Notice the thoughts.

Notice the emotions.

Notice the body.

How does it feel?

Relaxed?

Tense?

Calm?

Or in pain?

Just spend a moment to notice the body.

Let's stay here in this moment.

In your space.

In your mind.

In your body.

And let's just breathe naturally and normally.

We're just going to stay in this space for the next 60 seconds.

Just breathe naturally.

Just breathe normally.

Allow the thoughts to just be.

Allow the thoughts to just come.

And just let them go.

And just accepting these thoughts for what they are.

That they're just thoughts.

And of course they may not be true or useful in any way.

They're just thoughts.

In the usual way let's bring our attention to the breath for a moment.

By taking a nice long slow deep breath in.

And then holding it for a moment.

And when you decide to exhale releasing any concerns from the space you're in right now.

With the next nice long slow deep breath in again holding for a moment.

And when you decide to release the breath releasing any stress or anxiety of the mind with the exhale.

And finally one more nice long slow deep breath in.

Holding again for a moment at the top.

And when it's comfortable for you when you decide to exhale release that final tension in the body.

And of course during this meditation the mind can and will wonder and that's absolutely okay.

Just acknowledge the thoughts and let them go.

So let's move into some zen breath meditation where the simplicity of one breath we count one.

With the exhale we count two.

Again with the simplicity of one breath we count three.

On the exhale we count four.

Inhale five.

Exhale six.

And let's do this all the way to ten.

Once you get to ten we just start it again once more.

And we're going to do this for the next sixty seconds.

Now don't worry I'm going to keep an eye on the time.

I'd like you to meet the breath with just some curiosity.

When we try to force ourselves to sleep there is an equal and opposite force that's created to not sleep.

It will just create more tension.

Just giving it space to be a little bit more relaxed.

If in the middle of these moments we happen to fall asleep then well,

That's just wonderful.

We're going to now go back to counting the breaths again from one to ten.

When we reach ten we start again.

If the mind wanders during this time we start again at one.

And don't worry this happens all the time.

Just acknowledge it and start again.

Now I'm going to keep an eye on the time again.

This is going to be for about two minutes.

So let's just take a few breaths together as a way to lower the heart rate.

And allow the body to relax more deeply.

So we'll just start by breathing in slowly through the nose and then exhaling slowly out through the mouth.

Counting one on the inhale counting two on the exhale all the way to ten.

And I'm going to jump back in again in about two minutes.

And breathing in again through the nose breathing out again through the mouth and letting the whole body relax on the exhale.

Releasing all the air in your lungs and with each exhale removing any stress or tension from your space,

Your time your mind and body.

And now just take a few more breaths in like that at your own pace.

Each time you notice the mind wandering off into thoughts just bring your attention and awareness meeting the thoughts with complete ease.

Just acknowledging them and letting them go.

Each time just return to that gentle breath.

So we'll do a quick body scan bringing our awareness from the head all the way down to the toes.

And just remember even though we might really want to fall asleep this could have a counter effect at this moment.

And potentially create more tension in the body.

All you have to do is acknowledge that we're awake right now.

As you continue to breathe inviting the mind and body to relax a little.

To breathe to just be in this moment.

As you continue to breathe inviting the mind and body to relax a little.

To breathe to just be in this moment.

And just practicing our sleep well meditation.

Allowing our body to fall into recharge mode.

Relaxing the face relaxing the head relaxing the neck.

Allowing the muscles of the face to relax.

And just letting your whole head get heavy as it rests.

The neck and shoulders just notice how the shoulders feel right now.

Inviting the shoulders to relax on each exhale.

Imagining that tension softening and melting away.

Bringing your awareness down into the arms.

The whole length of the arms including the hands and fingers.

Inviting them to soften as you continue to breathe.

Bring awareness into the chest area right now.

Notice the rhythm of the heart beating.

Notice how the breath slows as you relax more and more.

And allowing each exhale soften your body deeper and deeper.

So as we move into a sleep mantra take three deep breaths through your nose.

Allowing your body to relax with each exhale of the breath.

Feel your body relax here.

And just surrender your body and just observe the moment.

What's happening in your mind?

What type of thoughts?

Your feelings?

And emotions are here right now.

Let it all be.

As we begin the repetition of a chosen mantra now it doesn't need to be loud but it needs to be audible.

If you find your mind is a little tense or somewhat agitated you may want to spend a little longer repeating your mantra out loud.

And just sometimes repeat it faster sometimes repeat it slower.

Find a pace that's right for you.

You can choose any mantra you wish.

The one we're going to use right now is Om.

If you find your mind is very busy just keep repeating Om.

Om.

Om.

Om.

Om.

And you can whisper Om.

And now repeat it in your mind silently.

Continue to breathe in a natural normal way.

Whispering the mantra.

Find a speed for the mantra that suits you right now.

If the mind remains tense repeat the mantra faster.

Otherwise your thoughts will overpower the mantra and it may just become a mechanical approach to what you're doing right now.

As your mind calms down as your mind turns inside allow the speed of repetition to slow down.

If at any time you notice the mantra becomes automatic or your attention has wandered off to thinking just bring your attention gently back to the mantra.

As we move into the magic of a restful night's sleep allow the smallest and largest things of the mind to enter your mind.

Or maybe you're in the space of awareness.

Maybe you're drifting off to sleep.

Just allow my words to flow through.

There's no need to reflect.

There's no need to respond.

Just allow the words to flow.

In this moment your moment this is for you.

Allowing your body to drop gently into a restful and restorative night's sleep.

And just saying to yourself I allow the future me to address anything that I need to address tomorrow.

For now there's nothing I need to do.

There's nowhere I need to be.

And just create this moment in time just letting go of doing anything.

Allowing the rhythm of your body and mind to just be aware of the sounds around you.

Aware of the sensations in the body.

Aware of the thoughts of the mind.

And just gently notice where you are right now in this moment of time.

The softness of the skin.

The gentleness of the breath.

Notice the air as it moves in and out in the inhalation and exhalation.

Gently aware of all the experiences right now.

You might want to close your eyes for a moment if they're not already closed.

Or you may notice patterns,

Shapes,

Colors,

Just aware of all the multiple experiences right now as you gently drift into a moment of sleep.

And you might be aware of one of the five senses that has not settled down yet.

Just be gentle with it.

As you begin to remove yourself from the world of today and bring yourself into the moment of sleep.

Telling your mind it's okay to let go of everything.

Helping it to realize there's nothing else to do right now.

There's nothing else to think right now.

It's okay to let go.

As you bring yourself into a very deep,

Deep,

Restful experience which in turn prepares you for sleep.

Knowing that all you do is relax the mind and body as you fall asleep.

Allow yourself to let go of the need to be asleep.

Being aware of the forehead as it begins to soften.

Being aware of the face as it begins to soften.

Being aware of the muscles in the shoulders.

Being aware of the chest as it begins to soften.

Being aware of the legs and feet as they begin to soften.

Being aware of your entire body as it begins to soften.

As you allow yourself in your time and your space to drift deeper and deeper into the ease and well-being of this moment.

And just remind yourself that the past is the past.

The future is the future.

And being in this moment right now is being in this moment right now.

And just gently allow yourself to drift.

Drift into relaxation as you continue to breathe out over the next few moments of time.

So it's Gordon here,

Back again.

And I guess if you're hearing this,

You're again wide awake right now.

I know that if you're awake you know this is going to be frustrating.

So we'll use this meditation as an opportunity to help settle the mind.

Help to settle the body.

It's important to acknowledge here right now that trying to force ourselves to fall asleep just ends up creating more tension in the mind and body.

I want you to notice your relationship to being awake right now.

Is there frustration,

Tension or any stress about tomorrow?

Or just about getting to sleep in general?

We'll gently bring our attention to the thoughts of the mind.

And let's give them a little bit of space to move throughout your mind.

No judgment,

No attachment.

Just allow them to flow in and out.

And just recognize that they're thoughts and they're not necessarily true.

I want you to gently bring your awareness to the breath.

Allowing the breath to be natural,

Allowing it to be normal.

And of course if the breath is long,

Allow it to be long.

If the breath is short,

Allow it to be short.

Nice and simple,

Nice and easy.

And we're not going to focus on the breath at the moment.

We're just going to allow ourselves to be.

We're not going to force anything,

We're not going to try and manipulate anything.

We don't want to create any more tension We're just going to be in this moment.

And just knowing it's okay to be awake.

But it's also okay to allow yourself to relax a little bit more.

As we take a few deep breaths in together.

Allowing us to reduce the heart rate.

And on the exhale just extend it out a little bit longer compared to the inhale.

Just by a second or two.

Now find the most comfortable breathing technique for you.

You can breathe in through the nose,

You can exhale through the mouth.

You can breathe in through the nose,

You can exhale through the nose.

Just find a nice rhythm for yourself.

And just breathe.

And with each exhale just relaxing the body just by 1%.

If you're a rockstar let's try and get 5% relaxation with each exhale.

And just continue to breathe at your own pace.

Nice and natural.

