Hey,
If you're hearing this,
You've found yourself awake while the rest of the world is quiet.
That's okay.
There's no need to feel frustrated or pressured to fall back asleep immediately.
Let's start by simply acknowledging that you are here in your bed,
Safe and supported.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose,
Open your mouth,
And slowly and quietly sigh it out.
Let it go.
Let's do two more like that.
Deep inhale through your nose,
Exhale through your mouth,
Let it all go.
Last one,
Deep breath in through your nose,
And sigh it out.
Exhale all the air out.
Good.
Now let your breath return to its natural rhythm,
Letting your body breathe without any effort.
Let's help you fall back asleep.
Check your position.
If you need to adjust your pillow or shift your weight,
Do that now.
Feel the weight of your body pressing into the mattress.
Let the bed take all of your weight.
You don't need to hold yourself up anymore.
Shift your attention to your feet.
Just notice them.
Soften your toes,
Your ankles,
And your calves.
Let that softness move up into your knees and thighs.
Imagine your legs becoming heavy,
Like they are sinking slightly deeper into the mattress.
Bring that same softness into your hands and your arms,
Relax your fingers and let your shoulders drop away from your ears.
Now notice your jaw.
We hold a lot of tension here.
Let your teeth part slightly,
Let your tongue fall away from the roof of your mouth.
Soften the muscles around your eyes and your forehead.
Everything is becoming heavy,
Quiet,
And still.
Now just follow the natural rhythm of your breath.
Don't try to change it or force it.
Just feel the gentle rise and fall of your chest or your belly.
Feel your belly or your chest rise with every inhale and soften with every exhale.
If your mind starts to wander towards what time you need to wake up tomorrow morning or your to-do list for tomorrow or while you're even awake,
That's fine.
Just gently let it go.
Gently guide your focus back to the physical sensations of the breath moving in and out.
Follow the air as it enters your nostrils as you breathe in and follow the air as you breathe out.
There's nothing you need to do right now.
There's nowhere else you need to be.
You're just here breathing.
Stay with this feeling of heaviness and ease.
I'll leave you here in the quiet.
Even if you don't fall asleep right away,
You're still resting.
So don't worry,
You're doing exactly what you need to be doing.
Sleep will come when it's ready.
Good night.
