As we begin this sleep meditation,

just taking a few moments here to get

really comfortable and cozy in your bed.

And then making any final adjustments.

And beginning to settle

the body into stillness.

Just letting the whole body

begin to relax into the bed.

And if you haven't already done so,

just inviting your eyes to close.

And just feeling into the

comfort of your sleep space.

Feeling the bed beneath you.

The warmth of the covers.

The pillow supporting your head.

And how it feels to just

let the body relax here.

And let's start to settle in here

a little more fully by taking

three deep, slow, full breaths.

So breathing in slowly.

And breathing out fully.

And doing two more

breaths in the same way.

And with each exhale, letting

the body relax even more.

Allowing the shoulders to drop

back and relax against the bed.

And letting the belly soften.

The jaw to let go of tension.

And any other part of the body

that's able to relax and let go.

Just letting that go now.

And feeling your belly gently rising

and falling in its own natural rhythm.

So there's no need now to

control the breath in any way.

Just let the body breathe

in its own rhythm.

And gently gathering your focus

around the movement and sensation

of the breath in the belly.

Arising and the falling.

And resting your awareness here, like a

raft might rest in a gently moving sea.

And if you find it a little bit

tricky to feel the breath, you

might like to place a hand or both

hands on the belly and feel the hand

rising and falling with each breath.

And as you continue to feel the

breath, knowing that the mind can

let go, just like the body let go.

So letting go of the day.

Any concerns, plans, problems.

Letting all of that fade into

the background as we transition

from the day and into sleep.

And allowing the lulling waves

of breath to sooth and settle

your awareness into this moment.

Feeling the soft flow of your breathing.

And just reminding yourself

now that the day's done.

It played out however it played out.

And tomorrow will be a fresh start.

But right now, you don't have

to worry about any of it.

Right now is a pause in between

the two where you can just let

go of all the doing and simply

allow yourself to rest in being.

Letting go of today.

Letting go of tomorrow.

Relaxing into now.

And feeling the breath.

Just this breath, just this moment.

And you may notice thoughts

arising, thoughts passing through.

No problem.

Just let them come and go like clouds

passing through the sky of your awareness.

So there's no need to try to

control or push away anything.

We're not trying to fix anything

or change anything at all.

And just allowing the flow of

experience to be just as it is.

Letting thoughts come and go

and just continuing to rest in

the feeling of your breathing.

Same thing with emotions.

If there's any emotions present,

just gently making room for

them in your experience.

Just let them be.

Just aiming to hold it all with

a kindly and accepting awareness.

Gently resting awareness on the

breath as the body breathes in.

As the body breathes out.

And you're doing great.

Just having a sense of letting

your attention take up residence

inside the feeling of the breath.

Just following each

breath as best you can.

But also just knowing that at any time,

you're welcome to drift off into sleep.

You can just let go following any

instruction and just go off into your

own space, your own space of deep rest.

For many of us, it can be hard to

pause from all the urges to do,

to fix and change things around.

Or you might find your mind racing

forward to do your to-do list,

planning a conversation with

someone or thinking about goals.

We often do so much striving towards

getting or becoming something more.

And we so rarely just let ourselves be.

But right now, right here, you can.

You can just let yourself be.

It's safe to let go.

You're tucked in.

The day is done.

You're safe here.

And you can let it all go and rest.

Allowing the rhythm of the breath

to support you and soothe you.

Just feeling the flow.

And letting go.

Letting that sense of relaxation deepen.

The body to soften.

The mind to relax.

You're in a place that's safe and

warm, so you can feel at ease.

It's totally okay to let go

and drift off into sleep.

Allowing yourself to feel at ease.

And letting that sense of ease

be felt throughout your body.

Breathing it in with each inhale.

And letting yourself relax even

more deeply with each exhale.

With every exhale, letting

go a little bit more.

With every breath, feeling more at ease.

It's okay now to let go and

switch off for the night.

It's okay to let go.

And let yourself drift off into sleep.

And just letting your own mind

rest in this place where you'reat

ease, where everything's okay.

And if you'd like to spend some

more time just resting in silence

after this ends, you can continue

to dwell in this place of ease.

Letting each breath relax you, soothe

you, and take you deeper into letting go.

I wish you deep rest and pleasant dreams.

Thank you for your practice and take care.