Nice and normal.

Your mind will wonder,

The thoughts will come.

If that happens just gently bring yourself back to the breath.

And just acknowledging the thoughts.

The mind is always going to be thinking,

That's normal,

That's natural.

Meditation isn't about clearing the mind.

It's not about a silent mind.

The most important thing is to not attach ourselves to the thoughts.

We let them come,

We let them go.

Bringing yourself back to the breath.

The inhalation,

The exhalation.

And just notice how the breath moves into a very natural rhythm.

A rhythm that's unique to you.

Believe it or not,

Nobody else can breathe like you.

Let's gently move our attention to the body now.

Where we're going to do a body scan.

We're going to scan our awareness from the head all the way to the toes.

And just remember that even though we have strong strong desires to fall back asleep,

Any strong intention or desire to fall asleep can sometimes create more tension in the body.

And just approach this moment with,

I'm awake.

We can of course decide that we have to trust the body,

We have to trust the mind.

It's awake right now for a reason.

We cannot force ourselves to sleep.

We have to be in the moment.

And just inviting the mind to relax.

And just giving the mind and body a moment to be.

So as we begin to bring our attention to the head,

The face,

The jaw,

The neck and the shoulders.

Just gently soften.

Notice the eyelids as they blink if your eyes are open.

Notice the eyelids if the eyes are closed.

Notice the neck and the shoulders.

How are your shoulders right now?

Is there tension?

Are they relaxed?

Would you like them to be relaxed?

Now if you're a little bit more kinesthetic you may be able to breathe into the shoulders and feel that sensation.

If not you can move your hands to the shoulders.

Just visualize the breath moving in and out with each inhalation and exhalation.

The inhalation bringing calm to the body.

The exhalation removing tension from the body.

As we move to the arms and the elbows and the wrists,

Fingers.

Notice any tension here.

If so,

Again gently bring a softness to this area.

Again we're only trying to reduce the tension or stress in the body by one to five percent.

We're not trying to get it to zero.

As we bring our awareness and attention to the chest area again take notice of the heart beating as you move to the belly.

Again inhalation bringing calmness.

Exhalation softening the tension in the body.

Notice the mattress.

Notice the body softening.

And just bring your awareness to your back for a moment.

Again these are areas where tension and tightness will hold itself.

If you find anything there just take a mental note.

And again we move on.

Move to the pelvic region.

As we move to the hips and the knees.

Down to the ankles and to the toes.

Now we're going to do one nice long slow deep breath in when you're ready.

And I want you to imagine taking that breath through the whole body all the way down to the toes.

When you have your inhalation done I want you to exhale from the toes all the way back up into the head.

We'll do another long inhalation in your time all the way from the head down to the toes.

When you're ready then exhale from the toes all the way back up to the head.

Just allowing the body to feel itself to be present in this moment in time.

Now for the next three to four minutes you're going to stay in silence if you can.

And just continue to breathe.

Scanning in your way your body and just bringing softness to the body.

This may hopefully lead to a deeper sleep more ease in the body.

And I'm going to be back in a little while to you again.

As we move to the next phase of our sleep meditation let's make sure you're in a comfortable sleeping posture and position.

It's okay to drift off during this meditation or if you wish you can continue to just enjoy If your eyes are open let's gently close them right now if you're comfortable with that.

Let's take a nice long slow deep breath together.

In through the nose and then gently out through the mouth.

Take a moment to feel the body right now.

I'm sure you had so much going on today.

I bet there were things that needed your attention stuff that needed to be resolved.

But that was today.

Right now you're here.

As always just remember there's nowhere else you need to be.

There's nowhere else that you really can be.

If there's anything from today that hasn't been solved say to yourself let's just solve that tomorrow.

Give yourself that permission to just let go.

To trust that you did everything you could do today.

And maybe of course it's not exactly everything you wanted to get done.

Remember you're not a robot.

We're all human.

And there is more time tomorrow.

Just remember that each and every day you do the best you can with the tools that you have.

Allow the mind and body to rest.

And tomorrow we do it again.

Right now you get to rest.

Notice the thoughts.

Allow the thoughts.

Don't attach yourself to the thoughts.

There may be worries.

There may be fears.

There may be judgements of how today went.

Allow them to come.

Allow them to go.

For now it's important to cultivate our process to sleep.

Acknowledging and allowing the body to relax as much as it can.

As much as you want it to.

We're going to do a body relaxation meditation.

Moving through each part of the body.

Inviting them to just soften.

To relax.

To recharge.

As we begin at the top of the head.

Notice what's going on there right now as you bring your awareness to the top of your head.

As we move to the side of your head.

Maybe it's resting on a pillow.

Notice the face.

Just try to soften the face right now.

The jaw.

The ears.

The nose.

Allow that tension and stress to just melt away.

Continuing to soften with each and every breath.

As we bring our awareness to the neck.

The throat.

What do you notice?

What do you feel?

Is there any tension there right now?

If you do feel any tension.

Begin to soften the neck.

Again just remember there is nothing you need to do right now.

We're just allowing the body to let go of its day.

Next we move our attention to our shoulders where we tend to keep a lot of tension and stress.

How does the shoulders feel?

Again soften the shoulders a little bit.

The left and the right.

You might notice there's a little bit tension on one or the other.

Again continue to soften the shoulders.

As we gently bring our attention to our arms.

The wrists and elbows.

The wrists and hands.

The fingertips.

Begin to soften each of these.

One at a time.

Continue to breathe.

Continue to let go.

Continue to remember that you're doing the very best you can right now.

With the tools that you have each day.

We're going to gently bring our attention to the chest.

The lungs.

The inhalation and the exhalation.

What do you notice here?

In the usual way let's soften any tension in the chest.

And maybe slow the breathing down a little bit.

The inhalation and the exhalation.

As we move to the belly.

Again bring your attention.

What do you notice?

How does it feel?

As you continue to breathe breathe.

See if you can breathe down to the belly.

With your inhalations and your exhalations.

As we notice the back.

What's happening there right now?

Any tension,

Any stress.

Sometimes there can be pain.

This is an important area to soften.

To relax.

To feel.

So again,

Gently bring our awareness to this area.

And almost imagine like there's an off switch for the back.

We can just turn it off.

As we move to the waist.

The pelvic region.

Continuing to breathe into these areas in the body.

Releasing any tension,

Any stress.

As you move down to the legs and the knees.

Make sure to relax these areas.

Notice what this area feels like.

As we move to the ankles and the toes.

You might start to notice that my voice is drifting away into the background.

And that's okay.

Allowing the knees and the ankles to relax deeper and deeper.

How does the body feel right now?

Let's do a nice slow full body scan again.

But this time in your time and your pace.

Notice any parts that are resting while you're in your sleep space.

Moving the body over if you need to find somewhere more comfortable.

The body is amazing in that it wants you to listen to it.

Sometimes when we are in a stressful situation and we don't listen to our mind and listen to our body it starts to kind of shout a little bit at us.

So just tell your body and your mind,

Okay I'm listening to you right now.

And just give your body and mind permission to relax into sleep.

As you continue to breathe and just slowing the breath down a little bit.

Just continue to breathe for the next five to six minutes.

I wish you a night of deep sleep and pleasant dreams as we continue this meditation through the night.

So I'd like you to just really make sure that you're in a comfortable sleeping position.

So that you can drift off to sleep during our meditation.

Or maybe even perhaps after the whole meditation ends.

As you know this is a nine hour meditation so that's probably not a good thing.

As you really get cozy if your eyes are closed let's take a nice long slow deep breath in together right now.

Breathe in through the nose and slowly out through the mouth.

And just letting the body relax and letting go of your day with each and every exhale.

As we've mentioned before you know your work has been done for today.

So let's see if you can truly give yourself the permission to trust that the day is done.

Allowing everything to unfold the way it needs to.

And just remember that each and every tomorrow will bring with it a very new day.

You are here right now.

In the usual way there's no place else that you need to be.

There are no other problems you need to solve right now.

Just give yourself permission to allow yourself into a sleeping moment of time.

I want you to feel that flow of the breath.

The inhalation and the exhalation.

How the body is being gently rocked up and down through each and every breath.

With each exhale allow the body to release any tension that's in the body.

With each inhale the body will relax into a sense of ease and calmness of mind and body.

It's always important to realize that you're not needed right now.

Connecting to the safety of this moment in time.

In your sleep space,

Your room,

The stillness and the quiet of the night or day.

Give your mind and body permission to relax.

And again with each exhale just releasing any stress or tension in the body.

Allow the worries and stresses of today to just drift away.

This evening we're going to practice some full deep body breath work.

With each and every exhale I want you to feel the body letting go.

Feel the breath as it moves through areas of your body that may be holding any tension from today.

As we breathe we give each part of our body some love and some kindness.

Just realizing that right now we are safe.

So there is nowhere else you need to be.

Just allow the body to breathe allowing your nervous system to reset itself.

With each exhale just getting deeper and deeper into this moment of time.

