Male Announcer: You’re listening to From Pain to Possibility with Susi Hately. You will hear Susi’s best ideas on how to reduce or even eradicate your pain and learn how to listen to your body when it whispers so you don’t have to hear it scream. And now here’s your host, Susi Hately.

Welcome and welcome back. With today’s episode I have a very special treat for you. Today’s episode is an R&R sleep meditation. And this is a process that we teach inside of my IAYT accredited certification program and it’s actually something created by Anne Douglas, who has been one of our trainers for a lot of years, and she has just a wealth and tons of years of experience doing these sleep meditations. And so this is a taste of what the experience can be.

So we’re going to be together for approximately 40 minutes with this recording, and it might be a little bit more, it might be a little bit less. But the idea here is to really bring you into this space that is deeply nourishing in a way that is comfortable to explore, to feel and it can be so soothing to your whole system, physiologically and also psychologically.

So we’re going to be doing more of these over the course of the next number of months and they’ll be different lengths of time. This one, as I mentioned, will be about 40 to 50 minutes. And you can just enjoy, listen to my voice, feel what you feel and we’ll see you on the other side. I’ll give you some more instructions as we go, but for now begin to just let yourself settle in.

So whether that’s laying on your back or sitting or standing. I’ve done these meditations even while cooking dinner, just with my headphones in. I wouldn’t recommend doing it while driving, obviously, or even while walking. Have yourself in a somewhat contained space, especially if you’re new to sleep meditation or nidra-like practices.

So as you begin to settle yourself into a place that’s comfortable, just know that everything that I offer here is an invitation. You have a choice at any moment to follow my invitation or to move with something that feels more appropriate or interesting to you. If at any point you feel uncomfortable with anything that I’m offering, feel free to go back to the previous instruction or invitation and wait until you’re ready to move on with my next invitation.

And if any of my words don’t work for you, replace them with your own words. You can even ignore what I’m saying as you just settle into and feel your own state, your own body and your own being.

So as you’re settling into a relaxed position, whether you’re laying down or seated, scan your body to see if there’s anything you can do to be just a little bit more comfortable. So think about 5 to 10% more comfortable. What could you use? Maybe a blanket. Maybe something underneath your legs. You can have your eyes opened or closed.

Now imagine you could make a wish for anything right now. What might that be? It can be an intention or an outcome. So as you’re considering this, say it to yourself as if it’s already occurred. Affirm it with one sentence in present time. I am. You can also include the wish or intention to stay awake through this practice.

Once you’ve established this wish or intention as a one sentence affirmation, affirm it silently to yourself now three times. We will come back to this wish or intention toward the end of the practice. Set it aside for now.

Take a moment to recall or imagine a place where you feel a sense of calm, ease or safety. It might be a room in your home or a place in nature. It might be with someone that you love, or a beloved pet or spiritual being. You can imagine anything here as your inner sanctuary, a place that contributes to a sense of ease and wellbeing.

As you imagine yourself here, notice how you feel. Perhaps a sense of soothing, calm or healing. Take some time now to feel the effects of this inner sanctuary. And with continued practice, you may come to sense this peace as an unwavering presence in your life. You can come back to your sanctuary of inner peace at any time through this practice. You might like to bring the feeling of it with you into the practice now.

Now become aware of the sensations of your whole body. Feel the contact points of your body on the surface underneath it. The contact points of your skin to the fabric you are wearing or that is placed over your skin. Feel the caress of air to exposed skin.

Now bring your attention to the sensations in your left foot. Feel your left heel. The sole of your left foot. The top of your left foot. Your left big toe. Your left second toe. Your left third toe. Left fourth toe and the left baby toe. Now feel your whole left foot all at once.

Now feel the sensations in your left ankle, left calf, shin, knee and thigh. Feeling the entire left leg from the top of the thigh all the way down through the foot to the toes.

Feel the sensations in your right foot now, feeling your right heel. Sole of your foot. Top of your right foot. The right big toe. The right second toe. Third toe, fourth toe, baby toe. Now feel your whole right foot at once.

