My name is Ramona and I'm here to help you sleep,
So let's begin.
Go ahead and settle in,
Just letting your body be exactly as it is.
Nothing that you have to do,
Nowhere that you have to be,
And no one that you have to be,
And you may notice your mind is still moving,
Touching different thoughts,
Different concerns,
Things you care about,
People you love,
Things that feel uncertain,
And of course it is,
Because that's what a caring mind does.
It tries to prepare,
It tries to protect,
It reaches forward,
Trying to figure things out.
So instead of trying to stop it,
These thoughts,
Just acknowledge them.
Yes,
This is my mind trying to take care of things.
And isn't there something very human in that?
Very loving in that?
But there's another part of you that doesn't need to solve anything right now.
A quiet place beneath the thinking,
And we're not really trying to get rid of the thoughts,
We're just letting them rest.
Because you don't have to carry everything tonight,
And even the people you love the most are moving through their own path,
Their own timing,
Their own stuff,
And your love doesn't require you to hold their entire future together.
There's a difference between loving and carrying,
And tonight you can love without carrying.
And so just feel that for a moment,
What it would be like to care deeply and still let your body rest.
Because you're not responsible for holding the whole story together.
Life is moving,
Unfolding,
In ways far beyond what the mind can organize.
And so you can just let go,
Not of what matters,
But of the effort of trying to manage and control it all,
And just notice the surface beneath you,
The way it's supporting you without effort,
Without you having to do anything.
You don't have to hold yourself up,
You don't have to carry your body,
You're just being held.
By the bed,
Whatever is beneath you,
So your body can stop doing that job.
You don't have to hold everything together,
And you don't even have to hold yourself together in this moment.
So go ahead and just let your weight drop a little more,
And feel what it's like to be supported.
Nothing's required of you right now,
Just being here is enough.
So let your jaw relax,
Your breath move naturally,
Without guidance or control,
Just letting it be just as it is.
And notice how your body already knows what to do without being told.
Your heart is beating,
Your breath flowing,
Your body is regulating itself without your effort.
And that same intelligence also knows how to sleep.
You don't have to make sleep happen,
It's a natural ability.
Sleep will come to you.
You only have to stop interfering,
And that interference is only the mind trying to help.
But you can thank it.
Thank you,
Thank you for trying to help,
But you've done enough for today.
And then let those thoughts recede,
Like a wave returning to the ocean.
Because there's nothing you have to solve right now.
The future,
It's not happening in this moment.
Right now,
You are here,
Breathing,
Being held,
Hearing my voice here with you.
And that is enough.
And if a thought comes in,
You can acknowledge it and say,
Thank you for wanting to help,
But not now.
There's a time for thinking,
And there's a time for resting.
And this,
This is a time for resting.
Don't worry about sleep.
Sleep will come to you naturally and easily on its own.
It's how our bodies were designed.
For now,
Just focus on resting.
And so let your awareness drift down now,
Out of the mind,
And into the body,
Into your chest,
Your hips,
And down to your feet.
As if gravity itself is helping you let go.
Because you are allowed to rest.
And right now,
Your only job is to lie here and let your body rest.
Nothing is being solved by staying awake.
Nothing is being protected or controlled by thinking harder.
Your body needs this time.
You're allowed to rest and let go.
Not because you don't care,
But because you do.
And you'll show up much better,
Clearer,
Stronger,
After you've rested.
So let your shoulders relax just a little more.
Your breath slowing down on its own.
And if your mind starts again,
That's okay,
Because you can always come back here as many times as you need.
You can sleep now,
Because everything that needs you will meet you again when you wake up.
And so for now,
You rest,
And sleep will come naturally,
Easily.
You don't have to do anything for it to come upon you.