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- Meditation
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- Sleep
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- Sleep Meditation 09
Session 9/10
Transcript
Welcome – to this beautiful setting, that called to you, and that welcomes you in. Take a moment to just be in this place, in this present moment. (pause) Breathing. (pause) And letting your thoughts, and your senses fully engage. Noticing – what you see here, in your mind’s eye, that delights you. (pause) What you can imagine hearing … what fragrance of flower or tree is carried to you on the air. (pause)
Here, at the end of your day. Perhaps – a day of bustling activity. Of people – of challenges – maybe some challenges that you welcomed. And maybe some that were not so welcome. But those are of no matter, now. Those are the things of the daytime, and waking time. And you are moving, now – into the evening. Into the time of rest. With everything slowing down … so you can let thoughts of the day go, let plans for tomorrow go – letting everything go. So you can settle into a place of peace, and stillness – that welcomes you into deep sleep, and dream.
Just bringing your attention to your body – and your breath. Just however your breath is, right now. So much easier – to begin to feel yourself relaxing, becoming easy – with only the body and the breath in your awareness.
Motivation
And noticing – how much more peaceful it is, when you let thoughts go, and let any tension in your body go. How peaceful it is to only think of body – and breath. And that is enough, just as it is, but you know – you are also becoming very good, at relaxing. At being at ease. At letting thought go, and breathing in a way that is so relaxing. So that as relaxed as you are right now, you will become even more relaxed as this meditation continues. And as relaxed as you are at the end – isn’t it good to know that, the next time you settle into stillness and peace – you’ll relax even more easily, and even more deeply. Because practicing relaxation is like lifting a weight. Just as your arm grows stronger with each repetition – so do you get stronger at relaxing, each time you let yourself relax.
Relaxation: counting breaths
And as relaxing as it is to breathe slowly and naturally – you might be pleasantly surprised at what counted, measured breaths can do to help you relax, even more deeply.
In a moment I’ll count you through 5 measured breaths – breathing in through your nose, if that’s comfortable for you, to the count of 4. Holding your breath for 3 counts. And breathing out through your mouth, to a count of 5. Because when your exhale – is longer than you inhale – somehow – that lets the body relax, fully and completely. Let’s try it.
Breathing through your nose, breathe in – 2 – 3 – 4.
And Hold – 2 – 3. Breathing out through your mouth – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5
Breathe in – 2 – 3 – 4. Hold – 2 – 3. Breathe out – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5
Breathe in – 2 – 3 – 4. Hold – 2 – 3. Breathe out – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5
Breathe in – 2 – 3 – 4. Hold – 2 – 3. Breathe out – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5
Breathe in – 2 – 3 – 4. Hold – 2 – 3. Breathe out – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5
And now letting your breath be just however it is – but noticing, that how you breathe may have changed. Because your body, and your sense of how you can best relax – likes measured breath. As you breathe now, notice your breath as you inhale. Feeling the breath enter your nostrils – and through your nasal passages – and down your throat. And the temperature of the breath. The breath going down, and down –
As you exhale – noticing that your breath moves upward, and then out your mouth – the temperature of your breath warmed by your body. And noticing that your breath moves like waves, rising and falling – in …. And out… the cycle of breath. And noticing how relaxed you are – breathing is so relaxing for the body and your mind …
Anchor phrase: “sinking so easily into deep sleep and rest”
And letting your attention to your breath be – less focused now. Because you are so relaxed. And just breathing naturally, and letting your thoughts – drift – will let you gently sink even more deeply into relaxation. As you prepare for sleep. Knowing you can enter into sleep and rest – whenever you are ready – if you have already fallen into sleep, or find yourself moving slowly into sleep, at your own pace. And you can decide, now, to fall into deep sleep whenever it feels right to you – or you can decide to fall asleep, at the end of this meditation, when you hear me say the words “sinking so easily into deep sleep and rest.” When you hear those words, if you choose, you can become even more relaxed, and fall into a deep, rejuvenating sleep.
Body of meditation: relearning how to sleep
Because, it’s true – that you know how to sleep, deeply and restfully. Can you remember a time in your life – when sleep came easily to you? (pause) when you fell asleep gently and easily, and slept through the night? (pause) Maybe when you were younger – or when you were a child – but there was a time that sleep was easy. And it will be again. You know how to sleep. It’s just a matter of remembering that – remembering to recall what you thought you had forgotten. And being willing to let go of what stands in the way. Letting go – as though you held your fist tight, but then – relaxed it, and opened your hand, and let the sand you’d been holding slide through your fingers. Or getting past what has been holding you back – like a door that is locked, but suddenly – you look down and realize you’ve been holding the key all along.
And right now – you can ask your subconscious to help you understand – what it is that will open the way to sleep, for you. What you can do, or stop doing – that will let you sleep again, just as you did in the past. That’s right. If you like, you can repeat this in your mind as you hear me say it – like an echo in your mind – “I am ready to fall asleep easily, and sleep deeply every night. And I will willingly do what I need to, to invite deep sleep.” We can say that again – to make sure your subconscious hears what you are asking. Letting these words echo in your mind as you hear me say them: “I am ready to fall asleep easily, and sleep deeply every night. And I will willingly do what I need to, to invite deep sleep.”
And just for a moment – let yourself know what that would mean to you. To fall asleep easily, every night. To sleep deeply, for so long as you want, every night. What would be different for you, if that were your reality? (pause) What would it mean to you? (pause) Your subconscious is fueled by your longing for this change. So let yourself feel, right now, how much you want to fall asleep easily, and sleep deeply, every night. Let yourself fully want that to be your reality. (pause)
And you know – you might wonder what you need to do, now, to make that so. But really, you don’t need to do anything at all. Because you have told your subconscious that you are willing. And your subconscious easily makes changes in your life so that what you’ve asked for, is now your reality. That’s right. In asking to fall asleep easily, and sleep deeply every night – and in letting yourself feel how much you want that – you have engaged your subconscious, and what you’ve asked for is already true for you. You don’t even need to know what changes your subconscious is making. It will all just unfold. It is just that easy
Affirmation: downloading stress as you sleep and dream
It is so powerful, that you are giving yourself this time to relax – because you’ll find that you relax more and more easily, more and more deeply every time. And asking for sleep, and rest – because you’ll find – that you fall asleep more and more easily, sleeping more and more deeply, every night. You are already very good at sleeping. And you are becoming even better at sleeping – now that you’ve asked your subconscious to make it so, for you. Never forget to remember – you are a wonderful sleeper.
Anchor phrase to end: Drifting down into sleep and dream
Drifting easily into that state of floating, some where between waking – and sleeping – somewhere between sleeping – and dreaming. Sleeping through the night, and waking at whatever time you choose as being right for you. Welcoming the day – rested and rejuvenated. Moving now – into deep, healing sleep that brings you ease and comfort, as you rest – in a timeless space of warm comfort. Deep, healing sleep that calls you in, and down. Almost as though it calls you down, into your restful, sleeping self. And letting yourself drift even deeper, toward your sleeping self. Sinking so easily – into deep sleep. And rest.
”Practicing relaxation is like lifting a weight. Just as your arm grows stronger with each repetition – so do you get stronger at relaxing, each time you let yourself relax.