Body Scan for Letting Go of Worry ✨ Guided Sleep Meditation

[00:00:10] Hi Sleep Wave listeners, it's your friend Karissa here to help you let go of your day and settle into rest. Tonight I have a really soothing body scan meditation to help you let go of any worries or stress that you may be experiencing. Before we drift off though, I wanted to invite you to become a subscriber. Subscribers get two bonus episodes a month and get to listen completely ad-free.

[00:00:36] Plus, the team and I have a ton of fresh new bonus content coming your way. Now is the perfect time to subscribe so you don't miss any of it. If you love this show, start a free trial of Sleep Wave Premium tonight. You'll relax and sleep easier with no advertisements, enjoy more variety with two premium episodes every month, and unlock the full library of exclusive supporter-only episodes.

[00:01:03] Join in two tabs via the link in the show notes. Cancel any time. But now, a quick word from our sponsors who make this free content possible. Hey Sandra, we haven't seen us yet longer. Hello Nadine! Man, you look great. Yes, thank you. I have found my plus for the healthy I. What? Come, I'll show you. The movements of AOK Plus. AOK Plus. Kostenfrei for AOK Plus Versicherte.

[00:01:31] Entdecke dein plus fürs gesündere Ich und starte mit unserem Selfcheck. Ganz einfach online auf AOK.de. Aus Liebe zur Gesundheit. AOK Plus. So, we all have what I affectionately call a worry monster. It's that thought spiral that comes up again and again.

[00:01:59] Sometimes you may feel like you get a handle on it, and it may go away for a long period of time. But then one day, it pops right back up. My worry monster especially likes to visit right before bed. It usually features a topic I've been habitually worried about, like finances or health. For me, it also manifests physically as a subtle tightening in my chest and shoulders, making it just a little harder to get a deep breath.

[00:02:27] My son has a book called Worry Monsters that features cute fuzzy creatures that the child can befriend when they are worried. Taking a cue from that recently, I thought I'd go ahead and see if I could make friends with my worry monster. I simply asked it, What do you need? The answer popped up immediately. I need to feel safe. And that's when I had an aha moment. I've been doing things a little differently lately.

[00:02:56] I've intentionally pulled back from hustle and struggle this year, and have been leaning into trust, flow, and creating more space for rest and play. But there is a big, big part of me that is used to the hustle and very comfortable there. And when I'm not hustling, it can feel unsafe to me. So this little creeping anxiety that I've been noticing in those quiet moments, like before bed,

[00:03:24] is just my nervous system putting out an alarm saying, Hey, we're used to a lot more cortisol. We're pretty sure we need to be stressed and busy to stay safe. Get busy. I thanked my worry monster for trying to keep me safe, and gently reminded myself that we are doing things differently now. It's okay that it feels different, because it is.

[00:03:49] Then I did a slow body scan, breathing and feeling into each part of my body, and intentionally relaxing it. This not only quieted my mind, but also let the tension in my body relax. Tonight, we are going to melt into this delicious body scan meditation Billy has created for us, which will not only help put you to sleep, but will invite your worry monster to take a much needed rest too.

[00:04:27] Worry keeps you up at night. It's a hallmark of worry and a hallmark of insomnia for many people. That's not really new information, but just beneath the surface of that no-brainer is one of the brain's most important jobs. The world is chock full of sensory information, and the brain has a kind of inner sorting mechanism that tells us where our attention should go.

[00:04:55] Without the ability to filter out irrelevant stimuli, we might miss the truly relevant inputs, like the car horn that warns you not to change lanes, the smell of something burning in the oven, or a baby crying. This filter is called the reticular activating system, or RAS, and it acts like a gatekeeper for attention.

[00:05:21] Worry can hijack that system by feeding it emotionally charged content. It says, What if I... I should have... I forgot to... If that inner gatekeeper sees those thoughts as urgent, it keeps the brain alert so it will be ready to respond at a moment's notice.