Feel the nature of the body the head,

The face the shoulders and the chest the hands and arms the belly the lower body just continue to take deep breaths full body breaths.

As always the mind may wander it may go on to thoughts and all I want you to do is just bring yourself back to the breath allowing them to be but just not attaching ourselves to any of our thoughts almost like clouds in the sky they're just thoughts they're just feelings Allow your body to wholly relax right now.

If you do find yourself caught up in these thoughts just bring the attention again back to the breath on each exhale going deeper into a state of relaxation into a state of mind,

Body ease into a state of just letting go right now.

Be aware of your body and your breath be aware of the body and any tension tension be aware of those areas that are slightly frustrated or agitated or just feel tense areas that you haven't fully let go yet just give yourself permission to do this right now as you continue to breathe we're going to continue to practice breathing into these areas of tension just feel the breath move just feel the breath move through the body say to yourself,

I allow my body to relax I allow my body to let go as the tension just gets softer and softer and your willingness improves to just be in this moment and just breathe kindness and goodness into your body not forcing this in any way no judgment attached to the thoughts or the body just continue to breathe and be aware of when you take care of yourself when you make yourself feel good when you allow yourself kindness and compassion how the body begins to relax life will always have its struggles there will always be things to do there will always be worries of the day but right now where we are this is where you allow your body to recharge to build up the energy and resources for the rest of your day tomorrow and the day after these resources are really important they're part of who you are so it's okay to let go of your day and just remind yourself that you're doing great you're doing amazing tomorrow is tomorrow it will bring another day and there will always be a tomorrow continue to breathe into those areas where tension is still lingering I know you can feel that tension I know you can feel that stress just breathe into it acknowledge it don't attach yourself to it and let it go as the body sinks deeper and deeper as the mind recharges as it settles as it gets into a moment of just being be aware of your sleep space right now as you begin to drift deeper and deeper into sleep into the dream world allowing a sense of total letting go again the mind will wander the thoughts will come the feelings are there you are human,

You're not a robot just bring yourself back to the breath and remember you can always just rest in the stillness and silence right now letting each breath relax you more and more deeper and deeper and just continue to breathe for the next few moments as we move back into our box breathing practice during our sleep we're going to take some nice deep breaths slowly and at your own pace before we engage in the box breathing practice I just want you to do some inhales and exhales in a natural and normal way just continue to breathe for the next few moments box breathing is a powerful yet very simple relaxation technique and it's just about bringing the rhythm of the breath back to a normal level it helps to clear the mind from the day's work and helps to relax the body,

Kind of getting you set up for a great night's sleep so how about we begin and just taking a full breath in for a moment all the way up and just releasing the breath relaxing into an exhale just getting all that stale air from the day out of your system one more deep breath all the way in all the way up holding at the top and just releasing allowing the breath to just flow out of the body as we begin our box breathing in 4 3,

2 1,

Inhale 4,

3 2,

1 hold 3,

2 1,

Exhale 2,

3 2,

1 inhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1,

Exhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1 deep breath in expanding the belly holding the chest and just holding the air at the top as you release let go of all of the tension you've been holding on today we just take another deep breath in,

Holding for a moment and we're going to go back into our box breathing again breathing in for 4,

3 2,

1 hold 3,

2 1,

Exhale 3,

2 1 inhale hold 3,

2 1,

Inhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1,

Exhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1,

Inhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1,

Exhale 3,

2 1 deep breath in take it all in breathe as deeply as you can and just holding the breath at the top releasing the breath allowing the tension to melt away and just holding for a moment at the bottom deep breath in belly expanding chest expanding hold at the top and again in your time exhale,

Releasing tension from the body okay,

We're going to do another box breathing in 3,

2 1,

Inhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1,

Exhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1,

Inhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1,

Exhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1,

Exhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1,

Exhale holding the breath at the bottom for a few seconds holding holding and just release the breath take another nice,

Long,

Slow,

Deep breath in holding at the top and on the exhale letting go of any reasons that you would stay awake for tonight allowing them to leave the body and we'll do our final round of the box breathing in 3,

2 1,

Inhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1,

Exhale 3,

2 1,

Hold 3,

2 1,

Breathing in 2 1,

Holding 3,

2 1,

Exhaling 3,

2 1,

Holding 3,

2 1,

Inhale 3,

2 1,

Holding 3,

2 1,

Exhaling 3,

2 1,

And just take a nice long,

Slow,

Deep breath in again on the exhale holding at the top and just releasing in your time releasing in your space melting away any tension in the body right now as we bring ourselves into a very beautiful sleep allowing the last of the tension to fall away we're going to do one more last breath your biggest breath yet all the way in holding at the top and just continue to hold for a moment just a little longer allowing this goodness this restfulness to wash over the entire mind and body as it settles into a beautiful deep sleep and as you release allowing the body to settle and just continue to breathe in a natural and normal way for you so for this section of the night we're going to add a mini breathwork session to help you to continue to sleep if you're asleep,

That's okay continue to enjoy the moment if you're awake this is a beautiful technique to help you to get back to sleep before we jump into this breathwork technique I want you to become aware of your natural breath how are you breathing right now?

How is your inhalation?

How is your exhalation?

I want you to really focus on bringing a natural normal breath right now if the breath is long let it be long if the breath is short let it be short by creating this simple foundation for the breathwork exercise really helps to deepen your connection between your mind your body and your sleep pattern so as we bring ourselves into self-awareness paying attention to our breath let's bring ourselves into this present moment and just keep an eye on your physical and emotional state how are you feeling right now?

Physically and emotionally what comes to mind?

As we notice the breath it can really help identify any signs of stress and of course many of us experience that in this modern world some signs of stress can be shallow breathing or holding your breath so as we're in this moment of awareness how are you breathing?

Is it shallow?

Is it deep?

Are you holding your breath?

With this 9 hour meditation we're bringing breath awareness we're bringing mind awareness we're bringing body awareness with breath awareness it strengthens the connection between your mind and your body allowing you to better understand and respond to your body's signals so as we find a comfortable position just move around a little bit as you're feeling more comfortable notice the natural rhythm of the breath notice the flow of the inhale notice the flow of the exhale now there's no cheating here I don't want you to change your breath I just want you to observe it I want you to notice the sensations of your breath entering and leaving the nostrils the rise and the fall of the chest or belly and take a moment to notice the quality of each inhalation take a moment to notice the quality of the exhalation there are going to be times in this meditation where the mind of course will wander no judgment here just gently bring your attention back to the breath so with this next meditation breath work we're going to do a thing called a three part breath this practice involves expanding your breath into all three chambers of your torso the belly the ribcage and the chest what's great about this is the benefits of enhancing the lung capacity the amount of oxygen that we take in it's very grounding it's amazing at calming the nervous system which for most of us I think we could definitely do it it balances the energy of the body more specifically if you were looking at Chinese medicine you'd be looking at the chi energy that flows through your body night and day so just take a nice little breath in there natural and normal ensure that you're comfortable comfort is queen so definitely make sure you found your position for sleep so with this technique we're looking at three stages stage one is breathing slowly deeply through the nose and just allowing the belly to expand as you continue to inhale expanding moving the ribcage upwards and outwards and then finally filling the chest with air holding the breath for a moment and as we exhale begin exhaling gently from the upper chest first moving on to the ribcage and then finally drawing in the belly to completely empty the lungs now we'll go through this again one more time and then we're going to let you just continue to breathe like this for five minutes or so with the inhale it's the belly first inhaling slowly and deeply through the nose and just feeling the belly expand next we move to expand the ribcage and finally filling the upper chest with air holding for a moment and then releasing the chest by exhaling gently continuing the exhale by the ribcage and finally the belly until the lungs are empty holding just for a moment or two inhale belly ribcage chest exhale chest ribcage belly we're going to do that one more time inhale belly ribcage chest holding for a moment exhale chest ribcage belly holding for a moment inhale exhale holding exhale and just continue to breathe in this way for the next few moments now I'd like to give a few little tips for this beautiful practice it's important to start slowly it's going to take time to learn this technique so don't give yourself a hard time you are not going to get this right the first time don't overthink it breathe the usual way a way that's comfortable for you once you get more comfortable I want you to do more smooth transitions of the breath from each stages from stage 1,

