A sleep story. Voice for about 16 minutes, then it fades away. No bell, no count back. Music underneath, and it keeps going after the voice stops
A rowing boat, a slow river, and a lake that goes still in the middle. You are meant to be gone by then.
About 16 minutes, tense and release first. Only listen where it is safe to sleep.
Tense and release first, legs then arms then everything, because that is the part that gets the body to sleep. Then the path you have walked a hundred times, the wooden decking, and your own boat waiting on it. You push off, drift down to the lake, and there is a pillow and a quilt already in there.
Treat me to a coffee, keep the podcast free, and get my Weekly Calm every Sunday. It is all on stevenwebb.uk
Thank you for sitting with me.
Steven
Who this is for
You are in bed and awake, and trying harder to sleep has never once worked.
Only listen somewhere it is safe to fall asleep. Not in a car, not while anything needs you.
What happens in this meditation
Tense and release first. Legs, then arms, then the torso and face, then everything at once. That is not a warm up, it is the part that tells the body the day is over.
Then a path you have walked a hundred times, with a worn strip down the middle and fields either side. It opens onto a green bank, a wooden decking, and your own boat waiting there.
You push off and drift downstream to the lake, and when you reach the middle the boat stops. There is a pillow and a quilt already in it. You are meant to be gone by then.
How to get the most from it
The file runs about forty minutes, and I stop talking around sixteen. After that it fades away to nothing. You are supposed to miss most of it.
Do not skip the tense and release to get to the boat. That first part does more work than the story does.
Nothing queued up to play afterwards, and put the phone face down and out of reach.
Questions people ask
Why does the page say forty minutes when the notes say sixteen?
Both are right. Sixteen minutes of me talking, then a long slow fade rather than a hard stop, so nothing wakes you at the end of the track.
Is there a bell or a count back at the end?
No, and that is deliberate. It does not bring you back. Nothing will jolt you awake.
What if I am still awake when the voice stops?
Then you have had a quarter of an hour of proper rest and the body is a long way further on than it was. Start it again if you like. Nothing has gone wrong.
I cannot picture the boat. Does that matter?
Not much. Let it be the feeling of being held and gently moved instead. The breathing and the release at the start are doing more than the picture is.
Read along
The transcript
It follows the audio. Press any line to jump there.
sleep · sleep-story · nature · visualisation
Read the transcript
Hello, my name is Steven Webb and welcome to the Sleep Soundly on the Lake of Tranquility.
First of all, we'll start preparing the body and the mind for this wonderful night's sleep.
Before we begin, get yourself into a comfortable position so that you're perfectly ready to drift off to sleep.
I'll give you a few moments just to settle in, wiggle your body into position. And
then when you've found the comfortable position... Just bring your awareness to your breath.
You don't need to do anything with your breath. Just your body knows how to breathe. Just
become comfortable and then become aware I'm breathing in and I'm breathing in
You don't need to do anything with your breath. Just your body knows how to breathe. Just become
comfortable and then become aware I'm breathing in and I'm breathing out.
Breathing in calm. Breathing out relax
And as I mentioned, you don't need to change anything with your breath.
Your body knows how to breathe.
Just The same as your body and your mind knows how to fall asleep.
All we're going to do is just allow this to happen. And we set up the perfect situation and the
perfect moment for you to drift off to sleep.
We are not going to get involved in the process it's very often happens that we try to force ourselves
to sleep and then it doesn't happen.
And as we go on this journey to sleep, it's fine that you miss any instructions. Your subconscious mind
will continue to guide you into a deep sleep.
Just no pressure. Just here in a comfortable position,
breathing in calm, breathing out relax
And as you allow the body to start relaxing completely, And the best way of doing this is
now that you're in a comfortable position, and we do this without moving too much, but just tense up your
legs and your toes and your feet. Tense them up a little bit and hold them and then let them
relax. And this signals to your legs now that it's time to go sleep. It's time to relax fully. And
we'll do the same with your arms. Tense up your arms. Really hold your hands and your fingers really, really
tight. And now that relax
And we'll do the same with the torso
and your neck and your head and even your face. Just tense it all up really, really tight. And now
let it relax.
And now finally we're going to do it the whole body. Every single muscle you know about in your body.
Tense them up including your eyes and your cheeks, your toes, your hands. Tense everything. Hold
it. Hold it. And now let it all go. Relax deeper into the bed.
And as you focus on your breathing, breathing in calmness, breathing out relaxation. Just
imagine with each breath you just going deeper and deeper into sleep.
Deeper and deeper into a calm relaxation.
Now imagine walking down a quiet path.
There's a little worn area in the middle where many people have walked before. You've
walked down this path so many times. You feel comfortable and secure. You know the area.
There's a small hedge either side of you that you can see over, and you can see all the rolling
fields rolling away in the distance.
Then it comes to a small opening.
There's a green bank just rolling away into the river ahead.
There's a little wood decking,
And as you see your trusty little boat, the one you enjoy and the one you always feel safe and
secure, And fully at peace.
And as you walk over to it, you position yourself so you can step into the boat and sit comfortably
in your favourite position.
And as you're settling down more comfortable in the boat, you pick up the oars and
you gently push off the decking.
The river is quiet.
The surrounding nature is serene.
Your boat is your sanctuary.
You gently move the oars just to move your boat further downstream.
You feel the gentle sway as it moves downstream.
And as you gently breathe in, imagine the air filled with this quiet place, this serene environment.
And as you breathe out, release any remaining tension that may be
anywhere in your body, just like the flowing river.
And as you gently continue down the river, you find yourself relaxing and becoming even more calmer.
And you can see the mountains and the trees surrounding the Tranquil Lake ahead of you.
And it's a wonderful opening to this wonderful, beautiful, peaceful place.
It's a place that you always feel comfortable.
It's a place that you enjoy drifting off to sleep.
It's a place where you have no worries. You
have no tension.
It's just a place that you feel perfectly at ease.
And as your boat glides smoothly from the river into the peaceful body of the water,
The lake is perfectly calm.
You can see it reflecting the evening sky.
You're here in the centre, surrounded by peace.
As your boat comes to a gentle stop,
it's as if time has paused
And the world respects your moment of peace,
ready for a beautiful deep night's sleep.
As you gently move down into the boat
And you find the most comfortable pillow,
a beautiful, comfortable mattress
And your most trusted, comfortable quilt that gives you warmth and comfort.
You can still feel the gentle movement of the boat and the water lapping up against outside.
It gives you comfort, makes you feel calm.
With each breath, you become more relaxed.
As you let yourself become one with the tranquil lake, Your
body is as calm was the lake's surface.
Your thoughts are as clear as the depths.
Peaceful, serene quietness envelopes you, like a soft blanket in a cool night.
You are feeling ultimately relaxed as deep as you can be.
It's time to let go. Time to sleep soundly on the lake of tranquility.
And as your mind and body drift into a deeper sleep,
your boat is your sanctuary.
The lake is your cradle. The
mountains around and the moonlight sky of all the nature is at one with your quiet body and mind.
The trees and the animals as well as the fish, all at peace ready to share your wonderful night