Feel the sensations in your right ankle, calf, shin, knee and thigh. Feel from the top of the right thigh all the way through that right leg into your right ankle, through the foot to the toes.

With each invitation to feel the sensations in each part of your body, notice that it spontaneously relaxes without even trying to. Feel your pelvis now, the whole of your pelvis as sensation.

Now feel the sensations in your lower torso. The lower back and abdomen, middle torso, around the lower ribcage, upper torso chest and upper back. Now feel the whole of your torso at once. Front and back, inside and outside of the torso at once.

As you continue to follow my invitations to feel sensations in your body, you might be aware of a sense of inner calm and peace as your body is relaxing deeper and deeper. Your mind is quiet, captivated by sensation.

Feel your left shoulder. Your left upper arm. Your left elbow, forearm, wrist, palm, the back of your left hand. The left thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, baby finger. Feel the sensations in the whole left hand. The whole left forearm. The whole arm from shoulders down to fingers.

Slowly move across to your right shoulder. Feel your right shoulder. The right upper arm, the right elbow, forearm, wrist, palm, the back of your right hand. Right thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, baby finger. Feel the sensations in the whole right hand now and the forearm all the way up to the top of the arm, feeling the whole right arm right to the tips of the fingers.

Feel both shoulders at once now and then move into your neck. The whole of your neck, inside and out all at once. And then up into the back of your head now. The top of your head, your forehead. Feel the sensations in your facial muscles as they gently release.

Feel the sensations in your left ear. Ear lobe, ear canal, eardrum, the whole of your left ear. Feel the sensations in your right ear now. Ear lobe, ear canal, eardrum, the whole of your right ear. Feel both ears at once.

Feel the sensations in and around your left eye. Feel the left eye, eyelid, the muscles around your left eye. Feel the whole of your left eye. Now feel your right eye. Feeling the right eye, eyelid and muscles around your eye. Feel both eyes at once now.

Feel the sensations in and around your nose. The movement of breath within the nostrils. The caress of air on the outside of your nose. Feel the sensations in and around your mouth. Your tongue, roof of your mouth, floor of your mouth, left side wall, right side wall. Feel your lips and the muscles around your lips. Feel the whole of your mouth as sensation.

Feel the whole of your head as sensation. Feel your whole body now, all sensations in your whole body at once. Notice how relaxed your body and mind are, simply from feeling sensations.

Now bring your attention to your breath and begin to gradually slow your breath down, counting slowly three or four or five per each inhale and exhale for several rounds. Remain relaxed as you do this. You may notice yourself becoming more relaxed as a result of this breathing practice. What do you notice?

Before proceeding further in this practice, take a moment to notice the felt sense of your sanctuary of inner peace still present as a background feeling. Picture and feel yourself in your sanctuary of peace and wellbeing now. Feel yourself being nourished by this feeling.

Now become aware of sensations of heaviness in your body, feeling heavy. Notice where you feel heavy, sensations of heaviness. Now feel sensations of lightness in your body, feeling light or buoyant. Notice where you are feeling light or buoyant in your body. Feeling light. Now feel heaviness again. Feeling your body as heavy. Now feeling light again. Feeling your body as light.

Now feel both, heavy and light at once. The mind can’t do both at once. You can’t think your way into both at the same time. This is a feeling inquiry. Feeling heavy and light simultaneously, allowing yourself to widen the aperture of your awareness to feeling both heavy and light simultaneously. Feel.

Let’s do opposites one more time, this time using the words pressure and ease. Become aware of the sensation of ease in your body. Feeling ease. Notice where you are feeling ease, sensations of ease. Now feel the sensations of pressure in your body. Feeling pressure. Now feel ease again, feeling your body as easeful. And then feeling pressure again. Feeling your body as pressure.

Now feel both the pressure and the ease at once. And again, you can’t think your way into this. You can’t create this with your mind. This is a feeling inquiry, a feeling experience. Feel pressure and ease simultaneously, again, widening that aperture of your awareness to feel both, pressure and ease.

