Permission To Rest

Go ahead and get comfortable.

Settle into a position that feels good to your body.

Take a nice deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Go ahead and close your eyes.

Feel the velvety darkness behind your eyelids.

And notice this velvety darkness relaxes you deeper and deeper.

Good.

Let your body gently become soft.

That's right.

Already beginning to let go.

Already feeling even more relaxed.

Good.

Go ahead and continue to gently let your body soften.

Letting this softness continue to deepen and expand through your body.

Let your mind begin to gently slow down.

Feeling even more deeply relaxed.

That's right.

Good.

And now go ahead and relax your forehead,

Especially your eyebrows.

Let your eyebrows soften.

Let them smooth out.

Good.

Relax your eyelids.

And relax the tiny muscles next to your eyes.

Relax all the little muscles in your face.

Good.

Relaxing all the way down through your jaw.

Let your jaw be loose,

Spacious,

And relaxed.

That's right.

Good.

Relax your neck and your shoulders.

Relax all the muscles in your arms all the way through to your fingertips.

And now allow your heart to relax.

Let your heart become soft.

Good.

Relaxing your chest,

Beginning to relax each and every corner of your torso.

Good.

Really softening and relaxing your heart.

Very good.

And as you relax your torso,

Go ahead and release your belly.

Let it be exactly as it is.

Let it rise and fall comfortably with each and every breath.

Good.

Relax your hips.

Relax your glutes.

And relax your sit bones.

Relaxing your pelvis.

Relax all the muscles in your legs all the way down through the tips of your toes.

And all the way down through the soles of your feet.

Good.

Let your body relax into the surface holding you.

Beginning to relax deeper and deeper.

Really feel your body held.

And gently lean in to that feeling of being held.

Take a nice deep breath in.

Exhaling comfortably.

Good.

In a moment,

I'll count down from 3 to 1 and after each and every decreasing number,

You'll hear me say the words,

Deeper and deeper relaxed.

When we get to that final number,

You'll notice yourself arriving in a beautiful and safe place.

Where it's safe for you to return to your unique essence.

Where it's safe for you to dwell in who you truly are.

In this beautiful and safe place,

You get to truly let go.

You get to be exactly as you are.

You get to feel exactly what you feel.

And you get to grow in whatever direction you feel called to grow in.

Notice that you're already looking forward to being there in your safe place.

Beginning with 3.

Deeper and deeper relaxed.

2.

Deeper and deeper relaxed.

And 1.

Deeper and deeper relaxed.

Go ahead and be there now.

In your beautiful and your safe place.

Good,

Feel how good it feels to be there.

And allow your senses to open up.

Really feel and experience the delight of being there in your safe place.

Feel the joy of what it's like to be somewhere you truly love.

Good.

And as you notice the details and as you allow your senses to open up,

Go ahead and interact with the textures.

See and experience the colors.

Notice and be with the sounds.

Take a deep breath in and enjoy the fragrance of being there.

Really notice the way the air feels.

Really basking in and enjoying the details of being there in your safe place.

Receiving the beauty of where you are.

Really tuning to your environment in your safe place.

And now find a spot there in your safe place where you can settle in comfortably,

Where you can enjoy the view and really enjoy and take in the beautiful scenery.

Good.

You have arrived here in your safe place because it's time for you to remember that rest is simply part of you being human.

Rest is something your body needs to do.

And rest is something your body calls you to do.

When your body needs to rest and when your body wants to rest.

Your body always has a legitimate reason for needing or wanting rest.

Your body always has a deeply intelligent reason for needing and wanting rest.

Sometimes your need for rest will make logical sense to you.

And sometimes your body might want to rest more often or more frequently for longer periods of time.

And that's okay.

It's okay to let go of any outdated idea that your body's messages need to make sense within society's paradigm.

Your body has its own deeply intelligent and deeply wise,

Compassionate paradigm.

Notice how true that feels.

And allow the truth and the power of that statement to expand and rise up through your being.

Notice how even hearing that statement and allowing those sensations and feelings to expand and deepen throughout your mind and body,

You're already gently returning to your body's inherent wisdom.

Notice how good it feels to let go of society's paradigm and return to your true nature.

Returning to the paradigm of your body's wisdom,

Your body's compassion,

And the understanding that your body's needs are deeply important and deeply wise.

Your body has its own intelligence.

Your body has important wisdom.

And it's time to gradually shift into trusting your body's needs and trusting your body's wisdom and messages more and more frequently.

This is something that you can do one step at a time,

Little by little,

Allowing those little steps and those gradual shifts to improve your life and to improve your relationship with yourself over time.

Go ahead and notice how good it feels to let go of having to shift this overnight.

Part of trusting your body's wisdom is trusting the timing of your body,

The timing of your needs,

And the timing of your unique life process,

Your unique life unfolding.

Go ahead and take a nice deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Notice how good it feels to drop into the wisdom and the power of that.

You were likely taught to think about rest and to experience rest as a reward for being productive.

And while it feels good to be in flow with the things and projects that matter to us,

While it feels good to be in action and to feel as though we're working towards something,

It's important that we separate the wisdom and the needs of your body from the idea of productivity.

There's something in you that inherently knows that it's time to let this idea go.

There's something deeply loving and deeply wise in you that knows it's time to outgrow this way of thinking.

And that is what you and I are here to do together.

I'm here to support you in restoring your relationship with your body's need for rest.

Go ahead and take a nice deep breath in.

Exhale comfortably,

Noticing that you're already beginning to soak up and absorb this new way of being.

