Begin to prepare yourself for sleep.
Notice what's sticky in your mind today.
Notice what you're holding in your body.
And start to invite in a softening back into this moment.
Breathe into the stickiness in your mind or body.
Inviting in some awareness,
Some acceptance,
And exhaling out the narrative around whatever you discover.
Allow yourself to show up to this moment exactly as it is.
You may want to set an intention,
Telling yourself it's time to sleep.
It's time to wind down.
It's time to put this day in the past,
To take a long breath in,
Starting to arrive a little more fully into this moment.
Exhale releasing whatever has a hold on you.
Find the slow steadiness of your breath,
Preparing yourself to transition into sleep.
Invite in a softening into your face.
Imagine the weight of a warm washcloth resting on your face.
Rest the space behind the eyes,
The space along your hairline.
Relax the space behind your ears and find a little bit of space between your teeth.
Allow your tongue to rest naturally.
Just notice what happens to the breath when you soften your face.
So once again,
Imagine that warm washcloth on your face,
Allowing yourself to rest a little more deeply into this moment.
Allow your throat to widen,
To fill up the whole space of your neck.
Now start to sense your collarbones widening as your shoulders release whatever they've been carrying today,
Almost as if you're taking off a backpack.
Allow your right arm to become heavy as you rest your upper arm,
Your forearm,
Your wrist,
The palm of your hand,
The back of your hand,
Your thumb,
Your pointer finger,
Your middle finger,
Your ring finger,
And your pinky.
Allow the whole right arm to soften.
Now guiding your awareness across your chest and over to the left arm,
Allow the whole left arm to soften.
Resting the upper arm and the forearm,
The wrist,
The palm of the left hand,
And the back of the left hand.
Rest your thumb,
Your pointer finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
And pinky.
Allow the whole left arm to soften.
Now guide your awareness down to your left leg.
Soften your whole left leg.
Rest the glute,
The hip,
The hip flexor.
Rest the thigh and the calf.
Soften your ankle,
The bottom of the left foot,
The top of the left foot,
The left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And little toe.
Soften the whole left leg.
Rest the whole right leg.
Soften the right glute,
The right hip flexor,
The right thigh,
And calf.
Soften the right ankle,
Bottom of the foot,
Top of the foot.
Rest the right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And little toe.
Rest the whole right leg.
Invite your awareness into your pelvis,
Into your belly.
With each breath in,
Find a little more softness here.
Rest in the steady rise and fall of the breath and the gentle expansion and contraction.
With each breath out,
Soften into the back.
Feel the whole back plane of the body rest.
Feel the whole back plane of the body supported.
And now bring your awareness to your heart center.
Notice if there's any clenching or holding.
And instead,
Invite in a sense of openness.
Of allowing.
Allow your whole body to soften here.
Notice what remains when you just rest in the steadiness of your breath.
Become aware of the sounds around you.
Become aware of any lingering sounds within you.
Now with your next breath in,
Start to inhale your awareness of those sounds around and within.
Up to the top of your head.
As you exhale,
Soften your whole body once again.
And drop your awareness within.
Into a place that is always calm and peaceful.
That is spacious and expansive.
It's where your essence and your wisdom resides.
Again,
Use your breath in to inhale any awareness of sound to the top of your head.
As you exhale,
Soften into this moment,
Releasing tension.
And resting in that place within.
Continue to use your breath as this cleansing tool.
As this transporter to this innate place within.
Whenever your mind wanders,
Again use your breath.
Cleanse the slate.
And just return to being right here.
Allow your breath to be your guide.
Transporting you into a state of sleep.
Into a state of deep rest that you are so worthy of.
Just breathing.
Just being.
Just resting.