[00:05:44] In tonight's sleep meditation, the body scanning techniques we use will let the brain calm down, replacing those worrisome thought loops with neutral, steady, physical awareness. Rather than externalizing thoughts that are focused on problem solving and activity, the brain will gradually shift into a mode of internal attention. This new mode says,

[00:06:12] There's nothing here that needs to be done. It's safe to turn inward and relax. As you lie in your bed, take some time to settle into a cozy position, and feel yourself slowly beginning to settle.

[00:06:36] Trust that even if you are feeling wide awake right now, you have already begun the journey inward. It's almost magical how this occurs. And like any good magician will tell you, the art is in the sleight of hand that subtly redirects your attention, so that the illusion catches you by surprise.

[00:07:06] In the same way, shifting your attention away from thoughts that make you want to spring into action, and toward inner sensations, will bring you inevitably toward sleep when you least expect it. Start with your breath. Just notice.

[00:07:35] Notice how it's moving right now, without judgment, without trying to fix anything. Let it simply be as it is. Your inhale spreads upward and outward,

[00:08:06] even though you're drawing air down and into your body. Your breath is a very strong, the physical movement is one of expansion. You may notice more movement in the chest, or perhaps you feel more movement in the abdomen. There is no right or wrong way to breathe here.

[00:08:38] Let the breath do whatever it wants, and observe with a sense of fascination or curiosity. When you exhale, the movement flows downward and inward, like water being poured out into some container.

[00:09:03] Air is flowing upward and out of the body, but the chest or the belly relax and retreat down and in. Of course, the pauses between the breaths are a delicious moment of stillness as well.

[00:09:26] Savor the stillness as you patiently wait for the breath cycle to repeat itself. Simply notice what you notice as you breathe in and out.

[00:09:53] Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe in.

[00:10:31] There will be a lot of variation from person to person in the length and depth of the breath. Within that variation, you, yourself, may notice that the inhale wants to last longer than the exhale, or vice versa.

[00:10:55] Feel free to linger in the pauses, or simply receive the next phase of the breath as soon as you feel the impulse. There's no need to stay closely aligned with the tempo of my cues. Trust your breath to guide you deeper and deeper inward.

[00:11:27] Breathe out, breathe in, continue on.

[00:12:51] Affirm to yourself that the day is for daytime things. During the day, our bodies are wired for thinking, striving, and doing that has its place. But this is not that time. This is the time to let go.

[00:13:18] This is the time to loosen your grip on the to-do lists, the conversations, the should-haves. Let them slip like leaves carried downstream. There's nothing you need to hold onto right now. Night asks nothing of you, but softness and surrender.

[00:13:50] Letting go at night isn't about laziness. It's switching gears in alignment with your own physiological responses to light and dark. It's not about pretending everything is resolved.

[00:14:11] It's about recognizing that right now, the most important work is for your body to rest, repair, cleanse, and consolidate all the things that the body does during sleep. Remind yourself that the day is for daytime things.

[00:14:35] You're not failing by being tired or falling behind by letting go. You're honoring this shift. Tomorrow's daytime things will benefit from letting go tonight.

[00:15:01] During the day, a part of you is always filtering, always scanning, always deciding what deserves your attention. It's always asking, is this important? But at night, you have the power to shift its focus. The answer to that question becomes, not right now.

[00:15:28] Right now, turn your attention inward. Like switching off lights in the rooms of a house, one by one before bed.

[00:15:51] As we scan the body, just bring your gentle awareness to the areas of the body where you are being guided. Just notice them. You don't need to feel anything in particular. Your awareness is enough. This act alone tells your brain, these sensations are safe.

[00:16:20] There's no need to worry. Let this pass without a stir. Breathe in. Breathe in. Breathe in. Breathe in.

[00:16:50] Breathe in. Continue for a few moments on your own before we begin our body scan.

[00:18:00] Bring your awareness to your right hand thumb.