2 and 3 of the inhale stage 1,

2 and 3 of the exhale just get some nice transitions between these once you feel comfortable with the initial starting process always be kind to yourself don't force the breath or strain yourself take this technique and breathe as naturally and normally as you can so it's Gordon here back again and I guess if you're hearing this you're again wide awake right now I know that if you're awake you know this is going to be frustrating so we'll use this meditation as an opportunity to help settle the mind help to settle the body it's important to acknowledge here right now that trying to force ourselves to fall asleep just ends up creating more tension in the mind and body I want you to notice your relationship to being awake right now is there frustration tension or any stress about tomorrow or just about getting to sleep in general now we'll gently bring our attention to the thoughts of the mind and let's give them a little bit of space to move throughout your mind no judgment no attachment just allow them to flow in and out and just recognize that they're thoughts and they're not necessarily true I want you to gently bring your awareness to the breath allowing the breath to be natural allowing it to be normal and of course if the breath is long allow it to be long if the breath is short allow it to be short nice and simple nice and easy and we're not going to focus on the breath at the moment we're just going to allow ourselves to be we're not going to force anything we're not going to try and manipulate anything we don't want to create any more tension we're just going to be in this moment and just knowing it's okay to be awake but it's also okay to allow yourself to relax a little bit more as we take a few deep breaths in together allowing us to reduce the heart rate and on the exhale just extend it out a little bit longer compared to the inhale just by a second or two now find the most comfortable breathing technique for you you can breathe in through the nose you can exhale through the mouth you can breathe in through the nose you can exhale through the nose just find a nice rhythm for yourself and just breathe and with each exhale just relaxing the body just by 1% if you're a rockstar let's try and get 5% relaxation with each exhale and just continue to breathe at your own pace nice and natural nice and normal your mind will wonder the thoughts will come if that happens just gently bring yourself back to the breath and just acknowledging the thoughts the mind is always going to be thinking that's normal that's natural meditation isn't about clearing the mind it's not about a silent mind the most important thing is to not attach ourselves to the thoughts we let them come we let them go bringing yourself back to the breath the inhalation the exhalation and just notice how the breath moves into a very natural rhythm a rhythm that's unique to you believe it or not nobody else can breathe like you let's gently move our attention to the body now where we're going to do a body scan we're going to scan our awareness from the head all the way to the toes and just remember that even though we have strong strong desires to fall back asleep any strong intention or desire to fall asleep can sometimes create more tension in the body and just approach this moment with I'm awake we can of course decide that we have to trust the body we have to trust the mind it's awake right now for a reason we cannot force ourselves to sleep we have to be in the moment and just inviting the mind to relax and just giving the mind and body a moment to be so as we begin to bring our attention to the head the face the jaw the neck and the shoulders just gently soften the eyelids as they blink if your eyes are open notice the eyelids if the eyes are closed notice the neck and the shoulders how are your shoulders right now is there tension are they relaxed would you like them to be relaxed now if you're a little bit more kinesthetic you may be able to breathe into the shoulders and feel that sensation if not you can move your hands to the shoulders and just visualize the breath moving in and out with each inhalation and exhalation the inhalation bringing calm to the body the exhalation removing tension from the body as we move to the arms and the elbows and the wrists fingers notice any tension here if so again gently bring a softness to this area again we're only trying to reduce the tension or stress in the body by one to five percent we're not trying to get it to zero as we bring our awareness and attention to the chest area again take notice of the heart beating as you move to the belly again inhalation bringing calmness exhalation softening the tension in the body notice the mattress notice the body softening again and just bring your awareness to your back for a moment again these are areas where tension and tightness will hold itself if you find anything there just take a mental note and again we move on move to the pelvic region as we move to the hips and the knees down to the ankles and to the toes now we're going to do one nice long slow deep breath in when you're ready and I want you to imagine taking that breath through the whole body all the way down to the toes when you have your inhalation done I want you to exhale from the toes all the way back up onto the head we'll do another long inhalation in your time all the way from the head down to the toes when you're ready then exhale from the toes all the way back up to the head just allowing the body to feel itself to be present in this moment in time now for the next three to four minutes you're going to stay in silence if you can and just continue to breathe scanning in your way your body and just bringing softness to the body this may hopefully lead to a deeper sleep more ease in the body and I'm going to be back in a little while to you again so as we move into a sleep mantra take three deep breaths through your nose allowing your body to relax with each exhale of the breath feel your body relax here and just surrender your body and just observe the moment what's happening in your mind what type of thoughts your feelings and emotions are here right now let it all be as we begin the repetition of a chosen mantra now it doesn't need to be loud but it needs to be audible if you find your mind is a little tense or somewhat agitated you may want to spend a little longer repeating your mantra out loud and just sometimes repeat it faster sometimes repeat it slower find a pace that's right for you you can choose any mantra you wish the one we're going to use right now is om if you find your mind is very busy just keep repeating om om om om and you can whisper om and now repeat it in your mind silently continue to breathe in a natural normal way whispering the mantra find a speed for the mantra that suits you right now if the mind remains tense repeat the mantra faster otherwise your thoughts will overpower the mantra and it may just become a mechanical approach to what you're doing right now as your mind calms down as your mind turns inside allow the speed of repetition to slow down if at any time you notice the mantra becomes automatic or your attention has wandered off to thinking just bring your attention gently back to the mantra so at this moment if you are wide awake right now I really appreciate this is super frustrating questioning yourself why?

Why is this happening to me?

Unexhausted so as we continue through this meditation through the evening we're not going to use brute force to try and get yourself to sleep but that's the opposite of what we need right now it's all about bringing peace of mind to where you are right now bring a sense of ease and relaxation to the body that that's our only aim this is possibly the wrong time to say this however let's give it a shot if you know anyone else who suffers from sleeping difficulties insomnia at its worst ask them how do you sleep and 99% will give you a long list of rituals before they go to bed screen time not drinking water after 6 having their favourite pillow essential oils or even an app in the background now ask the same question to somebody who doesn't experience any issues with their sleep and the answer is typically oh I just sleep so it's really important to understand your relationship to being awake right now understanding your relationship to sleep as we know sleep is one of the three pillars of your health and well being nutrition the breath and your ability to sleep well these three factors influence how you recharge your life force take away one of these pillars and living life becomes really hard let's begin by noticing where you are right now the space you're trying to sleep in the room the bed the covers all of these create a wonderful night's sleep notice the mind where is it right now notice the thoughts notice the emotions notice the body how does it feel relaxed tense calm or in pain just spend a moment to notice the body let's stay here in this moment in your space in your mind in your body and let's just breathe naturally and normally we're just going to stay in this space for the next 60 seconds just breathe naturally just breathe normally just stay allow the thoughts to just be allow the thoughts to just come and just let them go and just accepting these thoughts for what they are that they're just thoughts and of course they may not be true or useful in any way they're just thoughts in the usual way let's bring our attention to the breath for a moment by taking a nice long slow deep breath in and then holding it for a moment and when you decide to exhale releasing any concerns from the space you're in right now with the next nice long slow deep breath in again holding for a moment and when you decide to release the breath releasing any stress or anxiety of the mind with the exhale and finally one more nice long slow deep breath in holding again for a moment at the top and when it's comfortable for you when you decide to exhale release that final tension in the body and of course during this meditation the mind can and will wonder and that's absolutely okay just acknowledge the thoughts and let them go so let's move into some zen breath meditation where the simplicity of one breath we count one with the exhale we count two again with the simplicity of one breath we count three on the exhale we count four inhale five exhale six and let's do this all the way to ten once you get to ten we just start it again once more and we're going to do this for the next sixty seconds now don't worry I'm going to keep an eye on the time I'd like you to meet the breath with just some curiosity when we try to force ourselves to sleep there is an equal and opposite force that's created to not sleep it will just create more tension just giving it space to be and allowing that space to be a little bit more relaxed if in the middle of these moments we happen to fall asleep then well that's just wonderful we're going to now go back to counting the breaths again from one to ten when we reach ten we start again if the mind wanders during this time we start again at one and don't worry this happens all the time just acknowledge it and start again now I'm going to keep an eye on the time again this is going to be for about two minutes so let's just take a few breaths together as a way to lower the heart rate and allow the body to relax more deeply so we'll just start by breathing in slowly through the nose and then exhaling slowly out through the mouth counting one on the inhale counting two on the exhale all the way to ten and I'm going to jump back in again in about two minutes and breathing in again through the nose breathing out again and then through the mouth and letting the whole body relax on the exhale releasing all the air in your lungs and with each exhale removing any stress or tension from your space your time your mind and body and now just take a few more breaths in like that at your own pace each time you notice the mind wandering off into thoughts just bring your attention and awareness leaving the thoughts with complete ease just acknowledging them and letting them go each time just return to that gentle breath so we'll do a quick body scan bringing our awareness from the head all the way down to the toes and just remember even though we might really want to fall asleep this could have a counter effect at this moment and potentially create more tension in the body all you have to do is acknowledge that we're awake right now as you continue to breathe inviting the mind and body to relax a little to breathe to just be in this moment so there are a number of factors that can affect your sleep and there are things that you can do that will really help you to sleep better breath work and meditation are both very powerful tools for improving sleep it's important to acknowledge that it's not a magic cure all sleep over of course is a complex process really influenced by so many factors and it's important to address these factors to achieving a truly restful night's sleep for me here are some of the culprits that can interfere with your own beautiful sleep we have lifestyle factors when you have an irregular sleep schedule inconsistent bedtimes and wake up times it will disrupt your body's natural sleep wake cycle and this is an important factor to teach your body to sleep in regular times lack of physical activity regular exercise can really improve sleep but it's important to avoid intense workouts close to bedtime activity doesn't mean you have to be running marathons and ultramarathons it's just just getting out for a walk,

