Deep Restful Sleep ✨ Soothing Meditation for Insomnia

[00:00:10] Hi there, Sleep Wave listeners. It's your friend Karissa here to help you drift off to an easy sleep. Tonight we have a really great meditation that will not only help you sleep, it might also change the way you look at your life. Before we get into it, I want to say a huge thank you to all of you for being here and for listening night after night. If this episode resonates with you, please share it with your friends and family and leave us a review. It really helps the show, so thank you.

[00:00:41] 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. Join in two taps via the link in the show notes. Cancel any time. But now, a quick word from our sponsors who make this free content possible.

[00:01:06] A great day starts with a great morning. If you're looking for a way to start your day feeling refreshed and inspired, let me introduce you to the Wake Me Up podcast. Hey there, my friend. Welcome to Wake Me Up. This is the place to start your day on a positive note. Taking some time for yourself first thing in the morning to clear, calm, and focus your mind can have profound

[00:01:35] impacts on not only your day, and impacts on not only your day, but your entire life. So join me, Tyler, your host, here on Wake Me Up each and every day. You'll find a variety of episodes from affirmations to meditations to motivational talks. Truly, there's something for everyone.

[00:01:58] So, just search for Wake Me Up in your favorite podcast player and see why millions of people are living better days and lives with Wake Me Up. I must admit, I get kind of annoyed with how frequently my phone and computer need to update.

[00:02:26] I always seem to get the alert right when I'm in the middle of something important, and I can't help but think, again? But just like our technology sometimes needs an update to function at its best, so do we. Humans are creatures of habit, and it's easy to get stuck in ways of doing things or of thought patterns that may no longer be serving us. We just assume that things are the way they are.

[00:02:53] But we always have the opportunity to shift things to serve us better. So how do you know if you need an update? My favorite way to take stock of things is to set aside at least 10 minutes a day to journal and or meditate and see what comes up as I ask myself these questions. What in my life is working well? What could be improved? What are my new goals?

[00:03:22] What steps do I need to take to achieve them? As I answer these questions and make a step-by-step map of where I am and where I'd like to get to, I begin to see what changes I need to make. Hilariously, sometimes those changes are made for me. I have known for a while that I needed a little bit more wiggle room in my schedule to continue to focus on health and family in addition to work.

[00:03:52] But I wasn't really taking any steps to change my work schedule, because the truth is it's in my comfort zone for me to work as much as I do. Long story short, I accidentally scheduled out time for a single project twice in my calendar, and that project got canceled days before I was set to record it. The next day, two other projects shifted to later in the year,

[00:04:18] leaving me with a sudden and, for me, very large space in my usually packed solid calendar. At first, I felt a bit panicky as I rushed to fill the empty spaces. But then I stopped. I laughed. I said to myself, This is exactly what I've been asking for. I did fill some of the space, but I also left a bit of that longed-for wiggle room.

[00:04:44] And while at times I feel a bit disoriented with the additional space, in other moments I am finding more peace and joy and refreshment than I have in a while. Tonight, I'm going to lead you through this beautiful meditation that Billy has written for us, and we'll all be getting an upgrade to our sleep and our lives.

[00:05:18] Tonight, as you prepare to sleep, you are stepping into an upgrade. Upgrading the software on your phone and other devices, is a necessary reset that enhances functionality, clears outdated processes, and improves performance. Just as your phone accumulates glitches, slowdowns, and outdated software, your mind and body accumulates stress,

[00:05:47] thought patterns, and subconscious material that keep you stuck in the past. You, too, require updating from time to time. Sleep is your built-in system upgrade, allowing you to clear out mental clutter and emotional fatigue, just like a software update removes bugs and inefficiencies. It's a key to high performance.

[00:06:18] After an upgrade, your device runs smoother, faster, and more efficiently. The same applies to your sleep. When you upgrade the way you rest, you wake up with more clarity, more creativity, and a renewed sense of purpose. You function at a higher level, moving through your day with ease. Most of us see sleep as just a necessity,

[00:06:47] something we have to do. But what if we saw it as an opportunity to elevate our entire being, an upgrade? We can begin to embrace sleep as an important process of renewal, a place where deep transformation happens in the background. As you settle in for a cozy night of deep rest,

[00:07:13] you can feel confident that your whole system will be reset, organized, cleaned, and balanced when you awake. This will happen on various levels in your life, but each night of sleep is like a basic unit of evolution toward health, harmony, and wholeness.

[00:07:41] Feel your body resting here on the bed, totally relaxed. Develop an awareness of your whole body. And as you do, expand that awareness to the whole of your personality. Feel your entire being, here and now.

[00:08:13] As you breathe in, and to rest on the breath. And even though thoughts will come and go, your breath becomes an anchor for your attention. Simply favor the breath over the ideas, images, and mental chatter that the mind presents to you.

[00:08:43] It's alright to acknowledge that mental activity. But as you give even slightly more preference to the gentle rise and fall of the breath, you will be able to feel the mental energy dissipating. It's so easy, under normal circumstances,

[00:09:10] to get totally wrapped up in your thoughts. This practice gives you the insight that you don't have to become your thoughts. They will eventually pass right by you, and you need not let them upset you. This is emotional intelligence, and it's a wonderful benefit of meditation.

