A (0:00)

Get Sleepy is a production of Slumber Studios and is made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and Premium members. If you'd like to listen ad free and access weekly bonus episodes, extra long stories, and our entire back catalogue, you can try out Premium free for seven days by following the link in the episode notes. Now a quick word from our sponsors. I'd like to thank Shopify for sponsoring this show. It's a new year and it's time to be inspired by that sense of possibility. So many of us have great ideas and skills, but we often struggle to take that first step and let our potential truly flourish. Starting a business with Shopify is the best way to get everything up and running in quick time and to start selling right away. Shopify gives you all the tools to easily build your dream store. Choose from hundreds of beautiful templates that you can customize to match your brand. As you grow, Shopify grows with you, helping you to handle more orders and expand to new markets, all from the same familiar dashboard. In 2026, stop waiting and start selling with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com getsleepy go to shopify.com getsleepy that's shopify.com getsleepy for a $1 per month trial.

B (1:49)

Hello Elizabeth here, the host of the Sleepy Bookshelf, another sleep inducing podcast from the Slumber Studios Network. I'm just dropping by here to let you know that I'm starting a brand new book on the Sleepy Bookshelf right now. This season I'll be reading Rainbow Valley by LM Montgomery, the next book in our Anne of Green Gables saga. If you're interested, just search the Sleepy Bookshelf in your favorite podcast player and go to the most recent episodes to find this new season. I hope to see you there to put down your worries from the day and pick up a good book.

A (2:31)

Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. I'm your host, Thomas. Thanks so much for joining us. This meditation is primarily designed to be used during a flight. It was written by Anne and will be read by Elizabeth, who I'll hand over to very shortly. I know that flying can be stressful. First, the there's the airport, a busy, often chaotic place, and on the plane itself there are usually a lot of people and it's not always the most comfortable place to be. So it makes sense that you might be experiencing feelings of anxiety or stress right now. But even in situations like these, it is possible to Achieve a state of calm. And this meditation will help you do just that. So as you settle into your seat, I'll leave it to Elizabeth to guide you through this meditation.

B (4:17)

For now, keep your eyes open, taking a moment to get comfortable. You might like to get a small pillow or roll up a piece of clothing or a blanket and place it behind the curve of your back for extra support. Or you can place your blanket on your lap if you need a little extra warmth. If you have a window seat, perhaps you'd like to close the shade. You could also try adjusting the airflow above you. Do anything that will help you feel as comfortable as possible. As we go through the meditation, feel free to shift position, move around if you ever need to readjust anything. Once you feel settled, take a look around you and notice your surroundings. Sometimes when the mind is in an agitated state, it can be helpful to give it a task to do something tangible to bring the mind into the present moment. So your task for now is to identify objects of different colors in your environment. I'll lead you through it. Lets begin with finding the color red somewhere in your surroundings. Perhaps it's the color of someone's clothes or part of the airline logo. Where do you see the color red? Maybe you find it quickly or maybe it's taking a bit more time. If you find the color quickly, try to look for another thing that's red. Next, move on to the color orange. Some colors may be trickier to find, and if that's the case, you can be generous with how you define orange. Where can you find orange? Again, feel free to look for another orange object if you find the first one quickly. Next, search for yellow. It might be a yellow book or rays of sunlight coming in through the window. Where is yellow? Up next is green. Find something within your field of vision that's green. Maybe someone's watching a show on their tablet and there's a character wearing green. Or check the pocket of the seat in front of you. Perhaps there's a green design on the magazine inside it. Take a moment to find green. Now look for the color blue. Maybe the seats themselves are a shade of blue. Or the carpet that lies along the length of the plane. Or perhaps it's the armrest. Where do you see the color blue? And finally, search for a shade of purple somewhere around you. Remember, if you find it easily, go ahead and try to find another thing that's purple. Now, when you feel ready, softly close your eyes. Then bring your attention to your mind. Notice what, if anything, has changed in your Mental state since you first began this meditation. To continue with the theme of calming the mind and body, we'll now move on to a breathing technique. It's called the three part breath. It's a useful deep breathing technique that works well, especially when we're feeling tense or worried. Imagine that your breath is divided into three parts. The first is the lowest part of your belly. From your hip bones to your belly button. If you like, you can put one of your hands there. Now, before we start the technique, notice how this part of your body moves with your breath. The second part is your ribcage. Unlike the low belly, which goes up and down with the breath, the rib cage moves out to the sides as you inhale and then back as you exhale. This helps to accommodate the movement of the diaphragm as the breath flows in and out. You can place a hand above your rib cage. Now, as you breathe naturally and feel how it moves. The third part is the chest. Like the belly, it moves up and down as the breath flows in and out. Again, feel free to place your hand there. Notice what the chest feels like moving up and down as the lungs fill and empty. Now we've explored the three parts of the breath. The low belly, the ribcage and the chest. Lets integrate them. For the technique of the three part breath. I'll walk you through the things to pay attention to first and then you'll have a chance to try it. So for now, just listen and then we'll do it together. Ideally, for this breathing technique, try to breathe in and out of your nose. To begin, start inhaling slowly and fill up the low belly with air. Feel it expand. Next, pay attention to the ribcage and sense the outward movement it makes. Notice the breath moving upwards like a plane into the sky. As the chest fills with air, and then when it feels right, exhale out of your nose and release all three of those areas at the same time. Feel your chest, ribcage and belly relax and soften. Now let's do it together. If my guiding pace is too fast or too slow for you, please adjust accordingly. You shouldn't ever feel uncomfortable. This is your breath and your meditation. Place your hands wherever feels comfortable, perhaps at your low belly or on your lap. Now inhale slowly, feeling the belly expand. Now the rib cage now moving upwards. And when you're ready, exhale, releasing all three of those areas at the same time. Good. Take a few natural breaths before we move into the next one. Notice how each breath feels. Let's continue. Now inhale deeply. Feel the belly rise, the rib cage expand side to side, and the chest fill. Then exhale. Release it all. Feel your body sigh with ease and then take a few natural breaths in and out of your nose. When you breathe deeply in this way, you're telling the body, I'm safe. Right now, everything is okay. And as you breathe deeply, it's hard to feel worried or unsettled at the same. Now let's return to the three part breath. Inhale deeply. Sense the belly rising, the rib cage expanding and the chest filling. Then release the breath slowly. Feel everything relaxing. If it feels okay for you, let's move straight into the next three part breath. Inhale, belly, rib cage, chest, and exhale. And slowly release. Let everything out. Inhale, belly, rib cage, chest, and exhale. Slowly release. Inhale, breathing deeply into the belly, the rib cage and the chest. And exhale. Release everything and feel your body soften. Continue on your own for several more breaths. Even though you're inhaling deeply, see if you can make the breath feel effortless.