Getting out for a little jog poor diet heavy meals sugary foods and caffeine late in the day will absolutely have a big impact on your sleep so it's important to look into that alcohol and nicotine while alcohol has the ability to make you feel sleepy it has been shown to really disrupt later sleep stages and nicotine is a stimulant that could keep you awake through the night also next we move on to environmental factors we have light exposure exposure to light,

Especially blue light from electronic devices has the potential to suppress melatonin production and this is one of the key components to tell your body it's time to sleep a noisy environment can also make it difficult to fall asleep or to stay asleep if you're a light sleeper one of my favourite is temperature an uncomfortable sleep environment whether it be too hot or too cold will always disrupt your sleep so finding that perfect temperature for you there are of course medical conditions with sleep disorders conditions like sleep apnea restless leg syndrome will significantly impact the quality of your sleep for others there are medical conditions such as chronic pain,

Heart rate problems and other health issues emotional well-being anxiety,

Depression and other mental health conditions are always linked to sleep disturbance as well so understanding these components is really important meditation and bread work will be a part of a holistic well-being approach to improving your sleep meditation and bread work can be a valuable tool in in your sleep toolkit but it's really effective when it's combined with a holistic approach that addresses all of the other factors if you have sleep issues I'm sure you know this already but I'll mention them again just in case here are some ways to really create a sleep conducive environment that fits within your own personal lifestyle firstly establish a regular sleep schedule try if you can to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day even on weekends creating a relaxing bedtime routine try to wind down with calming activities like reading taking a bath or listening to some really beautiful music optimize your sleep environment sound simple make sure your bedroom is dark quiet and of course cool and we're all guilty of this limit screen time before bed avoid if you can electronic devices for at least an hour before sleep a healthy diet and regular exercise will absolutely help to improve your chances of a good night's sleep and of course limit caffeine limit alcohol these substances will keep you awake at night as you continue to breathe inviting the mind and body to relax a little to breathe,

To just be in this moment and just practicing our sleep well meditation allowing our body to fall into recharge mode relaxing the face relaxing the head relaxing the neck allowing the muscles of the face to relax and just letting your whole head get heavy as it rests the neck and shoulders just notice how the shoulders feel right now inviting the shoulders to relax on each exhale imagining that tension softening and melting away bringing your awareness down into the arms the whole length of the arms including the hands and fingers inviting them to soften as you continue to breathe bring awareness into the chest area right now notice the rhythm of the heart beating notice how the breath slows as you relax more and more and allowing each exhale soften your body deeper and deeper so I'd like you to just really make sure that you're in a comfortable sleeping position so that you can drift off to sleep during our meditation or maybe even perhaps after the whole meditation ends as you know this is a 9 hour meditation so that's probably not a good thing as you really get cozy if your eyes are closed let's take a nice long slow deep breath in together right now breathe in through the nose and slowly out through the mouth and just letting the body relax and letting go of your day with each and every exhale as we've mentioned before you know your work has been done for today so let's see if you can truly give yourself the permission to trust that the day is done allowing everything to unfold the way it needs to and just remember that each and every tomorrow will bring with it a very new day you are here right now in the usual way there's no place else that you need to be there are no other problems you need to solve right now just give yourself permission to allow yourself into a sleeping moment of time I want you to feel that flow of the breath the inhalation and the exhalation how the body is being gently rocked up and down through each and every breath with each exhale allow the body to release any tension that's in the body with each inhale the body will relax into a sense of ease and calmness of mind and body it's always important to realize that you're not needed right now connecting to the safety of this moment in time in your sleep space your room the stillness and the quiet of the night or day give your mind and body permission to relax and again with each exhale just releasing any stress or tension in the body allow the worries and stresses of today to just drift away this evening we're going to practice some full deep body breath work with each and every exhale I want you to feel the body letting go feel the breath as it moves through areas of your body that may be holding any tension from today as we breathe we give each part of our body some love and some kindness just realizing that right now we are safe so there is nowhere else you need to be just allow the body to breathe allowing your nervous system to reset itself with each exhale just getting deeper and deeper into this moment of time feel the nature of the body the head,

The face the shoulders and the chest the hands and arms the belly,

The lower body just continue to take deep breaths full body breaths as always the mind may wander it may go on to thoughts and all I want you to do is just bring yourself back to the breath allowing them to be but just not attaching yourself to any of our thoughts almost like clouds in the sky they're just thoughts they're just feelings allow your body to wholly relax right now if you do find yourself caught up in these thoughts just bring the attention again back to the breath on each exhale going deeper into a state of relaxation into a state of mind,

Body ease into a state of just letting go right now be aware of your body and your breath be aware of the body and any tension be aware of those areas that are slightly frustrated or agitated or just feel tense areas that you haven't fully let go yet just give yourself permission to do this right now as you continue to breathe we're going to continue to practice breathing into these areas of tension just feel the breath move just feel the breath move through the body say to yourself I allow my body to relax I allow my body to let go as the tension just gets softer and softer and your willingness improves to just be in this moment and just breathe kindness and goodness into your body not forcing this in any way no judgment attached to the thoughts or the body just continue to breathe and be aware of when you take care of yourself when you make yourself feel good when you allow yourself kindness and compassion how the body begins to relax life will always have its struggles there will always be things to do there will always be worries of the day but right now where we are this is where you allow your body to recharge to build up the energy and resources for the rest of your day tomorrow and the day after these resources are really important they're part of who you are so it's okay to let go of your day and just remind yourself that you're doing great you're doing amazing tomorrow is tomorrow it will bring another day and there will always be a tomorrow continue to breathe into those areas where tension is still lingering I know you can feel that tension I know you can feel that stress just breathe into it acknowledge it don't attach yourself to it and let it go as the body sinks deeper and deeper as the mind recharges as it settles as it gets into a moment of just being be aware of your sleep space right now as you begin to drift deeper and deeper into sleep into the dream world allowing a sense of total letting go again the mind will wander,

The thoughts will come the feelings are there you are human you're not a robot just bring yourself back to the breath and remember you can always just rest into stillness and silence right now letting each breath relax you more and more deeper and deeper and just continue to breathe for the next few moments as we move to the next phase of our sleep meditation let's make sure you're in a comfortable sleeping posture and position it's okay to drift off during this meditation or if you wish you can continue to just enjoy if your eyes are open let's gently close them right now if you're comfortable with that let's take a nice long slow deep breath together in through the nose and then gently out through the mouth take a moment to feel the body right now I'm sure you had so much going on today I bet there were things that needed your attention stuff that needed to be resolved but that was today right now you're here as always just remember there's nowhere else you need to be there's nowhere else that you really can be if there's anything from today that hasn't been solved say to yourself let's just solve that tomorrow give yourself that permission to just let go to trust that you did everything you could do today and maybe of course it's not exactly everything you wanted to get done remember you're not a robot we're all human and there's more time tomorrow just remember that each and every day you do the best you can with the tools that you have allow the mind and body to rest and tomorrow we do it again right now you get to rest notice the thoughts allow the thoughts don't attach yourself to the thoughts there may be worries there may be fears there may be judgments of how today went allow them to come allow them to go for now it's important to cultivate our process to sleep acknowledging and allowing the body to relax as much as it can as much as you want it to for now we're going to do a body relaxation meditation moving through each part of the body inviting them to just soften to relax to recharge as we begin at the top of the head notice what's going on there right now as you bring your awareness to the top of your head as we move to the side of your head maybe it's resting on a pillow notice the face just try to soften the face right now the jaw,

The ears the nose allow that tension and stress to just melt away continuing to soften with each and every breath as we bring our awareness to the neck the throat the chest what do you notice?

What do you feel?

Is there any tension there right now?

If you do feel any tension begin to soften the neck again,

Just remember there is nothing you need to do right now we're just allowing the body to let go of its day next we move our attention to our shoulders where we tend to keep a lot of tension and stress how does the shoulders feel?

Again,

Soften the shoulders a little bit the left and the right you might notice there's a little bit of tension on one or the other again continue to soften the shoulders as we gently bring our attention to our arms and elbows the wrists and hands the fingertips begin to soften each of these one at a time continue to breathe continue to let go continue to remember that you're doing the very best you can right now with the tools that you have each day we're going to gently bring our attention to the chest the lungs the inhalation and the exhalation what do you notice here?

In the usual way let's soften any tension in the chest and maybe slow the breathing down a little bit the inhalation and the exhalation as we move to the belly again,

Bring your attention what do you notice?

How does it feel?

As you continue to breathe see if you can breathe down to the belly with your inhalations and your exhalations as we notice the back what's happening there right now?

Any tension,

Any stress sometimes there can be pain this is an important area to soften to relax to feel so again gently bring our awareness to this area and almost imagine like there's an off switch for the back we can just turn it off as we move to the waist the pelvic region continuing to breathe into these areas in the body releasing any tension any stress as you move down to the legs and the knees make sure to relax these areas notice what this area feels like as we move to the ankles and the toes you might start to notice that my voice is drifting away into the background and that's okay so allowing the knees and the ankles to relax deeper and deeper how does the body feel right now?

