You've made it to the edge of the day,
And for now,
You don't have to carry anything further let this be a soft place,
A place where nothing is required of you,
If you're tired,
You can be tired,
If you're wired,
You can be wired,
We're not forcing sleep,
We're simply making a kinder space for sleep to arrive and if it helps to hear it plainly,
You're allowed to rest,
Feel the places where you're held,
The mattress beneath you,
The support under your shoulders,
Your ribs,
Your hips,
Your legs,
Let the support do a little more of the work,
You don't have to hold yourself up,
You don't have to hold the day together,
If it's comfortable,
Let the exhale be a little longer than the inhale,
Not as a technique to do perfectly,
Just as a suggestion to the nervous system,
It's safe to soften,
Now begin with the small places that hold the most effort,
Let the muscles around the eyes soften,
As if the eyes could rest back in their sockets,
Let the forehead smooth from the inside,
Let the jaw unhook,
Let the tongue rest heavy in the mouth,
Let the throat become quiet,
No need to rehearse,
No need to explain,
No need to prepare,
And notice the shoulders,
Not to fix them,
Just to let them know they can stop bracing,
If you'd like,
Take one easy breath in,
And a slow breath out,
As if you're gently emptying out a cup,
Now we'll take a slow walk through the body,
Not scanning like a flashlight,
More like offering companionship,
Let the head feel your presence,
Not effort,
Presence,
Let the neck feel met,
Let it know it doesn't have to carry anything tonight,
Let the shoulders notice they are being supported,
If they can release,
They will,
If they can't yet,
That's okay,
Move down the arms,
To the elbows,
To the wrists,
Let your hands be empty,
Nothing to hold,
Nothing to grip,
Feel the chest,
The simple movement of breath,
Just let it be true,
Feel the belly,
Soft,
Receiving,
If the belly is tight,
Just let it know it doesn't have to protect you from the light,
Feel the hips,
The heaviness of the pelvis,
As if the center of you can settle downward,
Like warm sand,
Feel the thighs,
The calves,
The ankles,
Let the feet feel your presence,
Let them know the walking is over,
For now,
Now,
Take the whole body at once,
As one field,
Heavy,
Supported,
Allowed,
Now,
Imagine,
Without needing clear pictures,
That inside you,
There is a house,
A simple house,
Warm,
Quiet,
Dimly lit,
And somewhere in that house,
There is a room called the heart,
You don't have to do anything in this room,
You don't have to be impressive,
You don't have to be okay,
You can simply arrive,
And maybe you sense it,
This room has been waiting for you,
A place where you are received,
Exactly,
As you are,
If it feels right,
You can whisper,
Inwardly,
Let me come home,
And if you don't feel anything,
That's fine,
Sometimes,
Coming home is very quiet,
Sometimes,
It's just the willingness,
Now,
With no drama,
We set things down,
First,
Set down the day that happened,
Even if it was beautiful,
Even if it was hard,
You don't have to carry it into sleep,
Second,
Set down the day you imagined,
The replays,
The rehearsals,
The what ifs,
Not pushing them away,
Just letting them rest outside the bedroom door,
Set down the part of you that feels responsible for keeping it all together,
That part is trying its best,
And it can rest too,
We'll keep it simple,
If you'd like an anchor tonight,
Let it be,
On the in-breath,
On the out-breath,
And as you repeat it,
Let your attention become softer and softer,
Like a hand opening,
If sleep comes,
Let it come,
If it takes time,
Let it take time,
The house is here,
The room is open,
And you can rest.
