Evening Mindfulness

The day does not need to be reviewed or resolved right now.

Let it rest exactly where it is,

Unfinished if it must be.

Begin by noticing what is already present without trying to change it.

Notice the background sound to this track.

Let it come and go on its own naturally.

Notice the light around you,

In your room or outside your window.

Just become aware.

This awareness is always here,

Quietly here,

Before you ask anything of it.

Instead of focusing inward,

Allow awareness to widen outward,

Like a soft horizon opening at dusk.

Notice the space that holds sensations,

Thoughts and memories without pulling on any of them.

Thoughts about the day may surface,

Fragments,

Faces,

Moments.

Rather than replaying them,

Notice how they arise and dissolve on their own.

Each one fades back into the same quiet background.

That background has been here all day.

Rest there.

Now notice the feeling of completion without conclusion.

The day does not need to make sense to be complete.

Simply having being lived is enough.

Here are some affirmations that you don't need to repeat.

You can just let them land gently.

I allow today to end.

I release what no longer needs my attention.

Nothing is required of me now.

Notice how this awareness softens when it's no longer pointed forward.

It settles naturally,

Like light dimming without effort.

And as you recognize this,

This awareness becomes heavier,

Slower and less interested in observing.

Because there's nothing to watch for,

Nothing to hold.

Even awareness is allowed to rest.

Once again,

We can silently affirm these words.

I am safe to let go.

Rest comes naturally.

I am held by the night.

Allow the space between thoughts to lengthen.

There's no need to stay alert throughout the rest of the night.

As this meditation ends,

You don't need to return anywhere.

Let awareness fade gently into sleep,

Carrying nothing with it.

Good night.