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 being 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,
To the hands,
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 night feel the hips,
And 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 take the whole body at once,
As one feel,
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,
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 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 it's 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