The whole body let's do a nice slow full body scan again but this time in your time and your pace notice any parts that are resting while you're in your sleep space moving the body also if you need to find somewhere more comfortable the body is amazing in that it wants you to listen to it sometimes when we are in a stressful situation and we don't listen to our mind and listen to our body it starts to kind of shout a little bit at us so just tell your body and your mind,

Okay I'm listening to you right now and just give your body and mind permission to relax and to sleep as you continue to breathe and just slowing the breath down a little bit just continue to breathe for the next five to six minutes I wish you a night of deep sleep and pleasant dreams as we continue this meditation through the night as you drop deeper into your exploration of sleep you become more and more aware of your experiences that you might discover maybe it's the touch of the eyelids maybe it's the sounds in the room or in the distance just keep searching for what's around you right now sometimes it's difficult to find anything around don't worry don't judge just bring yourself back to the breath allowing your mind and body to drift off moving into a sleep space of deep rest and relaxation where mind and body recharge notice the soft flow of the breath how good it feels with each breath you take care of the body and allowing it to relax more and more the mind letting go and knowing it's completely safe to do so moment by moment sensing the body relaxing deeper and deeper into this softness relaxing into the rhythm of the natural breath moving with you right now supporting you supporting your life there's no agenda here you don't need to fix anything you don't need to figure anything out you just need to be allowing your life to just be as it is letting it be allowing just resting in the silence continue to dwell in this relaxed state be aware of the softness letting each breath take you into rest as we move into the magic of a restful night's sleep allow the smallest and largest things of the mind to enter your mind or maybe you're in the space of awareness maybe you're drifting off to sleep just allow my words to flow through there's no need to reflect there's no need to respond just allow the words to flow in this moment,

Your moment this is for you allowing your body to drop gently into a restful and restorative night's sleep and just saying to yourself,

I allow the future me to address anything that I need to address tomorrow for now there's nothing I need to do there's nowhere I need to be and just create this moment in time just letting go of doing anything allowing the rhythm of your body and mind to just be aware of the sounds around you aware of the sensations in the body aware of the thoughts of the mind and just gently notice where you are right now in this moment of time the softness of the skin the gentleness of the breath notice the air as it moves in and out in the inhalation and exhalation gently aware of all the experiences right now you might want to close your eyes for a moment if they're not already closed or you may notice patterns shapes colors just aware of all the multiple experiences right now as you gently drift into a moment of sleep and you might be aware of one of the five senses that has not settled down yet just be gentle with it as you begin to remove yourself from the world of today and bring yourself into the moment of sleep telling your mind it's okay to let go of everything and helping it to realize there's nothing else to do right now there's nothing else to think right now it's okay to let go as you bring yourself into a very deep deep restful experience which in turn prepares you for sleep knowing that all you do is relax the mind and body as you fall asleep allow yourself to let go of the need to be asleep being aware of the forehead as it begins to soften being aware of the face as it begins to soften being aware of the muscles in the shoulders being aware of the chest as it begins to soften being aware of the legs and feet as they begin to soften being aware of your entire body as it begins to soften as you allow yourself in your time and your space to drift deeper and deeper and deeper into the ease and well-being of this moment and just remind yourself that the past is the past the future is the future and being in this moment right now is being in this moment right now and just gently allow yourself to drift drift into relaxation as you continue to breathe over the next few moments of time so there are a number of factors that can affect your sleep and there are things that you can do that will really help you to sleep better breathwork and meditation are both very powerful tools for improving sleep it's important to acknowledge that it's not a magic cure-all sleep of course is a complex process really influenced by so many factors and it's important to address these factors to achieving a truly restful night's sleep for me,

Here are some of the culprits that can interfere with your own beautiful sleep we have lifestyle factors when you have an irregular sleep schedule inconsistent bedtimes and wake-up times it will disrupt your body's natural sleep-wake cycle and this is an important factor to teach your body to sleep in regular times lack of physical activity regular exercise can really improve sleep but it's important to avoid intense workouts close to bedtime activity doesn't mean you have to be running marathons and ultramarathons it's just just getting out for a walk getting out for a little jog poor diet heavy meals sugary foods and caffeine late in the day will absolutely have a big impact on your sleep so it's important to look into that alcohol and nicotine well alcohol has the ability to make you feel sleepy it has been shown to really disrupt later sleep stages and nicotine is a stimulant that could keep you awake through the night also next we move on to environmental factors we have light exposure exposure to light especially blue light from electronic devices has the potential to suppress melatonin production and this is one of the key components to tell your body it's time to sleep a noisy environment can also make it difficult to fall asleep or to stay asleep if you're a light sleeper one of my favourites is temperature an uncomfortable sleep environment whether it be too hot or too cold will always disrupt your sleep so finding that perfect temperature for you there are of course medical conditions with sleep disorders conditions like sleep apnea restless leg syndrome will significantly impact the quality of your sleep for others there are medical conditions such as chronic pain thyroid problems and other health issues emotional well-being anxiety,

Depression and other mental health conditions are always linked to sleep disturbance as well so understanding these components is really important meditation and bread work will be a part of a holistic well-being approach to improving your sleep meditation and bread work can be a valuable tool in in your sleep toolkit but it's really effective when it's combined with a holistic approach that addresses all of the other factors if you have sleep issues,

I'm sure you know this already,

But I'll mention them again just in case here are some ways to really create a sleep conducive environment that fits within your own personal lifestyle firstly,

Establish a regular sleep schedule try if you can to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day,

Even on weekends creating a relaxing bedtime routine try to wind down with calming activities like reading taking a bath or listening to some really beautiful music optimize your sleep environment sound simple make sure your bedroom is dark,

Quiet and of course cool and we're all guilty of this limit screen time before bed avoid if you can electronic devices for at least an hour before sleep a healthy diet and regular exercise will absolutely help to improve your chances of a good night's sleep and of course limit caffeine,

Limit alcohol these substances will keep you awake at night so for this section of the night we're going to add a mini breath work session to help you to continue to sleep if you're asleep that's okay continue to enjoy the moment if you're awake this is a beautiful technique to help you to get back to sleep before we jump into this breath work technique I want you to become aware of your natural breath how are you breathing right now how is your inhalation how is your exhalation I want you to really focus on bringing a natural normal breath right now if the breath is long let it be long if the breath is short let it be short by creating this simple foundation for the breath work exercise really helps to deepen your connection between your mind,

Your body and your sleep pattern so as we bring ourselves into self-awareness paying attention to our breath let's bring ourselves into this present moment and just keep an eye on your physical and emotional state how are you feeling right now physically and emotionally what comes to mind as we notice the breath it can really help identify any signs of stress and of course many of us experience that in this modern world some signs of stress can be shallow breathing or holding your breath so as we're in this moment of awareness how are you breathing is it shallow is it deep are you holding your breath with this nine hour meditation we're bringing breath awareness,

We're bringing mind awareness,

We're bringing body awareness with breath awareness it strengthens the connection between your mind and your body allowing you to better understand and respond to your body's signals so as we find a comfortable position just move around a little bit as you're feeling more comfortable notice the natural rhythm of the breath notice the flow of the inhale notice the flow of the exhale now there's no cheating here,

I don't want you to change your breath I just want you to observe it I want you to notice the sensations of your breath entering and leaving the nostrils the rise and the fall of the chest or belly and take a moment to notice the quality of each inhalation take a moment to notice the quality of the exhalation there are going to be times in this meditation where the mind of course will wander no judgment here just gently bring your attention back to the breath so with this next meditation breath work we're going to do a thing called a three part breath this practice involves expanding your breath into all three chambers of your torso the belly the ribcage and the chest what's great about this is the benefits of enhancing the lung capacity the amount of oxygen that we take in it's very grounding it's amazing at calming the nervous system which for most of us I think we could definitely do it it balances the energy of the body more specifically if you were looking at Chinese medicine you'd be looking at the chi energy that flows through your body night and day so just take a nice little breath in there natural and normal ensure that you're comfortable comfort is queen so definitely make sure you found your position for sleep so with this technique we're looking at three stages stage one is breathing slowly deeply through the nose and just allowing the belly to expand as you continue to inhale expanding feeling the ribcage upwards and outwards and then finally filling the chest with air holding the breath for a moment and as we exhale begin exhaling gently from the upper chest first moving on to the ribcage and then finally drawing in the belly to completely empty the lungs now we'll go through this again one more time and then we're going to let you just continue to breathe like this for five minutes or so with the inhale it's the belly first inhaling slowly and deeply through the nose and just feeling the belly expand next we move to expand the ribcage and finally filling the upper chest with air holding for a moment and then releasing the chest by exhaling gently continuing the exhale by the ribcage and finally the belly until the lungs are empty holding just for a moment or two inhale belly ribcage chest exhale chest ribcage belly we're going to do that one more time inhale belly ribcage chest holding for a moment exhale chest ribcage belly holding for a moment inhale exhale holding inhale and just continue to breathe in this way for the next few moments now I'd like to give a few little tips for this beautiful practice it's important to start slowly it's going to take time to learn this technique so don't give yourself a hard time you are not going to get this right the first time don't overthink it breathe the usual way a way that's comfortable for you once you get more comfortable I want you to do more smooth transitions of the breath from each stages from stage 1,

