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Hi there, I'm Jessica Porter, and welcome back to Sleep Magic, a podcast where I help you find the magic of your own mind, helping you to sleep better and live better. Thank you everyone for being here. Thank you for listening, subscribing, spreading the word, following us on the podcast portals or social media. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Before we get started, let's hear a quick word from our sponsors who make this free content possible. We often get requests from listeners for types of episodes, and tonight falls into that category. A regular listener, hi Christopher, requested an episode for sleeping away from home, whether that's in a hotel on a business trip, or on a vacation, or just crashing on a friend's couch.
Sometimes it can be tricky to find the same level of comfort and rest in a strange environment. We get used to home. We make subconscious associations with home. But guess where home actually is? Inside of you. So tonight, we find that real home, deep, deep inside. So you can bring it anywhere.
So no matter where you're sleeping tonight, maybe it's in your own bed, maybe it's somewhere new, we're going to find home. So get yourself into a safe and comfortable position and let's begin. Just allow your eyes to close easily and gently. It's so nice to let your eyes close at the end of the day, no matter where you are. And in fact, when your eyes close, you automatically begin a cascade of
of different chemicals and hormones signaling to your body that it's time to relax. So we've already begun. Now bring your awareness to your breathing. Just a light awareness of the in and out. And by bringing your awareness to your breath, you may deepen it just a little. Your breath is always with you, whether you're paying attention to it or not.
Your breath is home. Good. Now I'd like you to notice if you are sleeping somewhere that isn't your normal bed or bedroom. Just notice how you feel in this environment. Notice if there's any tension you're feeling mentally or emotionally or physically. Just notice because this will change tonight. You will bring yourself deeper and deeper where there is tension
You will relax because relaxation feels good. And you've been practicing relaxation for a while. So let's just let it win tonight. Just say yes. Now bring your awareness up into your eyelids and allow your eyelids to feel nice and heavy. Just imagine that they feel sleepy. And now they do. Your imagination is really, really powerful.
And we're going to be using it tonight. As your eyelids feel nice and heavy, you accept the suggestion that your eyelids are so relaxed that they simply will not open. Now I'm asking you to use your imagination and imagine that you can't open your eyes. Just imagine. It's not the truth, but that doesn't matter. The imagination doesn't care. So as you imagine that your eyelids are so heavy they will not open, now I'd like you to test them.
to make sure they won't open by wiggling your eyebrows. Now again, you are employing your imagination, letting your imagination win over logic. What a fantastic place that is when we let our imagination win over logic. So freeing and expansive and everything is possible. So wiggle your eyebrows without opening your eyes. Perfect.
Now this relaxation that you have around your eyes is the same quality of relaxation that you will soon have throughout your entire body, regardless of where you are. So let's imagine that relaxation around your eyes now moving back into your head. A lovely, gooey syrup of relaxation moving back into your head. Just feel your whole head sinking into the
No matter what the pillow feels like, let your head sink into it. And any mental tension that may have been building up earlier is disappearing, allowing your mind to let go, to let go. No matter where you are, you are safe and secure. No matter where you are, your intuition is working for you. And the more relaxed you become, the more responsive you
You are, if you need to be. Deep inside you, deep in your subconscious, is what we call the protective mind. And the more relaxed you become, the more protective you become. I know that sounds like a paradox, but you can trust your subconscious. You can trust that you are always sensing, always learning,
always knowing your environment around you and that you will take care of yourself. And you can relax into that, relax into your protective mind. How cool is that? As that warm, gooey relaxation moves down into your shoulders now and any responsibilities that you've been carrying on those shoulders today.
responsibilities or burdens. They're all falling to the floor and you will pick any or all of them up tomorrow, whatever works for you. But for right now, your only responsibility is to yourself as you go deeper and deeper into relaxation. And that warm, gooey feeling moves down your arms and they feel heavy, heavy, heavy. And you're relaxing.