[00:09:42] It's one of the many upgrades that meditation makes available to you. When you meditate as you fall asleep, it enhances the quality of your sleep by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. It lowers your heart rate, slows your breathing,

[00:10:09] and reduces the stress hormone cortisol, which suppresses melatonin, the sleepy hormone. Simply by setting the intention to become a better sleeper signifies a powerful shift in your mindset that can create real and tangible improvements in your sleep.

[00:10:39] The brain has a filtering system that allows us to prioritize what we focus on. Setting an intention to sleep better causes you to subconsciously seek solutions, and you may start noticing habits that interfere with sleep. You may also find yourself

[00:11:05] naturally gravitating toward better sleep routines. Take a moment now to consciously set the intention for your sleep to improve. Upgrade your sleep, and you will see an overall upgrade in your life. Take a few moments now to breathe and settle and set your intention.

[00:13:36] While intention is an important component of this upgrade, much of the process will occur in the background without your conscious attention. Through your intention, your body receives the message that sleep is important and safe.

[00:14:04] Relaxation comes more readily, and your breathing becomes more regulated to allow you to shift into deeper states of sleep. Prime your mind to perceive sleep as restorative. Say to yourselves,

[00:14:35] I welcome deep and restorative sleep. Tonight, I'm deep. I trust my body to rest full

[00:15:08] to rest fully and wake refreshed. Sleep come easily and naturally to me.

[00:15:41] Please let your body settle into a comfortable and feel into a comfortable stillness. If at any point you feel you need to move your body, feel free. If you can be still, you will train the mind to be still. You can use the willpower to keep your body

[00:16:11] from moving, but the mind requires a more subtle attentiveness. in the beginning, it's much easier to focus on physical stillness. The breath will eventually help you train the mind to be still. Focus on slow.

[00:16:45] At first, just give space to your breath to be itself as it is. You probably feel most at ease when you are free to just be yourself. If someone starts micromanaging your every move, you might begin to feel anxious

[00:17:11] is no different. Let your breath be deep if it wants to be deep. But if the breath most naturally flows in a shallow way right now, trust that it has a good reason for that. Gradually, we will begin to make gentle suggestions

[00:17:41] to the flow of the breath, but we should by no means become forceful with the breath. Taking this time to let the breath know that it is always free to return to its most efficient state of ease helps us to move even more effectively into that relaxed

[00:18:10] parasympathetic state, enhancing sleep and relaxation. See if you can invite the breath to become a bit more regulated and even. The inhale, there's a natural pause between the two breaths and the

[00:18:40] ends as well, followed at the bottom of the exhale. Sometimes we feel like we need to gasp for the next inhale. Never push too hard. The breath should feel pleasant first and foremost.

[00:19:18] Breathe in the breath in your torso. Notice the navel

[00:19:48] rising and falling on the exhale. Navel falling rising navel

[00:20:32] falling as you allow you're preparing your relaxation via the parasympathetic nervous system. Taking this time to mindfully prepare for sleep upgrades the quality

[00:21:02] of your sleep.

[00:23:12] As inflection points, when we are presented with moments that give us a chance to upgrade our personality and our paradigm. Sometimes these moments come in disguise. They could appear as a challenge or difficulty, but not always. Sometimes they are merely transitions or awakenings,

[00:23:42] but they hold the potential for profound transformation. These upgrades are initiations into a new way of life. Once you have experienced an event like this, it becomes about making it a lasting, embodied transformation rather than a fleeting

[00:24:11] insight. Journaling about what is changing can be helpful. What am I being invited to see differently? How does this change change the way I move through the world? What is dissolving and what is emerging?

[00:24:43] Finding something symbolic to make the transformation more concrete and real. You might ritualize your sleep routine with a gesture like touching the bed with intention and saying this space is for deep rest and renewal. Maybe you consistently begin a night of sleep

[00:25:12] with a gratitude reflection. In this moment, try to recall something you are grateful for. Could be something simple or something more profound. Try to bring to mind three things for which you are grateful.

[00:25:43] These simple practices can become an anchor for your sleep upgrade and ritualize the change you are making so it becomes embedded deep within your subconscious mind.

[00:28:29] Just like a computer needs to clear RAM to run smoothly, the mind needs to release mental clutter before deep sleep. Scanning the body directs attention away from racing thoughts and into physical sensations, reducing overthinking. This body scan will help you release

[00:28:58] hidden tension and enhance the mind-body connection. Bring your awareness to your right-hand thumb, second finger, third finger, fourth finger,

[00:29:35] the elbow, the upper, the shoulder, the armpit, the right hip, the heel,

[00:30:05] the sole, the top, the big toe,

[00:30:58] the armpit,

[00:32:18] the space between the eyebrow, the left eyelid, the right eye, cheek, cheek, the left,

[00:32:48] the upper, the lower, the chin, the throat,

[00:33:53] shoulder blade,

[00:37:01] total body

[00:37:33] lying perfectly still. Visualize this image in your mind.

[00:38:52] As you rest tonight, your entire system is experiencing an upgrade. you are shifting and opening into more clarity and into a new

[00:41:27] sleep.