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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
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In this meditation, we'll practice a breathing exercise that will help lower the heart rate and settle the mind in preparation for sleep.
Welcome.
As you prepare for this sleep
meditation, just make sure you're
in a comfortable sleeping posture
so you can drift off during the
meditation or shortly after it ends.
As you settle in, if you
haven't already done so, you
can invite your eyes to close.
And let's start by taking
a deep breath together.
In through the nose.
Slowly out through the mouth.
Inviting the jaw to relax.
The shoulders.
The belly.
And any the other part of the
body that is able to let go as we
transition from the day and into sleep.
See if you can feel the
coziness of your sleep space.
Maybe the bed beneath you.
Or the warmth or coolness
of your covers and pillow.
Reminding yourself that the day is done.
It unfolded, however it unfolded.
Tomorrow is another opportunity.
But right now you don't need
to worry about any of it.
You can notice the thoughts moving
through your mind or the momentum
of the day still on your body.
Just relax around all of it.
We can't force the mind to turn off.
We can't force the body to be at ease.
But we can create the conditions
to let go and to relax.
And we can remind ourselves
that right now, we're here.
The day is over.
Tomorrow has yet to begin.
And can you give yourself the
permission to just be here.
Noticing any sounds moving
through your awareness.
Letting them be the melody that
connects you to the present moment.
To help calm our nervous system
and lower our heart rate, we're
going to do a breathing pattern
called four-seven-eight breathing.
This will involve breathing in for
four seconds, holding the breath
for seven and exhaling for eight.
I'll walk you through the first few.
So let's breathe in for
four, three, two one.
Hold for seven six, five,
four, three, two one.
Exhale for eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
Good job.
If you have trouble exhaling for eight
seconds, you can imagine that you're
breathing onto a cold window like this.
And then do that breath
with the mouth closed.
It might sound like this.
This will help you elongate the exhale
and relax the body a little more deeply.
So let's try this again.
Breathing in for four, three, two, one.
Holding for seven, six,
five four, three, two, one.
Exhaling for eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
And as that exhale fully releases,
feel your body settling in more deeply.
Relaxing more into the evening.
Letting go of the day.
Transitioning into sleep.
We'll try again.
Breathing in for four, three, two, one.
Holding for seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
Exhaling for eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
I'll give you some time to practice
this breathing pattern at your own pace.
If it creates anxiety or feels
difficult, it's okay to let it go.
You can do normal, deep breathing
or breathe at your own pace.
But f it feels okay, we'll take a couple
of minutes to practice this pattern as
it can be very settling to the nervous
system and helps to lower the heart rate.
I'll give you some time to try this out.
I sometimes like to imagine that the sound
of my exhale is the sound of the ocean.
Maybe you can connect to that as well.
The rhythmic sound of the ocean water.
The stillness of a beach.
Letting each breath
drop you in more deeply.
Settling your mind.
Relaxing your body.
Nowhere else you need to be.
Nothing else you need to do.
Fully letting go.
Just surrendering into sleep.
If your mind wanders off or feels
agitated, see if you can notice it with as
much ease and grace and love as possible.
Just watch the mind thinking, smile
at it, and then invite the attention
back to this breath, this moment.
As you're breathing, you may
notice areas in the body that
are still holding tension.
It's okay to feel as though
you're breathing into those areas.
Letting the breath serve as a
gentle, compassionate touch.
Inviting the tension to soften.
And with each exhale, feeling your
body release just a little more.
You're doing great.
Remember at any time, you're
welcome to drift off into sleep.
You can let go of the breathing or
any sort of instruction and go into
your own space and tearing into
the land of dreams and deep rest.
And if you're still
here, I'm still with you.
You can let your breathing come
back to its natural rhythm.
Letting go of any sort
of forcing or tensing.
Any aspect of our experience
that we can relax, we do.
The mind, the body.
And from that relaxed place, we just
observe what it's like to be here.
Letting go.
Relaxing into this very
gentle, soft awareness.
No agenda, nothing you need to
fix, nothing you need to get right.
Letting yourself be exactly
as you are right now.
As the way you transition from this
meditation, remember that you can
come back to this at any point,
and you're welcome to replay it
now, if you're still settling in.
And if you'd like to spend more time
resting in silence, you can continue to
dwell in this relaxed, soft awareness,
letting the breath soothe you and take
you deeper into this moment of letting go.
I wish you deep rest and pleasant dreams.
Thank you for your practice and take care.
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The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
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Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
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