Welcome to this extended nine-hour sleep meditation.
The verbal guidance will end after a few minutes,
And the sound of the river will go on for nine hours,
A little bit louder than it is right now.
So lie down in a comfortable position,
And take a moment to adjust your body until it feels really comfortable.
Take a deep breath in,
And blow it out all the way with your mouth,
Allowing all the air to leave your lungs.
And now take another deep breath in,
And this time,
You can sigh it out as you let it out all the way.
You're signaling to your body and mind that it's time to let go.
It's time to sleep now.
And if you have thoughts,
It's okay.
You can allow them and notice them,
But you don't have to get entangled in them.
They're just thoughts,
And you can let them pass through.
And if there's pain or tension in your body,
See if you can breathe energy and even love into that spot.
Maybe it'll start to feel better,
And maybe it won't.
Just like your thoughts and feelings,
Sensations in the body come and go.
This is the nature of life.
Now that you're beginning to relax,
Allow your mind to linger on the sound of the water.
Do you hear the different tones and notes?
Can you see the gurgling stream in your mind's eye?
If a thought comes,
In your mind,
You can write it down on a piece of paper,
And then you can place that paper onto the river surface and let it float away in the current.
And now you can keep listening to the sound of the river,
And as you do,
Remember that you are right where you need to be,
Right here,
Right now.
