You can use this guided sleep story script to read it by yourself or out loud. The sleep story uses a lot of ambient sounds, so it’s best if you play some rain or city sounds that can accompany the script when reading out.
Type: Sleep Story
Techniques: Relaxation, Guided Imagery, Sounds
Visualization: Yes
Setting: Victorian London
Goal: Using Visualization to Calm Down
Strength: 1/5
Length: 25 Minutes
Relaxation
Now make sure that everything is behind you and get into a comfortable position. If you like, you can pause the video briefly for this. And whenever you are ready, I invite you to close your eyes. Feel the pleasant heaviness of your body and notice how it sinks into your support. Let go of all the tension and feel the softness of your muscles. Your arms and legs are pleasantly heavy and warm.
You are now gliding into a wonderful state of calm. Here, in your inner space, your imagination may unfold freely and every story has its place here. Imagine in your mind, you’re stepping into the damp London night, taking in the crisp, moist air. Your breath calms down, and maybe you feel yourself exhaling a little more slowly now. Or you might feel a wave of calming relaxation washing over you. Relish these pleasant sensations… before you beginn to explore the rainy London night.
Victorian London Sleep Story
You stand in a cobbled, narrow street, flanked by lodgings with warm fires and cozy quilts, desiring to stroll through the city. The air is so pleasant that all thoughts of going back in slip away from your mind. A while ago, you had been sitting on a leather armchair near the window that overlooked the cobbled street on which you now stand. Pattering rain against the window mingled with the sounds of your breathing. It was safe and warm inside as the heavens poured down raindrops, but once the rain subsided, you saw the world come to life outside. Blankets of mist clung to the window pane, a glacier of glass…
Slowly, the pattering sounds were mostly gone. Instead, the familiar sounds of hooves on cobblestone reverberated in the air. The chatter of people coming out of their abodes, horses neighing, and in the distance, tolling bells…were the sounds of the night. Something in your heart made you feel to go explore… when so much was happening outside. Peering from your window, you tried to see the night sky. But your window was positioned such that all attempts to see the sky were in vain. The aching desire to see the stars twinkle over London gave you the will to venture outside.
The inner child in you, the part of your soul that wishes to abandon itself to moments and experiences, awakened. You stood up from your leather armchair, put your overcoat on and grabbed your umbrella. As you made your way to the door, the floorboards creaked under your feet.
Now outside, you see the stars, twinkling little lamps. Their light appeared as if they had washed in the rain, distant spectators of the hustle and bustle now engulfing London. Looking down from the skies, you see the stones and timber around you, homes beneath the endless sky.
You start walking down the cobbled street, casting occasional glances at the people craning their heads out of the windows, enjoying the pleasantness wafting in the air. It is misty around you; the fog swirls and melts as you stroll through it. The people you come across are dressed in thick, warm clothes. Some of them are by their selfs, out on an adventure to experience the city after the rain. Friends, couples, and families are also out on the streets. Mothers steer their children away from the water pools collected into the cobbled street troughs.
Finally, you emerge onto the crowded square. The yellow glow of the gas lamps on the street splashes the square and all within it. Horse- drawn carriages roll in and out, doors open as people emerge from within. You stand in the corner, under a street lamp, observing the festival of life. You see all the faces that appear before your eyes. There are smiles on some faces. Laughter, chatter…all sorts of voices ring in the air.
There is a pub on the corner. The doorbell keeps ringing perpetually as people walk in and out. Lanterns lit inside washed the pub in its glow. Illuminating more faces, more souls… You see them all from the outside, but to think that all these people have rich, complex inner lives perhaps fascinates you. Why are they all there? Some people may be crossing the square to get to their homes. Others, perhaps, are paying a visit to a friend or a relation. Some of them are maybe conducting business at this late hour, and others just coming out for a stroll to freshen their minds, like you. Imagine how it would feel to go up to these strangers and ask if they had time for a little chat and perhaps a drink. You may go with them to the pub and ask them about the lives they have lived, the places they have been, and the people they have known…
How wonderful would it be to occupy the soul, memories, and experiences of others, to try to think about what it is like to be someone else. Maybe if you do this, you will feel a more incredible bond with your beings. And maybe you find the peace that this closeness of hearts and souls brings to those who open up to others.
Standing in the corner, you can give a little smile to the people passing by. Maybe your warm and loving smile will brighten their day. Maybe it’s just what they need to break free from the endless cycles of everyday life. Your smile may lift their spirits. Imagine what it would feel like to sit down and listen to the pleas of all the people milling around the square.
The gas lamps on the street shine through a place cloaked by mist. Observe how the mist swirls and scatters, its particles dancing in the light. The fog makes it appear as if the light is drenched by the mist…
Now, look at the sky above, at the moon’s buttery glow filtering through the clouds. And the cotton wanderers, the clouds move as if they are crowding around the moon, clambering to take a long look at heaven’s beautiful orb. The hustle and bustle, the sounds in the air seem to melt away.
And Perhaps your heart now seeks solitude, to observe London and all it has to offer. And so, you exit the square. Right around the corner, you see a flower shop with roses and marigolds displayed for sale. You pick up the flowers and relish their enchanting scents. The sensation of touching the petals, feeling the texture…imagine how wonderful that might feel.
You pay for a bouquet of flowers and take them with you as your companions on this journey. You walk through the city and see workers hard at work, even at night, building majestic infrastructure that will become part of London’s charm in the next hundreds of years. Their endeavors will be honored by generations to come. You walk through marketplaces, marveling at the many sights presented by the night. But all of that is eclipsed once you come close to the Tower Bridge, a testament to human will and capacity for creation. You look at the Thames flowing below as you start to cross the bridge.
Look at the mist gliding over the waters… floating as if weightless. Away from the gas lamps on the streets, the only light over the river comes from the moon. The milky moonlight is drenched by the hovering mist. You stop in your tracks to take a better look at the waters. The fog obscures your view. But then, a boat wades through the water, getting closer to where you stand. In its trail, the boat makes the fog scatter away, revealing the water surface for a brief moment. For some time, you see the moon’s elongated reflection, scattered and gathered by the rippling waters. It is like the river holds a mirror to the moon…or perhaps the moon drips its image on the earth, casting a shadow most beautiful.
You may want to spend more time here. To look at the moon and the river. But slowly a slight tiredness overcomes you… Just wanting to rest a little more, you set off on your way back. In the meantime, the clouds have also closed in – it begins to rain softly. You put on your umbrella and stroll through the rainy alleys. Taking in the impressions and surroundings, knowing full well that you can feel absolutely safe here. For a brief moment, everything is forgotten.
After some time, you arrive at a guesthouse where a fireplace provides warmth and light. You get up to a cozy room underneath the roof. After only a few seconds, you feel your clothes drying. You sit in an armchair and hear the crackling of the logs. The shadows and light on the carpet and walls are pleasant to look at. The pattering of raindrops accompanies you. Maybe you like to look through the window for a while. Seeing the rain and the warm lights of the houses and lanterns. Looking down to the roofs of London. Slowly… you become sleepy and maybe a yawn escapes you. Let your eyes fall shut. So heavy. So relaxed. A restful sleep is awaiting you.
