Soothe Anxiety to Sleep | Bonus Meditation with Matthew Hepburn

Wondery plus subscribers can listen to 10% happier early and add free right now. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. From ABC, this is the 10% Happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris.

Okay, guys, we're rounding out primordial needs week. That's what we're calling this week with a meditation, a guided meditation for sleep. We've covered both sleep and sex this week. So we don't have any meditations on sex in the 10% happier after I'm aware of. So we're dropping a sleep meditation.

Sleep is one of the most popular sections on the 10% Happier app, and one of the most popular teachers within that section is the great Matthew Hepburn, who's not only an awesome meditation teacher, but also an awesome colleague to all of us at 10% Happier.

Just before we dive in here with Matthew, I want to just remind you that today is the last day to join the Summer Sanity Challenge, which is a free 21-day meditation challenge that launched on Monday. It's not too late to sign up. If you sign up every day, you get a short video followed by a free guided meditation. The goal here is to help you boot up or reinvigorate your meditation habit. You can do it solo or you can invite your friends and family.

To join, just go to ten percent dot com slash challenge. And as I've said before, the link will be in the show notes. All of that said, let's let's get to sleep now with Matthew Hepburn. Hi, this is Matthew. I'm glad to be with you.

with so much uncertainty, deeply concerning news and ambience stress during the current public health crisis. Of course, we're going to find ourselves keyed up at times just when we're trying to wind down and settle in for some rest. This sleep session will help ease the nerves and anxiousness from the day to help you relax and those off for some quality rest.

To start, go ahead and get comfy. Snuggle in. If you like, you can stretch your limbs, fingers, and toes out long before you curl up and relax your body into the bed. This practice is meant for times of stress or anxiousness, so it's completely fine if you feel some residual nerves from the day as we begin.

All that will begin to settle down and fall away on its own. To begin, start to notice the different, pleasant feelings of being where you are. If the blanket is warm, if the covers are soft, if it feels good to lie down, highlight each of those things and enjoy them for a moment.

Pick out different specific pleasant feelings you're noticing and really feel their pleasantness. Right now, you're safe and okay in a place you can rest and let go.

Take a moment to appreciate the safety you have right now. Every mammal in the world can appreciate shelter and peace. Highlighting this can cue the worrying or fretful mind to settle back a little.

A simple phrase repeated gently in the mind can help to encourage that settling back. You might try. I'm safe and okay. More. I'm safe right here. Take a few moments to slowly repeat the phrase and release any tension in the body.

Let your exhales be long and deep. You might find that as you're winding down, flickering thoughts and images pass through the mind as remnants from a full day. Some of them may have some charge with concern, a sense of things to be done, or that happened during the day.

Let them flicker through as you come back to appreciating that you're here in a safe, comfortable place.

You might find it's natural to express this appreciation as gratitude, which is good for sleep and rest. So taking a moment to feel thankful for your place of rest.

letting gravity coax the muscles of the body to release down, letting tension melt away. And now, feeling again the pleasant sensations here, finally resting and letting go.

Noticing what feels good. Let the mind enjoy and appreciate it. Enjoy and appreciate. For now, there's nothing to do. Everything to be done is for another time. But for now, it's just time to rest here.

letting the body let go and enjoy what's here, supportive for sleep and rest.

in this session of practice gratitude for the calming and relaxing forces in our lives. There have been countless small moments of a little calm or relaxation over the course of life.

So many times where our nerves have been soothed and our troubles have felt eased for just a moment. You might find that the sound of rain is a calming experience or a long, warm bath or the smell of your favorite tea steaming off the mugs.

or the smiling face of a calm, kind friend. Bring to mind the image of something that brings you calm. See if you can picture one of the most enjoyable details of this calming experience.

Now, with the clear image in mind, slowly offer a gentle phrase of gratitude to this mental image. Thank you for bringing me calm. I'm grateful you're in my life.

For this practice, you want to invite the details of the image to reveal themselves to the mind and steadily repeat the phrases which can soothe the anxious body in mind.

Thank you for bringing me calm. I'm grateful you're in my life. Breathing gently, try finding a steady rhythm for a few moments.

Remembering you're safe, settled, and okay just where you are, even if you're not sleeping. Recognizing this is very good quality rest and care for the mind and body.

At any time, you can repeat the phrases for recognizing safety in peace. I'm safe and okay. I'm safe right here. Take some time with whichever phrases feel most soothing for this moment.

You can let the phrases drift off for a moment and come back to noticing whatever sensations are pleasant right here. Maybe it's the soft rhythm of breath or the fullness of support from the bed holding your weight, allowing you to sink down and release.

If distractions come, you can let them pass by naturally in the background. Take a moment to tune in and enjoy these pleasant sensations.

When you're ready, slowly call to mind another place or experience that gives you calm in your life. It could be a place in your own home or in nature or in the home of someone who's dear to you. It could be an experience you have every day, like running warm water over your hands under the sink.

or the feeling of a pet curled up in your lap. Let the details of this calming experience come forward. And as you have it clearly in your mind, begin to gently find a rhythm to offer phrases of gratitude. Thank you for bringing me calm. I'm grateful you're in my life.

Thank you for bringing me calm. I'm grateful you're in my life.

breathing softly and naturally, letting go of any tension in the hands, in the jaw, behind the eyes, simply resting and releasing.

Thank you for bringing me calm. I'm grateful you're in my life.

Thank you for bringing me calm. I'm grateful you're in my life.

enjoying whatever sensations are here to be enjoyed. Letting attention flow through the body and relaxing every part as it moves through. From the head, down the neck, down the shoulders and arms,

Down the chest, the back and belly. Releasing and relaxing the hips. Down the legs. To the knees, the ankles,

and finally down to the feet. Now letting any remaining image in the mind fade and letting something new emerge.

letting anything that soothes you, eases your mind and body. It brings you calm and rest. Come to mind. And here, for these moments, offering some warm and gentle thanks, thank you for bringing me calm. I'm grateful you're in my life.

Steady and easy with the breathing. Steady and easy with the words.

Thank you for bringing me calm. I'm grateful you're in my life.

If it feels easy and supportive for you, you can let the rhythm of your breathing and the rhythm of these phrases mingle together. You might find that different thoughts and images still come to visit and pass through the mind.

They're just excess mental energy being released. Let them fade into the background from where they came. Like little ripples on the surface of a deep still pond, quietly resting until the ripples come to rest on their own.

The pond doesn't worry about the ripples. It just lets them flow and pass. Move through and release. Gently breathe and let the body let go of any residue from thinking.

return to appreciating that you're here in a safe place. Letting gravity coax the heavy bones of the body to release down. Letting tension melt away.

And now feeling again the pleasant sensations here, simply resting and letting go. Sleep is fine when sleep comes, but all rest is deeply good. All rest is good for the mind and body.

noticing what's here and does feel good. Let the mind enjoy and appreciate it. Enjoy and appreciate

And now you can let any and all images of the things that are calming and soothing come to mind naturally in their own time. And to each one expressing your thanks. Thank you for bringing me calm.

The words thank you are deeply healthy words to think. Each moment of giving thanks is a moment of healing and gladdening the mind. Before we bring our time to a close, take a moment to say thank you to yourself.

for spending this rest time doing something that has deeply beneficial effects.

May you continue to find ease, find calm, and rest deeply. Until next time.

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