Let's get ready to welcome sleep.
Take some time.
Just to be aware of your body.
And aware of yourself.
Resting on support.
You're being supported by what you're lying on right now.
And becoming aware of the sensations of contact and support.
Let your awareness move gently through your body.
Be aware of your feet.
Your legs.
Your pelvic area,
Your hips.
And then feeling your upper body resting into support.
Goodbye.
Your shoulders.
Feeling the way your head is supported.
Just aware of your body here now.
And there may be sounds in your environment,
So just pausing to acknowledge the sounds.
We're not fighting the sound.
We're just noticing them.
Of being aware now of any area of your body.
Where there's a sense of being comfortable.
Even cozy right now.
And you may also be aware of places in your body that are not so comfortable.
If so.
.
.
Gently sense those places in your body that are not so comfortable.
And take a little time.
To find your own compassion for those places.
If your knee,
For example,
Is hurting.
Not your day's fault.
Your knee is a phallocephala.
Have compassion for the need.
Even gratitude that it patiently bears that uncomfortable sensation.
So bringing awareness to any place in your body that's uncomfortable right now.
With gentleness towards yourself.
And maybe you could acknowledge as well something in you.
Not wanting to feel those painful or uncomfortable sensations.
And then after you do that,
Perhaps it becomes possible to.
Almost sink into the sensation to give yourself to it.
Sensing exactly what it feels like right now,
Right at this moment.
And that may be something you'd like to stay with for a while.
I'm going to move on.
Another thing you may be experiencing are busy thoughts,
Worries,
Going over plans,
Revisiting conversations from the past day,
Something that needs to happen tomorrow.
Maybe there's a feeling of something that still has a hold of you from your daily life.
It's hard for you to let go.
Or maybe we could say,
It won't let you go.
And if there's something like that.
Just pausing to sense how that feels in your body right now.
Tight in the throat maybe,
Or tense up around your forehead.
However it is.
Just don't,
Ethel.
And say an inner hello.
Yes,
I know you're there.
And then take a few minutes just to sense if there's something it needs you to know.
Or something it needs you to remember.
You could ask it.
What's in the way of letting this rest for now.
And perhaps you'll begin to sense something about it.
Something it doesn't want you to forget.
Something that's bothering this part of you the most.
And let it know you hear that.
If you really got the essence of it.
You'll feel a bit of relief,
A little sigh and sigh.
Even though the problem is still there.
No relief came at all.
Sense again.
What's important about this?
What does it most need for me to know right now?
And after I hear that.
Can I set it down?
Just for the night.
You can imagine yourself setting it down.
Maybe nearby,
Next to your bed.
It can rest too until you need it again.
And notice how your body feels now.
There's more contact of your body on what you're lying on.
If there's more space inside.
If there's more of a sense of drifting a little bit.
Sleep is a kind of letting go.
If something in you doesn't want to let go,
Maybe that's what needs attention for a while.
Maybe there's something in you not wanting to let go into sleep.
Maybe you could feel.
That such a part is around somewhere.
And you might move your hand to your heart or some other part of your body where your hand is drawn right now.
Or there's something not wanting to let go right now.
Be gentle with it.
Give it your compassion.
Say to it.
I'm here to listen.
And see if you can feel as tender and as soft toward that part of you as you would toward a baby child.
Or a baby animal.
Oh yes,
Not wanting to let go yet.
Something's hard about letting go.
And then say to it gently.
I am with you.
I'm here with you now.
Feeling your own sense of tenderness,
Compassion,
And caring.
Toward those places in you that sometimes have a hard time.
Yeah.
That's hard,
You say to them.
No wonder it's hard.
And you can continue to feel your own compassion,
Your own gentle caring.
And perhaps even a sense that you too are being held.
In a quality of comfort and caring.
That you too can rest.
So allow yourself to be held.
Just being with what's here.
Letting a gentle hand move to that place in your body that needs comfort.
Or to your heart.
And feeling yourself comforted.
As you comfort these places in you that need that.
Sleep well.
Sweet dreams.
