Hello and welcome.
Thank you for joining me.
My name is Mark Rowland.
This meditation is here to support deep rest and sleep.
I have designed it to calm anxiety and gently guide your nervous system into deep rest.
If at any point you drift off to sleep,
Well that is exactly as it should be.
There is nothing you need to remember,
Nothing you need to do or strive for.
Allow yourself to settle into a comfortable position now,
Allowing the bed to support you fully.
Let today begin to loosen its hold.
Take a slow breath in through the nose and a soft breath out through the mouth,
Again breathing in gently and breathing out longer and slower.
You are here,
You are safe and this moment requires nothing at all from you.
Begin to notice the rhythm of your breathing,
There is no need to control it,
Simply notice the natural rise and fall,
With every breath out,
Imagine your body sinking slightly deeper into the bed,
As if the bed is welcoming you,
Holding you safely.
Notice the temperature of your room,
The quiet sounds around you,
Allowing them to gently fade into the background now.
If you find any anxious thoughts appearing,
You do not need to follow them,
You can allow them to just pass by without any engagement.
Your only task tonight is to rest and let go,
Bringing awareness now to your feet,
Notice them without judgement.
As you breathe out,
Allow the feet to soften completely,
Let relaxation move into the ankles and calves,
Muscles releasing,
No effort is required at all.
The knees soften,
The thighs become heavy and warm,
No longer needing to support you today.
Stay relaxed,
Allow the hips and pelvis to relax now deeply,
This is a place where the body often holds stress,
Let it ease now,
Let the stress evaporate,
Your lower back gently releases,
Your middle back spreads into the bed,
Your upper back softens and widens,
Allow your shoulders to drop,
Away from your ears,
Away from holding,
Your arms now,
Relaxing fully,
Upper arms,
Your elbows,
Forearms,
Hands,
All of your fingers resting naturally without any tension.
Bring awareness to the chest and to the belly,
Notice the gentle flowing movement of your breath,
Allowing the belly to rise and fall freely,
Your throat softening now,
Your neck releasing,
There is absolutely nothing you need to say or explain,
Letting the jaw let go and unclench,
Teeth slightly apart,
Tongue resting comfortably,
The eyes soften and they sink back,
The forehead smooths,
Your scalp relaxes,
Your whole body is now resting,
Bring your attention back now to the breath,
As you breathe in,
Imagine calm spreading gently throughout the body,
As you breathe out,
Imagine all tension draining effortlessly away,
You may now begin to notice your breathing slowing down naturally,
That is your nervous system responding to feeling safe,
Now very quietly,
You may repeat these words,
Or say them in your head,
Only if they feel helpful,
There is no need to force them,
With the out breath,
I am safe right now,
Again,
Softly,
I am safe right now,
If your mind wanders,
Simply return to the feeling of the bed safely beneath you,
Support is already here,
Your body remembers how to rest,
You do not need to teach it,
For it knows what it is doing,
Now allow these gentle phrases to drift through the mind,
Like a gentle whisper,
There is no need to repeat them,
You can simply hear them and let them pass,
You are safe in this moment,
Nothing is required of you anymore tonight,
Your body knows how to calm itself,
You are allowed to let go,
Rest is healing,
You do not need to stay alert,
Sleep is welcome here,
Let the words fade now,
From here the guidance of my voice will become very minimal,
You are gently invited to drift now,
Naturally and safely into sleep,
There is nothing more to focus on,
Nothing more to follow,
Nothing more to do,
Simply sleep,
Sleep and rest,
You are held,
You are safe.