Now choose two opposites of emotion that you would like to explore, perhaps content and discontent. When we work with the opposites of emotion, we create an integration and wholeness and build an inner resilience.

Feel the first emotion by recalling a time when you felt it. And consider a time that is relatively benign. And notice any accompanying images or memories that evoke this emotion. Picture and feel this emotion, noticing where you feel it and what it feels like.

When you’re ready to feel the opposite of this emotion using your imagination or memory, or images if they’re helpful, picture and feel this emotion. Notice where you feel it and what it feels like.

Now go back and forth a few times between one and then the other. Notice what you feel when you identify with one emotion and what you feel when you identify with the other.

When you’re ready, feel both opposites at once. Feeling your way, widening the aperture of your awareness to feel both of these opposites at once.

Become aware of any thoughts that are present, or the absence of thought. If you notice thoughts, you might also notice that they will dissolve and disappear if you don’t engage them. Just let the thoughts come and go. And then feel and enjoy the absence of thought. When your next thought arises, as soon as you sense it, it dissolves again.

By observing your thoughts, you’re free from them. Now think of a thought or a belief that you would like to work with, perhaps one that gets a lot of airtime. Perhaps a thought like, “I never have enough time.” And maybe its opposite is, sometimes I have enough time. You choose what thought or belief to work with and its opposite.

When you’re ready, recall a time, or even now as you say that initial thought, notice what it feels like in your body, such as I never have enough time. Notice where you feel that thought in your body. Now recall a time when you have the opposite thought, perhaps sometimes I do have enough time. Notice where that thought is felt in your body.

Go back and forth between one thought, where you feel it in your body, and the other thought, the opposite, and where you feel that in your body. Go back and forth a few times between these opposites. The first thought, where do you feel that in your body? The opposite thought, where do you feel that in your body?

Now feel both opposites at once, feeling your way into both at the same time. Allowing yourself to simply feel. Notice how you feel when you’re open to both at once. You might feel the opposites dissolve or open into a sense of neutrality or expansion or wholeness. Notice what you feel with both at once.

You might be aware of a deepening sense of inner peace or calm, a sense of openness or expansion. Let your attention rest here for a while, experiencing yourself as peaceful, open, expansive. This is deeply soothing and nourishing for your body, your mind and soul.

You might also notice the inner peace that may have been in the background of this practice since the beginning: relaxed, peaceful, calm. As you continue to feel this inner peace, it may blossom into a subtle sense of joy or happiness or a deeper peace or a sacred space. Take a moment to notice, feeling the calm, peace, joy, happiness.

As you continue to feel this inner peace, it may begin to blossom or deepen or permeate more through your body. Notice where you feel it now. Maybe it remains static, maybe it is fluid and flowing. Notice where you’re feeling this in your body. Notice what it feels like. Calm, sacred, magical.

Now allow for your wish for this practice to bubble back up into your awareness again. From this place of physical and mental relaxation, imagine and feel it as true now. Imagine your wish is true. Take a moment to imagine your life with it as true.

How does it change the way that you live your life? What behavior changes do you notice? How does it affect the way you relate to yourself and to others? What else do you notice as you imagine your life with your intention as already true? And most importantly, how do you feel with your wish come true?

Now, as we move toward completion, feel your body resting here in this room, still aware of your wish come true as a feeling in your heart. You might like to set an intention to take this feeling with you into the balance of your day, along with the feeling of inner peace that pervaded the practice. Gradually now begin to deepen your breath, bringing gentle movement into your fingers and toes, slowly opening your eyes perhaps bringing a stretch into your whole body.

And when you’re ready, if you’re on your back, rolling over to one side, finding your way into a seated or a standing position. And when you’re ready, take the practice into your life. Have a great rest of your day.

If you really enjoyed this practice and you would like to have access to a 10 day R&R sleep meditation reset, you can get one. And you can access the R&R 10-day sleep meditation reset at functionalsynergy.com/reset. Enjoy. We’ll see you next time.