[00:18:25] The core part of the 6 just as well.

[00:19:03] eyes, a part of the soul, having legs. Under the hands. The sole of the right foot. The top of the foot. The big toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. Fifth toe. Become aware of the left hand thumb. Second finger. Third finger.

[00:19:34] Fourth finger. Fifth finger. The upper arm. The shoulder. The armpit.

[00:20:03] The left waist. The left hip. The left thigh. The kneecap. The calf muscle. The ankle. The top of the foot. The big toe.

[00:20:34] Second toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. Become aware of the right shoulder blade. Shoulder blade.

[00:21:17] Go to the top. The left eyebrow. The space between the eyebrows. The right eyelid. The left eye. The right eye. The left eye.

[00:21:48] The right ear. The right cheek. The left cheek. The nose. The tip of the nose. The lower lip. The chin.

[00:22:23] The middle. The whole of the right arm.

[00:23:02] The whole of the back. Shoulder blade.

[00:24:53] No movement. The whole. Become aware of your whole body lying on. Is lying on. See your body lying perfectly still on the bed. In this room.

[00:25:24] Visualize this image in your mind.

[00:26:30] There's nothing here that requires vigilance. You're not pushing thoughts away. You're simply redirecting the beam of attention inward. It's like soft moonlight shifting over the landscape of your own body.

[00:27:08] Breathe in. Breathe in.

[00:28:32] Worry may try to return. Knocking on familiar doors in the mind. But tonight you are not opening those doors. Tonight you are walking past them. Gently. Down a hallway of soft observation. You're showing your body that in this moment. Everything is okay.

[00:29:02] That the alarm can be silenced. That it is safe. To sleep. Let your attention move to your belly. As you watch it rise and fall with your breath. Begin to count the breaths at the navel.

[00:29:29] Beginning at 27 and counting all the way down to 1. 27. Navel rising. 27. Navel falling. 26. 26. Navel rising. 26. Navel falling. 25. Navel rising.

[00:29:58] 25. Navel falling. And so on. All the way down. Make no mistakes. If you lose count. If you lose count. Start over at 27. Counting the breaths at the level of the navel. Go on counting.

[00:30:32] If you lose count. Start over at 27.

[00:31:39] Now leave counting at the navel. And allow your chest to slowly rise and fall. In a similar way. Begin counting at 11. And continue all the way down to 1. Mentally count. 27. Chest rising. 27. Chest falling.

[00:32:11] 26. Chest rising. 26. Chest falling. 25. Chest rising. 25. 25. Chest falling. And so on. No mistakes. If you lose count. Start over at 27.

[00:32:46] Counting the breath at the level of the chest. From 27 down to 1.

[00:33:56] Now leave counting at the chest. And feel the breath at the level of the throat. In a similar way. Begin counting at 27. And continue all the way down. Mentally count. 27. Inhaling at the throat. 27. Exhaling at the throat. 26.

[00:34:26] Inhaling at the throat. 26. Exhaling at the throat. 25. Inhaling at the throat. 25. Exhaling at the throat. And so on. No mistakes. If you lose count. Start over at 27.

[00:34:57] Counting the breath at the level of the throat. From 27 down to 1. Go on.

[00:36:06] Now leave counting at the throat. And feel the breath at the level of the nostrils. In a similar way. Begin counting at 27. And continue all the way down to 1. Mentally count. 27. Inhaling at the nostrils. Inhaling at the nostrils. 26.

[00:36:36] 26. Inhaling at the nostrils. 26. At the nostrils. 25. Inhaling at the nostrils. 25. 25. 25. Exhaling at the nostrils. 25. And so on. No mistakes. If you lose count. Start over at 27. 27.

[00:37:06] Inhaling at the nostrils. At the nostrils. From 27 down to 1.

[00:38:23] And now. The mind quiets. The watcher at the gate. Having stood guard for so long. begins to lower. Its lantern.