Sleep Meditation 05

Transcript

Finding yourself now – here, at the end of the day. All things winding down, and slowing down – as your mind and body begin to turn toward sleep, and rest. You may feel your internal clock changing as it slows down – and begins to release the day. So you can move, easily and naturally, into restful, rejuvenating sleep.

That internal clock – inviting you to just bring your attention to your breath, and let everything else – go. Just your breath. Breathing in. And out. It’s that simple. And as you let your attention center on your breath – gently releasing any other thoughts or concerns that try to make themselves known – you’ll notice how naturally tension simply flows out of your body. Each breath more and more relaxing as you breathe, breathing in relaxation. And breathing out tension. Try it – breathe relaxation in.  Breathe tension out.

Motivation

Enjoying the feeling as you focus on your breathing, and continue to relax.  And maybe this is the first time today that you’ve had a chance – to notice how good it feels to relax. Relaxing – releasing anxiety – nurtures your well-being in so many ways. Did you know – when you sleep, and dream, you release all the tension from the day? That’s right. As you sleep – as you are still, and dreaming – your natural ability to sleep well means – your subconscious is sifting through the concerns of the day – and releasing those concerns, one by one. One after another. Anything that troubled you… anything that made you anxious, or unhappy in any way – just being released. So that you can enter your day, tomorrow, completely refreshed and at ease.

That’s one of the reasons it’s so good for you to take this time for yourself. To settle into bed – taking the time to get comfortable, to get the covers and the pillows just right – and lay the groundwork for deep sleep and dream. Because that lays the groundwork for a great day, tomorrow.

And it gives you time, to reconnect with body, and breath. Our days hold so much to distract – but in this place, in this time – you have all the time you need. There’s no where else you need to be. Nothing else you need to be doing. You can simply – settle in, in your own way – at your own pace, and in your own time.

Relaxation: counting down

Letting this day, and the day to come – go. They have no place here. It’s fine to just let tomorrow take care of itself, as you sleep. For now – you can just enter into the ways of sleep and dream. Preparing for the night by just focusing on breath, and body. And you know – the ways of sleep and dream, and relaxation, have their own oddities. That’s right. Sometimes what doesn’t seem to make sense, turns out to make perfect sense. For example – the way being tense can help you relax. It’s true – if you’d like to follow my voice, and try it –

Just start with your toes. Curl up the toes on both feet – tight, and hold them, curled up with the muscles tight. Just holding them and then – release them. And relax. Release the tension completely, and relax. Do you notice – how odd it is, that they are now more relaxed than they were? And trying it with your legs now – tightening your legs, tightening all those strong muscles in calves and thighs – and holding that tenseness, that tightness – …. And then, releasing the tension. And relaxing. Release. And relax, completely. Feeling the sensation as all the muscles grow loose, and limp.

Now your belly, and hips – scrunching the muscles up, tight. And holding them tight, holding them tensed – just a moment more – and then – release. And relax. Letting whatever you released just flow away on your breath, on your exhale. Now your chest and arms. Let them tighten, and hold them tightened. Holding them – a moment more – and then – release. Let the tension go. Feeling your arms, heavy and limp. And just notice your body, and your mind – clearing, and relaxing.

And lastly, your shoulder, your neck, your face – scrunch your shoulders up around your ears, and purse your lips, tighten your eyes – all tight and scrunched up, and hold that – just a moment longer – and then, release. And relax. Your shoulders down, your neck at ease, your face beautifully relaxed and still. Letting the warmth of relaxation, surround you. Feeling so easy, and relaxed that you wouldn’t want to move a single muscle. It’s pleasant, isn’t it – to follow my voice. And just let your body and breath be just as they are.

Anchor phrase: “deeply asleep. Deeply dreaming. Sleep.”

Just allowing yourself to do – anything you want, and nothing at all. Drifting into sleep, if you want – or enjoying that place between wake, and rest, and choosing, perhaps, to fall into a deep sleep, at the end of this meditation. At the end of this meditation, you’ll hear me say the words “Deeply asleep. Deeply dreaming. Sleep.” And when you hear those words, you may find that however relaxed you are – you become even more relaxed, and slip into deep sleep, and dream.

Body of meditation: Entering the dreaming self

Entering into that cycle of sleep – rest  – remembering how good you are at that. And wise – to sink into sleep and dream. In dreams – our subconscious works through any and all issues, and just easily reconciles them. Entering into the dreaming body. As though you were, just a moment ago, moving through this beautiful, natural setting that you chose – finding things that call to you, or affirm you – and you may remember, or not – that you saw ahead, someone laying on the ground – under a tree, or the shade of a rock, or by the water – just laying at ease on the ground. Asleep, and dreaming. And you walked closer, curious – and as you drew closer you saw that the person – was you. You were looking at yourself, there asleep, and dreaming. And you easily entered into yourself, your sleeping body, your dreaming mind, entering into that dream.

And in that dream you were walking in the beautiful surroundings you had chosen – exploring. At rest, and at ease, and taking in all the sounds… the sights, the colors and the nature of the light …. Feeling the air on your skin … and noticing how safe you felt here. How at home. As though you had come to exactly the right place, just right for you, even beyond what you might have imagined for yourself. And in the dream, you saw someone up ahead – just laying peacefully, restfully on the ground. And as you drew closer, you saw the person there, on the ground, was you – yourself – laying there, asleep. And dreaming. If you remember – you looked so restful, laying there, and it was so easy to just bend toward yourself, and slip into that body, and find yourself there, completely relaxed. Entering that body, entering the dream.

A dream that found you exploring this landscape you chose – what does this place hold for you? You might have wondered, when you chose it – A kinship with nature, with water or stone or leaf – finding yourself at home here, and at ease. Just wandering through this setting that called to you – and noticing that up ahead, someone seems to be laying, at rest, on the ground. And as you draw closer you see that the person is – yourself. Laying there. Deeply asleep. Deeply dreaming. And you easily slip into the dream –

Affirmation: downloading stress as you sleep and dream

Dreaming. And as you dream within the dream, cataloguing your day, gently shedding all the concerns, all the little stumbles of the day – really, they are meaningless, here in this place of deep rest and calm. Dreaming. And letting your dreams be just as they are, so you can wake, when you choose to – refreshed. Renewed. Surrendering to this process of sleep and dream, that holds so much for you.

Anchor phrase to end: Drifting down into sleep and dream

Entering into that wonderful rhythm – of vibrant day giving way to restful sleep, that prepares you for the day to come. Deep sleep, that calls you in, and down. And answering that call, as though coming home to yourself – your rested, renewed self.  Letting yourself drift even deeper, toward that place of rest and comfort. Deeply asleep. Deeply dreaming. Sleep.

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