Your Bedtime Story And Relaxation: Beyond Separation

Namaste and welcome back.

In a serene coastal village,

There lived a wise fisherman named Raj.

Raj was known throughout the village for his deep understanding of life and the mysteries of the sea.

People often sought his counsel when they faced difficult questions or needed guidance.

One day,

A young boy named Anand approached Raj with a perplexing question.

He asked,

Raj,

Can you tell me what lies at the heart of the vast ocean?

Raj smiled at the boy's innocence and replied,

Anand,

The ocean holds many secrets and to understand its essence,

One must look beyond its surface.

To truly know the ocean,

You must first understand the nature of the waves.

Raj then took Anand to the shore and pointed to the sea.

Do you see those waves,

Anand?

He asked.

Anand nodded and Raj continued,

The waves are like individuals in the world.

They rise and fall separate from one another and each has its unique form and journey,

Just as we perceive ourselves as separate beings in the vast sea of existence.

Anand listened intently as Raj went on.

But Anand,

Here is a profound truth.

Beneath the ever-changing waves,

There lies an infinite,

Boundless ocean.

This ocean is the source and essence of all the waves and it is untouched by the differences and separateness of the waves.

Anand's eyes widened with understanding as he grasped the metaphor.

He exclaimed,

So the ocean is like the ultimate reality and the waves are like individuals who don't realize their connection to it.

Raj nodded and said,

Precisely,

Anand.

The ocean represents Brahman,

The vast,

The ultimate reality in Vedanta philosophy.

Sometimes referenced as cosmic consciousness.

It is the unchanging,

All-pervading and limitless source from which all things exist.

Just as the waves are not different from the ocean,

Our individual selves are in reality are the same as cosmic consciousness.

Anand was deeply moved by this wisdom and felt a newfound sense of interconnectedness with the world around him.

Raj concluded,

Remember Anand,

When you gauge at the ocean,

See beyond the name and form of the waves and recognize the boundless,

Unchanging ocean that underlies it all.

In the same way,

When you contemplate life,

See beyond the apparent differences and recognize the oneness that unites us all.

Anand left the shore that day with a profound understanding of the metaphorical relationship between the ocean and the waves.

He realized that,

Like the waves,

Each individual in the world was inherently connected to the same underlying reality,

Brahman.

From that day forward,

Anand shot to see beyond the surface of things,

Recognizing the unity that underlies all diversity,

Just as he had learned from Raj,

The wise fisherman.

With this,

Let's prepare to sleep.

Now before we get started,

Just take a moment or two to get comfortable lying in your bed.

Make sure you are under the covers if you do fall asleep during this practice and even if you don't usually go to sleep on your back.

I would like you to begin the practice by lying flat,

Maybe your knees slightly bent.

You can keep a small pillow under the back of your knees if you like.

Just lie flat on the bed in supine position.

Now gently close your eyes and start taking a few nice big deep breaths,

Breathing in and out through the nostrils only.

As you inhale,

Feel that whole body is getting healed and with exhalation,

Feel that all the cares,

Tensions and worries from the day are flowing out.

Let go of the deep breaths now.

Releasing any tension from your entire body.

It is not necessary to deliberately release tension in each part of the body.

Just develop the feeling of total relaxation.

Just enjoy that feeling of letting go.

Body is relaxed,

Sinking into the bed beneath you.

We are going to have a simple practice to wind down.

Just follow along with the voice and the instructions.

Try not to overanalyze or intellectualize the instructions.

Now gently shift your awareness to your surroundings.

Start to notice all the different sounds present here.

Without getting struck with any one particular sound,

Try to keep your awareness moving from sound to sound.

Observe one sound,

Notice it and then move to the next sound.

Observe this sound and then move to other sound.

Like this,

Keep your awareness moving from sound to sound.

Keep the awareness moving from sound to sound and try to find the most distant sound which you can hear.

Let go the sound awareness and feel your body from within.

Now,

We begin body scan.

I will name a body part.

You just become aware of that body part.

Feel it and then just move to the next body part which is named.

Become aware of the right hand,

Right hand thumb,

Fingers of right hand,

Whole right hand,

Whole right arm,

Right shoulder,

Right side of the chest,

Waist,

Hip,

Whole right leg,

Right foot,

The toes,

Now left hand,

Left hand thumb,

Fingers of the left hand,

Whole left hand,

Whole left arm,

Left shoulder,

Left side of the chest,

Waist,

Hip,

Whole left leg,

The left foot,

The toes.

Feel the both legs together,

The buttocks,

Stomach,

Chest,

Back,

Shoulder blades,

Arms,

The neck,

The head,

Forehead,

Eyes,

Nose,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Mouth,

Lips,

Chin,

The whole face,

The whole head,

The whole neck,

The whole back,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Again we will go through the whole body,

This time a little more slower and in detail,

Starting with the right hand thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger,

Fingers and thumb together,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper part of the right arm,

Right shoulder,

Right armpit,

Right side of the torso,

Right side waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Kneecap,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

Fifth,

The whole right side of the body,

From toes to the fingers,

Fingers to the toes,

The whole right side of the body.

Now go to the left hand,

Become aware of the left hand thumb,

First finger of left hand,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger,

Fingers and thumb together,

Palm of the hand,

Back side of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper part of the arm,

Left shoulder,

Left armpit,

Left side of the torso,

Left side waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Kneecap,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Left foot heel,

Sole of the foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth,

Whole left foot,

The whole left side of the body,

From toes to the fingers,

Fingers to the toes,

The whole left side of the body.

Now to the back,

Become aware of the lower back,

The right buttock,

And the left buttock,

Middle back,

Upper back,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

The whole back side together.

Now go to the top of the head,

The crown of the head,

Forehead,

Both sides of the head,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The space between two eyebrows,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right side cheek,

Left side cheek,

Bridge of the nostrils,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Upper lip,

Upper jaw,

Tongue,

Lower jaw,

Lower lip,

Chin,

Throat,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Chest,

Right part of the chest,

Middle part of the chest,

Left part of the chest,

Upper part of the belly,

Middle part of the belly,

The navel area,

Lower part of the belly,

The whole of the right leg,

The whole of the left leg,

Both legs together,

The whole of the right arm,

The whole of the left arm,

Both arms together,

The whole of the back,

Buttocks,

Spine,

Shoulder blades,

The whole of the front,

Abdomen,

Chest,

The whole of the back and front together,

The whole of the head,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Become aware of your breath now.

Just feel the flow of your breath,

In and out through the body.

The breathing is natural,

Automatic.

We are not trying to change the rhythm of the breath.

We are not doing it.

Just witnessing the breath.

Maintain the awareness of breath.

Dual awareness of breath.

Now,

Keeping the awareness on the breath,

Start mentally counting down your breath from 54.

As the breath comes in,

Count 54.

As it flows out,

54.

Breathe in 53.

Breathe out 53.

Like this,

Continue.

Not trying to fall asleep,

Just counting down the breath and knowing that it really doesn't matter too much when the sleep comes.

As you lie there in this way,

Both the body and the mind are getting all the rest that they need.

If you lose track of the countdown,

Come back to 54 and start over.