Sleep well tonight under the stars by a mountain stream,
Meditation.
Make yourself comfortable in your favorite position for falling asleep and close your eyes.
Take a slow,
Full,
Deep breath and let it go.
It's time to set the world aside.
Let go of your day and begin your gentle transition into sleep.
And take another slow,
Full,
Deep breath and breathe out any tension.
All there is to do now is relax,
Rest,
And be restored.
Imagine you're walking along a path by a mountain stream on a crisp fall afternoon.
And as you walk along,
You can feel the ground beneath your feet and hear the gentle sound of the water changing its song as you go further upstream.
Where the water is shallow and rushes over rocks,
It's bright and bubbly.
And where the stream is wider and the water deeper,
It becomes tranquil and calm.
You can smell the scent of pine and the sweet fragrance of the plants by the water's edge.
Looking into the stream,
You can see a few small trout waiting for food in the current or darting here and there.
In a shallow pool,
A pretty stone catches your eye,
Reflecting the late afternoon sun through the water.
And you reach into the water to pick it up.
Examining it more closely,
You see finely webbed patterns etched into its flat oval surface.
And you consider whether it might be a fossil of some kind.
Evidence of life lived here ages ago.
You put the stone in your pocket and walk on.
Soon your path widens out onto a meadow by the stream and you find your campsite waiting for you.
It's a place you visited many times before to find peace and quiet.
And you always feel totally safe,
Comfortable,
And at home here.
There's a log fire surrounded by stones waiting for you,
Burning softly.
And nearby is a soft bed of pine needles,
The perfect place to unroll your sleeping bag.
It's starting to get late and the sun has gone down.
And the first stars have already begun to come out.
And you're quite tired from your long hike today.
So you sit down on your bed and take in the deep feeling of peace that's here for you.
Perhaps you take that stone out of your pocket and look at it again in the firelight,
Admiring the patterns on its surface as you get a bit more drowsy.
It's getting hard to keep your eyes open.
So you climb into your sleeping bag and settle into your comfy bed.
The stars have all come out now and you can see the Milky Way painting the dark night sky.
More stars than you could ever count.
And just as you're closing your eyes,
A bright shooting star crosses the sky above you,
Signaling the perfect end to your day.
It's time to go to sleep now.
So feel your body begin to relax,
Starting with your feet.
Allow all the tension to leave them.
They've worked hard for you today and deserve a rest.
And so the relaxation in your feet finds its way into your ankles,
Your calves,
And your knees.
And now relax your upper legs,
Your hips,
And your buttocks.
And feel this relaxation flowing up into your abdomen and lower back and your upper back and chest.
And feel this peaceful,
Relaxing feeling flowing down your arms into your hands and out your fingertips and then back up into your neck,
Head,
And face.
Now your whole body is perfectly calm,
Relaxed,
And ready for sleep.
And just to make sure there's nothing left between you and a gentle,
Full night's rest,
Imagine that the very top of your head opens and out float any thoughts that might still be trapped inside to find their way into the beautiful starry night sky where they drift out of sight.
Now you're all clear.
Don't forget to close the top of your head.
Soon you'll be sound asleep off on a peaceful journey into dreamland that will carry you all the way through the night.
So you begin to follow your breath and inwardly repeat the words.
Soft.
Sleep.
Deep.
Peace.
Soft.
Sleep.
Deep.
Peace.
Soft.
Sleep.
Deep.
Peace.
Soft.
Sleep.
Deep.
Peace.
Have a wonderful,
Restful sleep.
Deep.
And peaceful.
No mistake.
Peace.
