Aloha and welcome to this evening wind down practice.
The intention is to help you build self-respect.
Self-love,
And self-kindness.
To get started.
Make sure you are nice and comfortable whether you're sitting or lying down.
Give yourself the treats of making any adjustments you need so everything feels just right.
As you settle in,
Take a big breath in through your nose.
And let the exhale out nice and slow.
One more breath like that.
And bring your attention to the bottoms of your feet.
Noticing any sensations.
Giving your toes a little wiggle and giving thanks to your feet that have carried you throughout the day.
Bringing your attention up from your feet to your lower calves to your knees.
Your thighs.
And your entire leg from the bottom of your hip to the soles of your feet.
Thanking your legs for helping you move throughout the day to get up and get down.
And bringing your attention to your hips.
Feeling your lower belly rise and fall And since this is an area that carries so much subtle tension,
Just let your hips know they can relax.
If there's any tension they're still holding.
They're allowed to let go.
Thanking your hips for carrying you for holding you together.
And bringing your attention.
To your belly rising and falling.
Notice how it feels to be full.
And how it feels to empty of breath.
Knowing that each little breath is massaging your organs.
Your digestive system.
And helping all these vital systems of your body do their job.
And thanking this part of your body for its ability to digest experiences as well as food.
For the organs that help you process.
Filter.
And make the best of what you're given.
And bringing your attention now to your ribs and your chest.
Feeling your lungs fill?
And empty.
Maybe even taking another big breath in with a slow exhale.
It's easy to forget that our breath communicates with us just like our heartbeat.
As our breaths and heartbeat quicken,
It's a signal of stress.
When we decide to take a deeper breath,
It signals to our body we are safe and it helps us relax.
And giving gratitude now to your lungs.
To your heart.
For all these things that function without you needing to think about it,
Keeping you alive,
Keeping you safe.
And now bringing your attention to your shoulders your upper arm.
Your lower arm.
Even noticing any sensation on your hands.
Your fingertips.
And thank your arms for helping you reach,
Pull,
And push.
To take and give away.
To bring in what you need.
And protect yourself from what you don't.
Thanking your hands for helping you express yourself through writing.
Through typing.
You're touching.
Feeling your whole arm from fingertips to shoulders.
And bringing your attention to your neck.
Noticing any tension in your neck or jaw.
And reminding this part of your body it's okay to let go.
Thanking your mouth,
Your jaw,
Your neck and throat for helping you communicate.
Bringing your attention to your whole face.
See if you can relax those little muscles around your eyes and your jaw just a little bit more.
And give gratitude to this face that helps you express yourself.
To see,
To taste,
To hear,
To smell.
Feeling your entire face.
Feeling all of your head from the tip,
Tip,
Tip of your head down the back towards your neck.
And bringing your whole body into awareness.
Head,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Chest,
Stomach,
Hips,
Legs,
Breathing in deeply with your whole body.
Thanking your body.
So often we criticize our body and what it does and what it looks like.
And we forget how lucky we are to simply have a body that moves.
So thanking your body.
Offering it any words of kindness.
That it might need.
And if none come to mind.
Feel free to repeat after me.
Thank you,
Body,
For helping me move forward in my life.
Thank you for protecting me.
Thank you for helping me express myself.
And to wind down,
Bring to mind.
Three things from your day that you're grateful for.
They can be tiny details.
Like the purr of a cat or the wagging tail of a dog.
Or they can be giant,
Big things you're grateful for.
Let yourself see this thing you are grateful for.
Let yourself feel this gratitude in your body.
Take a big breath in and let this gratitude fill your lungs as you slowly exhale.
Let yourself rest in this place of gratitude Let yourself feel accomplished.
And let yourself receive these words from me.
Today you have done enough.
Today you showed up and that is the best anyone can do.
Today,
Just like every day.
You are loved.
You are enough.
You are safe.
You are cared for.
And you are on time.
From this place of self-respect and kindness.
I invite you to set an intention for your rest tonight.
A single word of a feeling you would like to embody.
A feeling you would like to welcome in.
Trust that by simply naming this intention,
And bringing it to sleep with you you are one step closer to feeling it more fully.
Thank you for being with me tonight,
And I wish you a beautiful,
Beautiful rest.