Just as you've relaxed time and time again, as you practice with sleep magic, your relaxation is working everywhere all the time because it's inside of you. Now let's imagine that warm, pleasant feeling is moving down into your chest cavity. Let's really open and relax your whole chest cavity. Now let's move that warm, lovely feeling to your heart.
And just imagine that you're sort of holding your heart in your own hands. This is home. Just be present for yourself. You may have experienced tension today or new challenges or fear. And as you hold your heart and say to yourself, you did a good job today. Allow that tension to disappear as you really, really relax deeply, feeling it penetrating
with yourself. As that warm, relaxing feeling moves down now into your belly, just imagine it moving deep into your belly and in and around your intestine and your gut is a whole other you've been sensing from this place all day. Sensing whether you're safe or balanced or moving in the right direction.
sensing your intuition, your place in the world. So just imagine bringing your hand down to that mind in your gut, that place of sensing, and just hold that mind. And any tension, insecurity, imbalance, or fear has disappeared. As you say to your gut, you belong here. You belong here.
wherever you go. And your pelvis is feeling nice and heavy on the bed. And you're relaxing more deeply than you were before. As a relaxation, that warm feeling, that warm syrupy feeling is moving all the way down, down your legs, all the way down into your feet and your toes. And you're so relaxed now.
That all the sounds going on around you are taking you deeper and deeper. Bring your awareness now to the sounds going on around you. If you're sleeping away from home, they may be new sounds, but let them take you deeper. The only sound you're paying any real attention to is the sound of my voice. And the sound of my voice is also taking you deeper and deeper.
And because you've listened to sleep magic for a while, the sound of my voice causes your body to secrete chemicals and hormones that are helping you to feel comfortable and relaxed and at peace. And your brain is soothing itself and soothing your body. Your experience of comfort is something you create having slept in your own bed.
in your own home night after night, year after year. You've created an association between that room and comfort because you've repeated that act of falling asleep in your bed so many times. Your brain has made pattern of comfort, sending out a cascade of chemicals causing you to feel safe and peaceful.
You've been practicing this for a while. And although you may associate those feelings with your bedroom, they're actually coming from inside. You are soothing yourself. Give yourself permission to soothe yourself in every environment at any time. You're allowed to feel comfortable in every environment at any time.
So we're going to practice experiencing this comfort tonight, no matter where you are, by using the cues of your home environment. But you will see you are making the feelings happen, are soothing yourself. Now that you're nice and relaxed, I'd like you to imagine your bedside at home. Just imagine that table
or whatever you use next to your bed to put your things on. Maybe your phone or a watch. There's probably a light on that table. Just imagine that bedside table. And as you imagine it, notice that you feel safe and connected to home. Just notice your brain doing what it does when you feel at home.
when you feel safe and connected to your own space. Now I'd like you to imagine the floor next to your bed where you stand at night before getting into bed and where you first put your feet down in the morning. Just notice what's there. Is it a carpet? A rug? A bare floor? What is the floor like next to your bed at home?
Just allow your mind to imagine that floor and feel the comfort that comes with that. Feeling rooted and grounded in your space at home as you take yourself deeper and deeper. Notice the nice chemicals that are bathing your brain and body. Notice that you feel safe and grounded as you go deeper and deeper.
into relaxation. I'd like you to imagine one other feature of your bedroom at home. It may be something big, like a piece of furniture, or it may be something small, like a knick-knack or a photograph. Some other feature of your bedroom. Just choose one. Something that you see, even unconsciously, every morning and night.
Just allow your awareness to settle on this thing. As you go deeper and deeper, you feel safe and calm and grounded. As you connect with this thing, you are home. You are home. You are home. As you imagine being in your own bedroom, your body and mind are feeling comfortable, secure, and at peace.
You're connecting with this environment as if you're home because your subconscious mind does not distinguish between fact and imagination. So you are feeling at home. You are the creator of these feelings. You are soothing yourself. You are soothing yourself. You feel good everywhere, all the time.
Wherever you are, you feel safe and comfortable and relaxed. I am home inside myself. I am home inside myself. I am home inside myself. Am, am home, am home as I drift and float and dream.