When using this guided practice for the purpose of sleep,
Please don't put yourself under any pressure to go to sleep.
High expectations and forcing sleep will make it ever more elusive.
Today use this time to rest and relax.
This is the best way to approach this moment now.
Turn off any distractions and lie down.
Comfort is key here.
So take some time to stretch and adjust the body until you're as comfortable as possible.
You may feel the need to ease further into rest by gently moving the body during our time together.
Know that this is okay.
Each and every move,
Each and every breath,
Each and every thing your body does from this moment on is its way of finding more ease.
Closing down the eyes if you've not done so already.
In your chosen position,
Notice the body breathing.
How does the breath feel this evening?
Now can you slow the breath down a little more,
Finding more and more ease in the body as you feel it gently breathing itself.
The breath coming in and the breath coming out.
Tune into any subtle movement that the breath creates in the body.
The breath in your body can gently rock you into a deeper state of relaxation.
Notice the breath,
Notice the gentle movement.
Thoughts are normal here,
Natural even.
Trying to stop thinking is like asking the lungs to stop breathing.
So just leave the thoughts floating around the mind with less concern about what the thoughts are thinking.
Let's return the focus to the breath and give those thoughts some direction.
In the mind's eye,
On the inhale,
Softly whisper to yourself,
Breathing in.
And on the out breath,
Saying to yourself,
Breathing out.
Let's take some time to drop deeply into the sensation of the breath while giving the mind some direction.
Just being aware of this one breath in and breath out is all that you need in this moment now.
Nothing needs to be fixed or changed.
Your body,
Mind and feelings are exactly as they need to be.
Realising how one breath follows the next,
Follows the next,
Follows the next.
Let's move to sensations in the body.
Feel for any sensations in the feet.
The connection of the feet to the bed.
The temperature of your feet.
The touch of the cloth of your clothes and your bedsheets on your feet.
Going inside,
Perhaps you can sense tingles or whooshing.
Nothing to do,
Nothing special,
Just notice your feet.
Feel into the lower legs and notice the connection of your lower legs to the bed.
The temperature of the lower legs.
The touch of cloth to your lower legs.
Go inside and perhaps you can sense tingles or whooshing.
If you can't sense anything at all,
That is naturally okay.
My voice is just a guide and you'll have your own experience which is natural for you.
Feel the upper legs.
The connection of the upper legs to the bed.
The temperature of the upper legs.
And the touch of the cloth of your clothes or your bedsheets.
Go inside sensing any whooshing or tingling sensations there.
Coming to your pelvis.
Feel the connection of the pelvis to the bed.
The temperature of the pelvis.
The touch of the cloth of your clothes or the bedsheets.
Going inside sensing any energy,
Tingles or whooshing.
Feel the back.
If your back is connected to the bed,
Feeling into that.
The temperature,
The touch of the cloth of your clothes and any sensations you can feel from the inside of the back out.
Sense into the upper arms.
Feeling if there's any connection to the surface,
The bed beneath you.
The temperature of the upper arms.
And the touch of cloth against the upper arms.
Then any sensations you may feel within.
Sensing your lower arms.
Any connection of the lower arms to the bed.
The temperature.
The touch of the cloth of your clothes or your bedsheets.
Going inside and noticing if you can feel any sensations from within.
Sensing,
Feeling,
Noticing the hands.
The tension of the hands to the bed or perhaps to your body.
The temperature of the hands.
And the touch of the cloth of your clothes or the bedsheets against your hands.
Perhaps you can sense some tingling or some whooshing happening.
Just noticing what you feel.
And into the belly.
The temperature of the belly.
And the touch of cloth to the belly.
Noticing any sensations within the belly area.
Into the chest.
Feeling the gentle rise and fall of the chest as the breath connects within the chest.
If you get really still you might even sense the beating of the heart.
Coming into the throat and neck area.
What do you notice there?
The back of the head.
The top of the head.
The forehead.
The eyes.
The jaw.
And the mouth.
Noticing which part of the head and perhaps the face is connected to the bed beneath you.
The temperature of the head.
And the touch of the cloth of your pillows on the head.
Going inside and sensing the brain.
It works so hard for you during the day.
You can now give the brain permission to rest.
Let's go back down the body now,
But this time with the intention of relaxing each body part.
Noticing the jaw and the mouth.
Softening the muscles in the cheeks,
Around the temples,
In the eyes,
In the forehead,
Top of the head,
Back of the head.
The whole of the face,
Head,
Eyes and brain can relax.
Softening the throat and the neck area.
Relaxing the chest.
The belly.
Let all of the tiny muscles in the hands release and allow the hands to be heavy.
Relax the bones,
The muscles and the skin in the lower arms.
Upper arms.
And the shoulders.
Softening all of the muscles in the back,
The muscles around the shoulder blades,
Behind the shoulder blades,
And in between the shoulder blades.
All of the muscles that support the spine from the nape of the neck down to the tip of the tailbone.
And all of the muscles in the low back.
Relaxing the pelvis.
The upper legs.
The lower legs.
And the feet.
And your next breath out,
Let all of the bones,
The muscles,
The skin and the organs in the body rest.
This draws us to the end of our time together.
I wish you a peaceful night's rest.
Good night.
