Welcome.
Take a moment to arrive right here.
Let the body find an easy posture for sleep.
If you're lying down,
Allow the pillow to hold your head,
The mattress to hold your weight.
Nothing to manage.
Just be here.
Begin to notice the simple rhythm of the breath,
Cool air touching the nostrils on the inhale,
A warmer stream on the exhale,
No need to deepen it.
Just feel the body soften slightly each time the breath leaves.
If you like,
Count quietly from 1 to 5 on the inhale,
And back from 5 to 1 on the exhale.
Let the numbers fade as the breath grows steady.
Let attention move gently through the body.
Forehead smooth,
Eyes heavy in their sockets,
Jaw slack,
Throat soft,
Shoulders letting go,
Sinking into the bed.
Arms heavy from the shoulders to the fingertips,
Chest easy,
Breath moving by itself,
Belly loose and warm,
Hips supported by the mattress,
Thighs,
Knees,
Calves,
Ankles,
No tension.
Feet heavy,
Toes uncurled.
If there's tension anywhere,
Don't force it to change.
Let the next exhale surround it,
Like warm water around a stone.
Now notice the mind.
Thoughts appear,
Plans,
Fragments of conversation,
A memory.
See each one arrive,
Exist for a moment,
And pass.
No need to follow,
Let them drift like clouds across a white night sky.
If the mind starts building a story,
You can gently say,
Not now.
Return to the feeling of the breath and the weight of the body.
Awareness is already here.
Thought can rest.
If something asks for attention,
An unfinished task,
A worry,
Offer it a quiet sentence.
I can meet you tomorrow.
For now,
You can wait.
Feel what changes in the body when you say that.
A small letting go,
Repeated,
Becomes sleep.
We'll invite a gentle rhythm and exhale longer.
In for a slow count of four,
Out for a slow count of six.
Let the long exhale signal safety to the body.
With each out breath,
Imagine something loosening around the eyes,
The throat,
The belly.
When the rhythm feels natural,
Release the counting and let the breath take care of itself.
Widen attention to include the whole field.
Faint room sounds,
The felt sense of lying here.
Everything arises in this open presence,
Sensations,
Thoughts,
The quiet between them.
There's nothing to fix.
Sleep happens in its own time.
All you do is not interfere.
If the eyes are still open,
Allow them to close.
Let the jaw slacken one last degree.
A final easy breath in and a longer breath out.
The body knows the way.
You can let go now.