Remembering that your process in returning to your body's wisdom,

Your body's intelligence is exactly right.

Your timing is exactly on time and your process is unfolding in exactly the right way for you.

Go ahead and imagine how this restorative process can improve your life.

Imagine how restoring your relationship with nourishing and replenishing rest can improve your life.

Imagine how restoring your relationship with your body's need for rest will improve your relationship with yourself.

The relationship that you have with your needs is what ultimately informs your relationship with yourself.

Go ahead and take a nice deep breath in and really feel into how that statement feels to you.

Your relationship with your needs is what ultimately informs your relationship with yourself.

Just take that in for a moment.

It's important that you remember that your current relationship with your needs is exactly right.

It makes sense.

Your relationship with your needs and your relationship with yourself is the culmination and the evolution of all of your lived experiences.

Everything from childhood to your teenage years to young adulthood and beyond.

Your relationship with your needs exactly the way it is today is okay and it makes sense.

You're simply here because you know that it's a priority for you to improve your relationship with your needs,

Particularly your relationship with rest.

Notice how this shift is already informing the way you think about yourself.

Feel and notice how it's informing the way you may talk to yourself.

Letting the voice of your calm,

Gentle,

And compassionate intuition to become the voice that you hear first.

Letting that calm,

Compassionate inner voice become the voice that you act on.

Letting this voice lovingly and compassionately guide you to having a more compassionate relationship with your needs and a more loving,

Gentle,

Kind relationship with yourself.

It's safe for those shifts to take place.

It's safe for your mind to soak up and absorb and integrate these shifts.

It's safe for rest to become a whole new and more replenishing and nourishing experience for you.

It's safe for you to trust the timing of your body's needs.

Go ahead and take a nice deep breath in.

Breathe in comfortably.

Good.

As you enjoy this time in your safe place,

Feel yourself already leaning in to the intelligence of your body.

Feel yourself gently listening to the wisdom of your body.

Feeling what that's like for you.

What does your body need most today?

Noticing that any answer you receive is exactly right.

Noticing that you may receive an answer later today.

Noticing that whatever response you tune into and whatever comes up for you,

Even if it's just silence,

Is exactly right.

Your body's wisdom is deep and important.

Your body's wisdom matters.

Food that nourishes your body and your soul.

Hydration.

Deep restful sleep.

Safety.

Emotional,

Physical,

And otherwise genuine love.

Compassion.

Joy.

Fun.

Connection.

Space to explore your interests and follow your heart's curiosity.

All of these,

Among many other human needs,

Are deeply important.

Human needs are real,

Valid,

And valuable.

You and I are here today to support you in having a nourishing and replenishing relationship with rest.

Go ahead and take a nice,

Deep breath and wonder to yourself what feels restful for you.

Maybe it's time lying down with your favorite blanket.

Maybe it's listening to music that calms you and feels good in your body.

Maybe it's being in nature,

Being with trees or flowers,

Or just feeling your body lying down on the earth.

Maybe it's reading for fun.

Letting yourself nap when your body needs or wants to.

Letting your body sleep when and as it needs to.

Or maybe something else entirely.

What comes to you and what feels inspired and what sparks your interest is exactly right.

Go ahead and wonder to yourself,

How might you explore your relationship with rest today?

Notice what comes to you.

You may receive more insight into one or more of these questions as you go about your day later.

The needs of your body,

Your heart,

Your soul,

And your mind are all deeply important.

And rest is particularly important for you at this time in your life.

Rest is simply part of letting yourself be cared for.

Rest is simply part of being human.

It is safe and okay for you to be deeply human.

Rest is a wonderful way to love yourself deeply and a wonderful way to be compassionate with your precious,

Authentic self.

The time you have,

The space you have,

And the circumstance of your current living environment are all real and important factors in your relationship with rest.

It's important to know that the time you currently have is okay.

The space that you have in your life to rest is completely okay.

In the circumstance of your environment and how that impacts your relationship with rest is also completely okay.

Your current capacity to engage in nourishing rest is exactly right the way that it is.

It makes sense.

Your ability and capacity to rest have to do with all of your real life experiences,

Your relationships.

In the circumstance of your living situations up to this point,

It's safe to gradually improve your rest little by little.

Go ahead and take a nice deep breath in,

Releasing and letting go as you exhale.

Good.

And notice what do you need right now?

Maybe some water,

Some food,

A moment to yourself before you move into the next part of your day.

What you need right now is exactly right.

Take another nice deep breath in,

Exhaling comfortably.

Feel and sense your muscles and your bodily tissues really soaking up and absorbing the soft,

Gentle,

Compassionate relaxation you've cultivated.

Notice with each and every breath,

Your body and mind absorb everything that's for your highest good,

Everything that's right for you.

Really soaking and absorbing it even more deeply.

Good.

Before you gently open your eyes,

Go ahead and put your hands over your heart.

Put your feet flat on the ground beneath you.

Feel yourself grounding in and integrating everything that you absorbed over these last several moments.

Good.

Take a nice deep breath in and gently open your eyes as you exhale.

Good.

And now bring some gentle movement into your body.

Maybe wiggling your fingers or your toes,

Moving your legs or your arms.

Good.

Maybe putting your hands on your cheeks.

Feel the ground beneath your feet.

Good.

Go ahead and take one last deep breath in and feel that gentle buzz of calm that you've cultivated in your body and mind.

Enjoy a moment of celebrating anything that feels good to focus on and celebrate.

Maybe giving yourself a good hug.

Excellent.

I'm sending you all my love and wishing you a wonderful rest of your day.