2 and 3 of the inhale stage 1,

2 and 3 of the exhale just get some nice transitions between these once you feel comfortable with the initial starting process always be kind to yourself don't force the breath or strain yourself take this technique and breathe as naturally and normally as you can as we move to the next phase of our sleep meditation let's make sure you're in a comfortable sleeping posture and position it's okay to drift off during this meditation or if you wish you can continue to just enjoy it's okay if your eyes are open let's gently close them right now if you're comfortable with that let's take a nice long slow deep breath together in through the nose and then gently out through the mouth take a moment to feel the body right now I'm sure you had so much going on today I bet there were things that needed your attention stuff that needed to be resolved but that was today right now you're here as always just remember there's nowhere else you need to be there's nowhere else that you really can be if there's anything from today that hasn't been solved say to yourself let's just solve that tomorrow give yourself that permission to just let go to trust that you did everything you could do today and maybe of course it's not exactly everything you wanted to get done remember you're not a robot we're all human and there is more time tomorrow just remember that each and every day you do the best you can with the tools that you have allow the mind and body to rest and tomorrow we do it again right now you get to rest notice the thoughts allow the thoughts don't attach yourself to the thoughts there may be worries there may be fears there may be judgements of how today went allow them to come allow them to go for now it's important to cultivate our process to sleep acknowledging and allowing the body to relax as much as it can as much as you want it to we're going to do a body relaxation meditation moving through each part of the body inviting them to just soften to relax to recharge as we begin at the top of the head notice what's going on there right now as you bring your awareness to the top of your head as we move to the side of your head maybe it's resting on a pillow notice the face just try to soften the face right now the jaw the ears the nose allow that tension and stress to just melt away continuing to soften with each and every breath as we bring our awareness to the neck the throat what do you notice?

What do you feel?

Is there any tension there right now?

If you do feel any tension begin to soften the neck again just remember there is nothing you need to do right now we're just allowing the body to let go of its day next we move our attention to our shoulders where we tend to keep a lot of tension and stress how does the shoulders feel?

Again soften the shoulders a little bit the left and the right you might notice there's a little bit tension on one or the other again continue to soften the shoulders as we gently bring our attention to our arms and elbows the wrists and hands the fingertips begin to soften each of these one at a time continue to breathe continue to let go continue to remember that you're doing the very best you can right now with the tools that you have each day we're going to gently bring our attention to the chest the lungs the inhalation and the exhalation what do you notice here?

In the usual way let's soften any tension in the chest and maybe slow the breathing down a little bit the inhalation and the exhalation as we move to the belly again bring your attention what do you notice?

How does it feel?

As you continue to breathe see if you can breathe down to the belly with your inhalations and your exhalations as we notice the back what's happening there right now?

Any tension,

Any stress sometimes there can be pain this is an important area to soften to relax to feel so again gently bring our awareness to this area and almost imagine like there's an off switch for the back we can just turn it off as we move to the waist the pelvic region continuing to breathe into these areas in the body releasing any tension any stress as you move down to the legs and the knees make sure to relax these areas notice what this area feels like as we move to the ankles and the toes you might start to notice that my voice is drifting away into the background and that's okay allowing the knees and the ankles to relax deeper and deeper and deeper how does the body feel right now?

The whole body let's do a nice slow full body scan again but this time in your time and your pace notice any parts that are resting while you're in your sleep space moving the body also if you need to find somewhere more comfortable the body is amazing in that it wants you to listen to it sometimes when we are in a stressful situation and we don't listen to our mind and listen to our body it starts to kind of shout a little bit at us so just tell your body and your mind,

Okay I'm listening to you right now and just give your body and mind permission to relax and to sleep as you continue to breathe and just slowing the breath down a little bit just continue to breathe for the next five to six minutes I wish you a night of deep sleep and pleasant dreams as we continue this meditation through the night so it's Gordon here back again and I guess if you're hearing this you're again wide awake right now I know that if you're awake you know this is going to be frustrating so we'll use this meditation as an opportunity to help settle the mind help to settle the body it's important to acknowledge here right now that trying to force ourselves to fall asleep just ends up creating more tension in the mind and body I want you to notice your relationship to being awake right now is there frustration tension or any stress about tomorrow or just about getting to sleep in general we'll gently bring our attention to the thoughts of the mind and let's give them a little bit of space to move throughout your mind no judgment,

No attachment just allow them to flow in and out and just recognize that they're thoughts and they're not necessarily true I want you to gently bring your awareness to the breath allowing the breath to be natural allowing it to be normal and of course if the breath is long allow it to be long if the breath is short allow it to be short nice and simple nice and easy and we're not going to focus on the breath at the moment we're just going to allow ourselves to be we're not going to force anything we're not going to try and manipulate anything we don't want to create any more tension we're just going to be in this moment and just knowing it's okay to be awake but it's also okay to allow yourself to relax a little bit more as we take a few deep breaths in together allowing us to reduce the heart rate and on the exhale just extend it out a little bit longer compared to the inhale just by a second or two now find the most comfortable breathing technique for you you can breathe in through the nose you can exhale through the mouth you can breathe in through the nose you can exhale through the nose just find a nice rhythm for yourself and just breathe and with each exhale just relaxing the body just by 1% if you're a rockstar let's try and get 5% relaxation with each exhale and just continue to breathe at your own pace nice and natural nice and normal your mind will wonder the thoughts will come if that happens just gently bring yourself back to the breath and just acknowledging the thoughts the mind is always going to be thinking that's normal,

That's natural meditation isn't about clearing the mind it's not about a silent mind the most important thing is to not attach ourselves to the thoughts we let them come we let them go bringing yourself back to the breath the inhalation the exhalation and just notice how the breath moves into a very natural rhythm a rhythm that's unique to you believe it or not nobody else can breathe like you let's gently move our attention to the body now where we're going to do a body scan we're going to scan our awareness from the head all the way to the toes and just remember that even though we have strong strong desires to fall back asleep any strong intention or desire to fall asleep can sometimes create more tension in the body and just approach this moment with I'm awake we can of course decide that we have to trust the body,

We have to trust the mind it's awake right now for a reason we cannot force ourselves to sleep we have to be in the moment and just inviting the mind to relax and just giving the mind and body a moment to be so as we begin to bring our attention to the head the face the jaw the neck and the shoulders just gently soften notice the eyelids as they blink if your eyes are open notice the eyelids if the eyes are closed notice the neck and the shoulders how are your shoulders right now is there tension are they relaxed would you like them to be relaxed now if you're a little bit more kinesthetic you may be able to breathe into the shoulders and feel that sensation if not you can move your hands to the shoulders just visualize the breath moving in and out with each inhalation and exhalation the inhalation bringing calm to the body the exhalation removing tension from the body as we move to the arms and the elbows and the wrists,

Fingers notice any tension here if so again gently bring a softness to this area again we're only trying to reduce the tension or stress in the body by 1-5% we're not trying to get it to 0 as we bring our awareness and attention to the chest area again again take notice of the heart beating as you move to the belly again inhalation bringing calmness exhalation softening the tension in the body notice the mattress notice the body softening and just bring your awareness to your back for a moment again these are areas where tension and tightness will hold itself if you find anything there just take a mental note and again we move on move to the pelvic region as we move to the hips and the knees down to the ankles and to the toes now we're going to do one nice long slow deep breath in when you're ready and I want you to imagine taking that breath through the whole body all the way down to the toes when you have your inhalation done I want you to exhale from the toes all the way back up into the head we'll do another long inhalation in your time all the way from the head down to the toes when you're ready then exhale from the toes all the way back up to the head just allowing the body to feel itself to be present in this moment in time now for the next 3 to 4 minutes you're going to stay in silence if you can and just continue to breathe just scanning in your way your body and just bringing softness to the body this may hopefully lead to a deeper sleep more ease in the body and I'm going to be back in a little while to you again and so at this moment if you are wide awake right now I really appreciate this is super frustrating questioning yourself why why is this happening to me unexhausted so as we continue through this meditation through the evening we're not going to use brute force to try and get yourself to sleep that's the opposite of what we need right now it's all about bringing peace of mind to where you are right now bring a sense of ease and relaxation to the body that that's our only aim this is possibly the wrong time to say this however let's give it a shot if you know anyone else who suffers from sleeping difficulties insomnia at its worst ask them how do you sleep a 99% will give you a long list of rituals before they go to bed screen time not drinking water after 6 having their favourite pillow essential oils or even an app in the background now ask the same question to somebody who doesn't experience any issues with their sleep and the answer is typically oh I just sleep so it's really important to understand your relationship to being awake right now understanding your relationship to sleep as we know sleep is one of the three pillars of your health and well being nutrition the breath and your ability to sleep well these three factors influence how you recharge your life force take away one of these pillars and living life becomes really hard let's begin by noticing where you are right now the space you're trying to sleep in the bed the covers all of these create a wonderful night's sleep notice the mind where is it right now notice the thoughts notice the emotions notice notice the body how does it feel relaxed tense calm or in pain just spend a moment to notice the body let's stay here in this moment in your space in your mind in your body and let's just breathe naturally and normally we're just going to stay in this space for the next 60 seconds just breathe naturally just breathe normally allow the thoughts to just be allow the thoughts to just come and just let them go and just accepting these thoughts for what they are that they're just thoughts and of course they may not be true or useful in any way they're just thoughts in the usual way let's bring our attention to the breath for a moment by taking a nice long slow deep breath in and then holding it for a moment and when you decide to exhale releasing any concerns from the space you're in right now with the next nice long slow deep breath in again holding for a moment and when you decide to release the breath releasing any stress or anxiety of the mind with the exhale and finally one more nice long slow deep breath in holding again for a moment at the top and when it's comfortable for you when you decide to exhale release that final tension in the body and of course during this meditation the mind can and will wonder and that's absolutely okay just acknowledge the thoughts and let them go so let's move into some zen breath meditation where the simplicity of one breath we count one with the exhale we count two again with the simplicity of one breath we count three on the exhale we count four inhale five exhale six and let's do this all the way to ten once you get to ten we just start it again once more and we're going to do this for the next sixty seconds now don't worry I'm going to keep an eye on the time I'd like you to meet the breath with just some curiosity when we try to force ourselves to sleep there is an equal and opposite force that's created to not sleep it will just create more tension just giving it space to be and allowing that space to be a little bit more relaxed if in the middle of these moments we happen to fall asleep then well that's just wonderful we're going to now go back to counting the breaths again from one to ten when we reach ten we start again if the mind wanders during this time we start again at one and don't worry this happens all the time just acknowledge it and start again now I'm going to keep an eye on the time again,

