Ultimate Calm (Gentle Stream)

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. If it feels okay to do so, you can close your eyes. And we'll start by taking a deep breath together to settle in. Breathing in through the nose.

Slowly out through the mouth. Inviting the body to relax. The jaw. The teeth don't need to be clenched. Inviting the shoulders to be at ease.

The hands and the belly. And just feeling into the coziness of your sleep space. What does the surface beneath you feel like? And can you feel your body relaxing and melting into it? What's it like to have your head resting on your pillow? Or the sense of safety of being under your covers? Being protected? Warm or cool. Just feeling the goodness of not needing to do anything right now, not needing to get anywhere. Just relaxing into this moment.

I'm sure there was plenty going on today. Things that needed your attention, things that might've been difficult. And see if you can give yourself the permission to let some of that go right now and just drop into this moment where you are now. The day has ended. You've done your work.

Tomorrow hasn't started yet, but it will be there for you when you're ready. These moments of rest allow us to integrate how our life replenish and come back the next day with more energy and groundedness. So it's okay to let go. Your breath can be at its natural rhythm. And with every exhale, see if you can feel your body sinking a little more deeply into the mattress beneath you.

Almost as if your body and the surface that's holding you become one. And each exhale connects you into that oneness more deeply, dissolving the boundaries of your body. The pillow, covers. All becoming one experience of just being here. Cozy.

Safe. You may notice parts of your body are particularly tense or are still holding on to what has happened earlier in the day. We can't force the body to be relaxed, but we can invite it to. We can create the conditions internal and external, and allow the body to let go. And so if you notice an area in your body that feels tense or agitated, see if you can bring some kind awareness to that area.

You can smile at it and just say, it's okay. I'm not mad at you. I'm just here to be with you. And to remind you that it's okay to let go. The day is over.

We've done our work. You can take some rest now. And notice if there's any softening in this region as you make that invitation. Feeling the body relax even more, letting go. Remembering that right now, there is nothing else you need to do.

No problems you need to fix. Life will continue on tomorrow. And so we pick up where we left off. As the body relaxes, you may notice the mind still has thoughts, still thinking about tomorrow or the day that already happened. And instead of trying to force the mind to stop thinking, we can just watch it thinking from this grounded restful place as if we were watching a movie.

When we're grounded in our bodies and when we observe our mind from a place of stability and ease, it's like placing the snow globe on a steady surface. The snow finally has the chance to settle, and that's what we're doing with the mind. Just letting some of those thoughts settle. Letting the agitation of the day run its course. The more we get angry at the mind, the more tense we become.

So it's not worth it. Instead we just smile at it even if it can't stop thinking. We don't have to get sucked into the thought. We can watch it from our place of grounded awareness. Let it be in the background, like white noise.

Each breath, relaxing you even more. When you notice the mind thinking, it's also okay to invite the attention back to your breathing. Feeling the soft rhythm of your body breathing, like a baby breathing. It's not something you need to do. Body is doing it for you.

It's taking care of you. And so see if you can settle into the goodness of that, being held and supported by your body. In addition to being held and supported by your bed and the sleep space you've created. We're letting that snow settle in the snow globe. We're letting the body power down for the evening.

And if at any point thoughts start moving through your mind, or the body feels agitated, we meet those moments with soft awareness, knowing that we don't have to get agitated in response. We give them a soft smile. Take a breath. Relax into them. Whole thoughts will come and go.

All sensations will shift. Anxiety will pass. So you watch it while it arises in the moment. Acknowledge it as a fleeting experience and settle back into that grounded place within yourself. Feeling again the coziness of your bed, the pillow.

Maybe noticing any sounds around you, or just simply tuning into the sound of my voice. And as we come to the close of this meditation, know that you can replay it or revisit it at any point in time. And you can use the space of silence that follows as an opportunity to continue to rest in this gentle awareness until your mind drifts into sleep. I wish you deep rest and pleasant dreams. Thank you for your practice.

Take care.