Good evening,
I'm Mark Rowland and I'm so grateful that you have joined me tonight.
Settle yourself now,
Lying down in a way that feels comfortable and supportive for you.
Allowing the body to be supported.
Nothing to hold up.
Nothing to manage.
All there is,
Is this moment.
This practice is here to help your mind unwind.
So sleep has the space to come in its own time.
There's nothing you need to achieve here.
If sleep comes for you,
Welcome it.
If you're simply resting,
Well,
That's enough too.
Let the night hold you safely.
Bring your attention gently into the body.
Not forcing anything,
Just noticing the weight of your body against the surface beneath you.
Feel how the body is already being held.
There is nothing you need to be doing to stay here.
Begin to notice the face,
The muscles around the eyes,
The jaw,
The tongue resting in the mouth.
Allowing everything to soften now,
Just a little.
Shoulders,
Let them drop.
Your arms heavy,
Hands resting now,
The chest and stomach.
No need to control the breath,
Allow it to move naturally,
Just as it is.
Relaxing the hips,
Legs and feet,
The whole of the body settling.
Just notice the mind,
Whatever is moving through.
Thoughts,
Images,
Memory fragments,
There is no need to stop thinking.
Just allow thoughts to pass,
Much the same way sounds pass,
You don't need to follow them.
You don't need to push them away,
They can come and they can go.
If you notice yourself maybe getting caught in a thought,
That's okay,
Just gently return.
Back to the feeling of the body,
Returning back to the breath.
Allow the mind to do what it does,
And let yourself rest underneath it.
Now imagine you are lying beneath the wide open night sky,
A calm,
A quiet space.
The air is still,
The whole world has softened.
Above you,
A slow infinite endless sky,
There is no rush at all and no movement that you need to follow.
Thoughts can drift like distant clouds,
Far away,
Unimportant.
You remain here,
Safely resting,
Held by the ground beneath you.
There is nothing to solve,
There is nothing to prepare,
There is just resting in this space.
Allow the words to begin to fade,
Allowing yourself to drift,
Sinking deeper and deeper into safe rest,
Breathing gently,
Letting go now.
And from here my friend,
There is nothing more to do,
No need to listen,
Just rest.
And allow sleep to come,
In it's own time.
