This sleep meditation will help to softly distract your mind with soothing guidance so your body can melt into the deep sleep it craves.
Your mind is racing.
Your body can’t quite relax.
Maybe you’re feeling anxious.
Or maybe you can’t stop thinking of the checklist of things to do.
Or perhaps you have the excitement of tomorrow swimming around inside of you.
Whatever it is, you can’t sleep. And as the minutes pass by, your restlessness may even worsen as the possibility of a sleepless night drags you into a pool of anxiety.
So the intention of this sleep meditation is to help softly distract your mind with soothing guidance so your body can melt into the deep sleep it craves.
So Let’s Begin…
Go ahead and get into your most comfortable sleeping position.
This could be on your back, or curled up on your side or even on your stomach.
Once you settle into your position, take one deep breath, inviting the oxygen deep into your belly,
Forcing your mind to follow your breath as you settle into this sleep meditation,
And breath out all the way, allowing your body to melt just a little deeper into comfort.
And settle your breathing into its regular rhythm.
PAUSE…
On your next inhale, I want you to tense up every part of your body all at once,
Squeezing your eyes shut tight,
Pursing your lips together,
Tightening your shoulders, your arms, your stomach, your legs.
Squeezing your hands and your feet.
Squeezing and tightening your entire body as you hold it all here for 3, 2, 1…
And then let it all go,
Breathing out and releasing all of the tension, letting go of all of the tightness,
Feeling the release soften you from head to toe.
PAUSE…
It’s time to dream, gorgeous.
Time to let go of all the everything holding you here,
All the details,
All the worries,
All the organizing,
All the ideas,
All the responsibilities.
And time to surrender into dreamland.
That place where very little makes logical sense,
And anything and everything can happen.
Relax your body and surrender into dreamland.
Surrender into this sleep meditation.
PAUSE…
There is nothing you need to do right now.
Nowhere you need to be.
None of the thoughts floating around inside your head need to be addressed.
This is not their time.
Breathe them out with every exhale, silently chanting, not now, not now each time you breathe out.
Watch them float away into the air around you and disappear.
PAUSE…
It’s time to sleep.
So let yourself fall deeper into comfort, feeling the weight of your body on your bed,
And surrender to the sleep,
She is waiting for you.
Namaste, Beautiful.
The Story Behind the Meditation
The first time I realized I had trouble going to sleep was when I was in high school. I was an athlete and I would deliberately make sure I went to bed early on nights before a big game or tournament. Good intentions, right? The problem was that there are a lot of (loud) people in my family (6 kids!) and I didn’t exactly have a sound-proof room. As a matter of fact, I slept in the room right next to the kitchen and family room…where I could hear every little dish that was dumped into the sink and every line of the tv show being watched.
It unnerved me. I would lie in bed for hours, getting more and more frustrated, more and more angry until it was midnight and I was crying because I. Just. Wanted. To. Go. To. Sleep!
Fast forward a few decades and I still have trouble falling asleep every now and then. My mind spins with worry or even excitement. I’ve learned by now that when I feel this starting to happen, I press play on a guided meditation that will help me fall asleep.
But the night I wrote this meditation…that didn’t even help.
You see, I had spent that day writing out my vision for the Women’s Meditation Network. And girl, I was LIT UP by what I was seeing. A membership community, an app, monthly meditation companions, meditation retreats…I mean, just so many amazing possibilities to help my listeners! So when I finally put my head on the pillow, I was buzzing with excitement.
For two hours, I tossed and turned, listened to meditations, begged my body to fall asleep, and then ultimately surrendered to the sleeplessness and got up and wrote this meditation.
I hope it helps you when you have a night when you can’t sleep. I hope it lulls you into the peaceful sleep you’re craving.
Namaste, Beautiful,
Katie
