You're not here to do anything heroic.
Just let your body remember how to rest.
Sit upright in bed or lay down,
Somewhere comfortable.
Close your mouth,
Tongue on the roof of your mouth.
Every breath tonight is through your nose,
Quiet,
Calm,
Unforced.
Take a gentle inhale through your nose and a long,
Slow exhale through your nose.
Let your shoulders drop.
Feel your jaw loosen.
We'll move through five gentle breath holds,
Each one soft,
Not strained,
Each one teaching your body that stillness is safe.
Round one.
Inhale softly through your nose and exhale softly through your nose.
Now hold.
Feel the air pause,
Feel the warmth spreading in your hands and feet.
Stay with that.
When you feel the first clear urge to breathe,
Inhale slowly through your nose,
Smooth,
Quiet,
Controlled.
Round two.
Breathe in through your nose,
Breathe out through your nose and hold.
Notice the calm building sooner this time.
You're beginning to trust the stillness.
If thoughts appear,
Trace the feeling of air behind your nose or imagine it swirling gently at the top of your throat.
When you breathe in through your nose,
Keep it small,
Let the body do less.
Round three.
Breathe in through the nose,
Gently hold.
Feel the warmth in your hands,
Maybe your forearms,
Across your chest,
Saliva building in your mouth.
A signal that rest and digest and repair have begun.
Your heart slows.
Release and breathe through the nose when you feel the urge.
Round four.
Breathe in through the nose,
Breathe out through the nose and hold.
That stillness.
Sit inside the stillness.
Observe any need to breathe.
Resist it just slightly.
Then breathe in through your nose and out through your nose when you release,
Controlling the breath.
Round five.
Breathe in the nose,
Breathe out the nose and hold.
Sit in the nothing.
The air is static.
Teaching your body to stop bracing.
When you need to release,
Release,
But control the nasal breathing.
Lay down,
If not already.
Keep breathing softly through your nose,
No effort now.
Feel the mattress holding you,
Hands warm,
Mouth closed but moist,
Mind quiet.
Your chemistry has shifted.
CO2 tolerance high,
Heart rate low,
Safety restored.
Every breath now carries you further from the day.
Let the rhythm fade until you're not quite guiding it anymore.
Sleep comes quietly when the body finally feels safe enough to let go.
Rest well.
