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.