This is going to be for about two minutes so let's just take a few breaths together as a way to lower the heart rate and allow the body to relax more deeply so we'll just start by breathing in slowly through the nose and then exhaling slowly out through the mouth counting one on the inhale counting two on the exhale all the way to ten and I'm going to jump back in again in about two minutes and breathing in again through the nose breathing out again through the mouth and letting the whole body relax on the exhale releasing all the air in your lungs and with each exhale removing any stress or tension from your space,

Your time your mind and body and now just take a few more breaths in like that at your own pace each time you notice the mind wandering off into thoughts just bring your attention and awareness meeting the thoughts with complete ease just acknowledging them and letting them go each time just return to that gentle breath so we'll do a quick body scan bringing our awareness from the head all the way down to the toes and just remember even though we might really want to fall asleep this could have a counter effect at this moment and potentially create more tension in the body all you have to do is acknowledge that we're awake right now as you continue to breathe inviting the mind and body to relax a little to breathe to just be in this moment so I'd like you to just really make sure that you're in a comfortable sleeping position so that you can drift off to sleep during our meditation or maybe even perhaps after the whole meditation ends as you know this is a 9 hour meditation so that's probably not a good thing as you really get cozy if your eyes are closed let's take a nice long slow deep breath in together right now breathe in through the nose and slowly out through the mouth and just letting the body relax and letting go of your day with each and every exhale as we've mentioned before you know your work has been done for today so let's see if you can truly give yourself the permission to trust that the day is done allowing everything to unfold the way it needs to and just remember that each and every tomorrow will bring with it a very new day you are here right now in the usual way there's no place else that you need to be there are no other problems you need to solve right now just give yourself permission to allow yourself into a sleeping moment of time I want you to feel that flow of the breath the breath the inhalation and the exhalation how the body is being gently rocked up and down through each and every breath with each exhale allow the body to release any tension that's in the body with each inhale the body will relax into a sense of ease and calmness of mind and body it's always important to realize that you're not needed right now connecting to the safety of this moment in time in your sleep space your room the stillness and the quiet of the night or day give your mind and body permission to relax and again with each exhale just releasing any stress or tension in the body allow the worries and stresses of today to just drift away this evening we're going to practice some full deep body breath work with each and every exhale I want you to feel the body letting go feel the breath as it moves through areas of your body that may be holding any tension from today as we breathe we give each part of our body some love and some kindness just realizing that right now we are safe so there is nowhere else you need to be just allow the body to breathe allowing your nervous system to reset itself with each exhale just getting deeper and deeper into this moment of time feel the nature of the body the head,

The face the shoulders and the chest the hands and arms the belly,

The lower body just continue to take deep breaths full body breaths as always the mind may wander it may go on to thoughts and all I want you to do is just bring yourself back to the breath allowing them to be but just not attaching yourself to any of our thoughts almost like clouds in the sky they're just thoughts they're just feelings allow your body to wholly relax right now if you do find yourself caught up in these thoughts just bring the attention again back to the breath on each exhale going deeper into a state of relaxation into a state of mind,

Body ease into a state of just letting go right now be aware of your body and your breath be aware of the body and any tension be aware of those areas that are slightly frustrated or agitated or just feel tense areas that you haven't fully let go yet just give yourself permission to do this right now as you continue to breathe we're going to continue to practice breathing into these areas of tension just feel the breath move just feel the breath move through the body say to yourself I allow my body to relax I allow my body to let go as the tension just gets softer and softer and your willingness improves to just be in this moment and just breathe kindness and goodness into your body not forcing this in any way no judgment attached to the thoughts or the body just continue to breathe and be aware of when you take care of yourself when you make yourself feel good when you allow yourself kindness and compassion how the body begins to relax life will always have its struggles there will always be things to do there will always be worries of the day but right now where we are this is where you allow your body to recharge to build up the energy and resources for the rest of your day tomorrow and the day after these resources are really important they're part of who you are so it's okay to let go of your day and just remind yourself that you're doing great,

You're doing amazing tomorrow is tomorrow it will bring another day and there will always be a tomorrow continue to breathe into those areas where tension is still lingering I know you can feel that tension I know you can feel that stress just breathe into it,

Acknowledge it don't attach yourself to it and let it go as the body sinks deeper and deeper as the mind recharges as it settles as it gets into a moment of just being be aware of your sleep space right now as you begin to drift deeper and deeper into sleep into the dream world allowing a sense of total letting go again the mind will wander the thoughts will come the feelings are there you are human,

You're not a robot just bring yourself back to the breath and remember you can always just rest into stillness and silence right now letting each breath relax you more and more deeper and deeper and just continue to breathe for the next few moments so as we move into a sleep mantra take three deep breaths through your nose allowing your body to relax with each exhale of the breath feel your body relax here and just surrender your body and just observe the moment what's happening in your mind what type of thoughts your feelings and emotions are here right now let it all be as we begin the repetition of a chosen mantra now it doesn't need to be loud or loud but it needs to be audible if you find your mind is a little tense or somewhat agitated you may want to spend a little longer repeating your mantra out loud and just sometimes repeat it faster sometimes repeat it slower find a pace that's right for you you can choose any mantra you wish the one we're going to use right now is om if you find your mind is very busy just keep repeating om om om om and you can whisper om and now repeat it in your mind silently continue to breathe in a natural normal way whispering the mantra find a speed for the mantra that suits you right now if the mind remains tense repeat the mantra faster otherwise your thoughts will overpower the mantra and it may just become a mechanical approach to what you're doing right now as your mind calms down as your mind turns inside allow the speed of repetition to slow down if at any time you notice the mantra becomes automatic or your attention has wandered off to thinking just bring your attention gently back to the mantra as we move back into our box breathing practice during our sleep we're going to take some nice deep breaths slowly and at your own pace before we engage in the box breathing practice I just want you to do some inhales and exhales in a natural and normal way just continue to breathe for the next few moments box breathing is a powerful yet very simple relaxation technique and it's just about bringing the rhythm of the breath back to a normal level it helps to clear the mind from the day's work and helps to relax the body kind of getting you set up for a great night's sleep so how about we begin and just taking a full breath in for a moment all the way up and just releasing the breath relaxing into an exhale and just getting all that stale air from the day out of your system one more deep breath all the way in all the way up holding at the top and just releasing allowing the breath to just flow out of the body as we begin our box breathing in 4 3 2 1 inhale 4 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 2 3 2 1 inhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 deep breath in expanding the belly holding the chest and just holding the air at the top as you release let go of all of the tension you've been holding on today we just take another deep breath in holding for a moment and we're going to go back into our box breathing again breathing in for 4 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 inhale hold 3 2 1 inhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 4 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 inhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 deep breath in take it all in breathe as deeply as you can and just holding the breath at the top releasing the breath allowing the tension to melt away and just holding for a moment at the bottom deep breath in belly expanding chest expanding hold at the top and again in your time exhale releasing tension from the body ok we're going to do another box breathing in 3 2 1 inhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 inhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 hold 3 1 exhale 3 3 2 1 inhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 hold 3 3 3 1 exhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 exhale 3 2 1 hold 3 2 1 exhale 3 1 hold