Hello,
In this practice,
We'll prepare the body for sleep with conscious breath directed to various areas of the body,
Using this breath to tap into a sensation of ease and release.
Find a comfortable position lying down on your back,
Perhaps settling into your bed.
And we'll begin with a few cleansing breaths,
Starting by emptying out all the air in your lungs.
Take a deep breath in,
Exhale and let it go.
Inhale all the way down to the belly,
And exhale,
Empty it out,
Let it go.
Take another deep breath in,
All the way down to the toes,
And hold the breath for a moment.
And exhale and empty it all the way out.
Now we'll start to direct the breath into each body part,
From the tips of the toes up to the crown of the head.
With each breath in,
Bring awareness into that area,
And with each breath out,
Release and let it go.
Let's first take a breath in,
Bringing awareness to your toes.
Imagine the breath traveling down to your toes,
And then exhale,
Letting go of any tension or discomfort.
Feel a sense of relaxation spreading through your toes.
Now guide your awareness to the soles of your feet,
And take an inhale,
Picturing the breath soothing the soles of your feet,
And exhale,
Releasing any tension out there.
Feel your feet becoming heavy and relaxed.
Continue to breathe,
Directing your awareness to your ankles,
And take an inhale,
Allowing the breath to bring a sense of ease to the ankles,
And exhale,
Letting go of any tightness.
Feel a gentle warmth and relaxation in your ankles.
Move your attention to your calves.
Inhale deeply,
Sending the breath down to your calves,
And exhale,
Releasing any lingering tension.
Sense your calves becoming soft and at ease.
Now bring the awareness to your knees,
And inhale,
Envisioning the breath soothing your knee joints,
And exhale,
Letting go of any stiffness.
Feel a gentle relaxation throughout the knees.
Let's shift the awareness to the thighs.
Inhale,
Allowing the breath to flow down into your thighs,
And exhale,
Releasing any tightness.
Feel your thighs becoming comfortably heavy and relaxed.
Continue the journey of breath,
Moving to your hips.
Take an inhale,
Imagining the breath bringing comfort to your hips,
And exhale,
Letting go of any tension.
Feel a sense of ease in the hip area.
Now bring your attention to your abdomen.
Inhale deeply,
Allowing the breath to expand through your abdomen,
And exhale,
Releasing any stress or tightness.
Feel a soothing warmth in your abdominal area.
Let's guide the breath to the chest,
And take an inhale,
Letting the breath fill your chest with calmness,
And exhale,
Releasing any remaining tension.
Feel your chest rise and fall with each peaceful breath.
Move your awareness to the shoulders,
And inhale,
Envisioning the breath melting away any tension in the shoulders,
And exhale,
Letting go of any weight.
Feel the shoulders sinking down into the bed,
Completely relaxed.
Now focus on your arms.
Inhale,
Allowing breath to flow down your arms,
And exhale,
Releasing any tightness in your muscles.
Feel a sense of lightness throughout the arms.
Bring your attention to your hands.
Inhale,
Picturing the breath reaching down through your fingertips,
And exhale,
Letting go of any tension.
Feel your hands becoming warm and comfortable.
Shift your awareness to your neck,
And inhale,
Allowing the breath to bring relaxation to your neck,
And exhale,
Letting go of any stiffness.
Feel a sense of ease in your neck.
Now guide your breath to your head,
And inhale,
Envisioning the breath soothing your forehead and temples in the back of your head,
And exhale,
Releasing any mental tension.
Feel your entire head becoming light and free.
Finally,
Take a few deep breaths,
Inhaling deeply through your nose,
And exhaling fully through your mouth.
With each exhale,
Allow any remaining thoughts or tension to dissolve,
And feel the breath traveling all the way down to the center of your body.
Allow your body to surrender to the gentle rhythm of your breath.
In this calm and peaceful state,
You're ready to embrace a restful and rejuvenating sleep.
As you drift into sleep,
Carry with you the awareness of your breath,
The soothing waves of relaxation,
And the peace that resides within.
Sweet dreams.
