Hello and welcome to the StillPoint meditation, my name is Debbie. Today’s meditation is designed to help the journey to sleep feel more like a natural, effortless release into deep rest, rather than the challenge it can sometimes be for so many of us.

Whether we actually drift off to sleep during this practice is not important, just relax, let the journey unfold, trusting that you are guiding body and mind into a profound state of relaxation that is actually more nourishing than sleep.

And if you are using this meditation during the day to recharge, perhaps set a timer with some soft music to bring you out as I will not be guiding you back to wakefulness at the end of the practice.

Let’s begin.

Get cozy, comfortable in your pose of relaxation. Ensure the body is warm and nicely supported. Close the eyes and start by taking your attention to your breath. Begin to breathe in and out from the belly. Belly expanding, rising on the inhale, drawing in on the exhale, nice gentle ballooning of the belly on the inhale, release on the exhale. Now on the next breath in I’d like you to breath more fully, deeply, fill up as much as you can into belly, ribs, backbody, hold that fullness, and exhale it on long sighing breath out. A few more just like that breathing in to belly, ribs, lungs, expanding right to the edges of your being, hold that fullness, then let it go on a long softening sighing breath out and as you do feel your whole body start to relax. And one more time with me taking in a nice full belly breath, hold, and let it go on a long softening sighing breath out.

Now take your attention to the crown of the head. And I’d like you to imagine a beautiful, warm healing light pouring in to the crown of your head that starts to gently cascade down like a river of slow moving honey, feel it flow down into the forehead softening and smoothing out the lines of worry, pool into the eyes, skin around the corners softens, feel the eyes get heavier in their sockets, warm light flowing down into the cheeks, the ears, pooling into the jaw, feel the jaw soften unclench, the mouth, feel the mouth relax, warmth cascading down into the neck and throat, the front of the shoulders, gentle light soothing, melting tension from arms, pooling into hands, now feel healing light flow down through the front of the chest, pooling in the belly feel the belly soften, let go, the front of the pelvis, the thighs, the lower legs, the tops of the feet, the toes, the soles of the feet now feel that warm healing light effortlessly flowing up the backs of the lower legs, backs of the thighs, flowing into the back of the pelvis, softening the lower back, the middle back, the upper back, warm light pooling in the backs of the shoulders feel the shoulders relax, back of the neck, the back of the head, the crown of the head once more. Whole body soft, warm, filled with healing light. All tension, worry effortlessly dissolving. Body so soft, relaxed.

Now I’d like you to imagine that you’re walking through a beautiful garden at dusk. See the last golden rays from the sun illuminating the green of soft grasses, gently undulating in a soft breeze, notice the different wildflowers, the plants that growing in abundance. Enjoy the sensation of golden sunlight gently warming skin, soothing you, dissolving any final fragments of tension held in the body. This is such a beautiful, special place, you feel so content to be here, so safe and able to let go. You notice with every step further into your garden the body becoming heavier, the breath soft, everything deeply relaxed. You want nothing more right now than to lie down and continue to enjoy this peaceful place of rest.

You notice in your garden there is a clearing, and in that clearing is the most inviting bed you’ve ever seen. With every step you take towards it you feel everything in your body sinking, dropping even more.

Lying down in the bed, a bed that feels like it’s been made just for you, the perfect amount of cushions and covers, everything just the way you like it. You’ve never felt more comfortable, more relaxed.

You nestle in and let yourself enjoy how with every moment a lovely drowsiness is taking over . So sleepy, relaxed. Everything in the body releasing, sinking, dropping.

Getting sleepier and sleepier with every moment that passes - drifting down, down in to the deepest state of rest, more comfortable, peaceful, relaxed than you have felt in a long time.

You take 3 soft breaths here

And as you breath out you're saying the word - sleeeeep (draw word out) to yourself, and at the end of the third breath you will find that you are almost unable to finish saying the word sleeeeep you are so heavy, soft, able to drift effortlessly into deep rest.