Settle into a comfortable position.
You may sit or lie down.
Let your body be supported.
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
There is nowhere you need to go,
Nothing you need to fix,
Nothing you need to achieve.
Take a slow breath in through the nose and a long easy breath out through the mouth.
And again inhale gently and exhale fully.
Feel the weight of your body.
Notice where you are supported,
By the mat,
The floor,
The bed,
The chair.
Let the gravity do the work.
You don't need to hold yourself together,
Simply arrive.
Now allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
No effort,
No control,
Just noticing.
Notice where you feel the breath most clearly today,
Perhaps at the nostrils,
The chest or the belly.
Each inhale arrives on its own,
Each exhale leaves on its own.
If the mind wanders,
And it will,
Gently notice that and return to the breath,
Not as a correction but as a kindness.
Each time you return,
You are practicing presence.
Now bring gentle attention to the body,
Start at the top of the head,
Notice any sensations there,
Warmth,
Coolness,
Tension or ease.
Without trying to change anything,
Allow the forehead to soften,
The jaw to unclench,
The tongue to rest.
Let the shoulders drop away from the ears,
Bring awareness down the arms,
Elbows,
Fingers.
Notice the chest rising and falling,
Bring attention to the belly,
Let it be soft,
Let it move freely with the breath,
Awareness continues down through the hips,
Feet.
Feel the whole body as one field of sensation,
Breathing,
Present.
Now gently imagine a place where you feel at ease,
It may be real or imagined,
A place from nature,
A room,
A landscape,
Or simply a feeling of safety,
There is no need to see it clearly,
Sense it in whatever may comes naturally.
Notice the quality of the light,
The colors,
The atmosphere,
In this place nothing is demanded of you,
You are allowed to rest here.
Imagine that with every exhale the body releases a little more tension,
As if it's being absorbed by this place,
With every inhale a sense of calm and steadiness enters the body.
If thoughts arise imagine them as clouds passing through the sky of this place,
They don't need to be followed,
They don't need to be pushed away,
They simply pass,
You remain.
Now bring gentle awareness to the inner world,
Notice what is present emotionally,
Without labeling it as good or bad,
Perhaps there is calm,
Perhaps restlessness,
Perhaps tiredness,
Whatever is here is allowed.
Silently say to yourself,
This too is part of my experience,
Notice thoughts as mental events,
Not instructions,
Not truths,
Just movements of the mind,
Like leaves floating on water,
They come and they go.
You are the awareness watching,
There is nothing more to focus on now,
No instructions to follow,
If the mind stays awake that's fine.
If sleep comes,
That's fine too,
Rest is already happening,
Silently repeat only if it feels helpful.
I am safe,
I can rest,
I can let go,
Allow the words to fade,
Allow awareness to fade,
Let sleep take over in its own time,
Good night.
