So as you lie in the bed,
Before you're set up in your position for sleep,
Take a moment to stretch the body in a luxurious way,
Arms out to the side or overhead,
Maybe stretching and pointing the toes and flexing them.
And if you don't have room in the bed,
If it's not practical to do with your sleeping situation,
Get up out of the bed,
Stand next to the bed and let your body expand as wide as it can,
Just stretching the arms out to the side as wide as you can.
If you're standing,
Your hands could even go behind you and overhead and over to one side.
And the other side,
You're standing,
You can twist the upper body from side to side.
If you're lying in bed,
You could just roll one leg over the others,
Twisting the lower body to one side,
Just to give the spine a little stretch.
And last but not least,
Take a moment to massage the back of your neck and do this while lying down in the bed so you're not using the muscles of the neck to hold the head up.
Taking one hand,
You can just put it behind your neck and squeeze very kindly.
Maybe even taking your thumbs and pressing them up into the base of your skull.
That gets sore for a lot of people.
Some people use their thumbs.
Just give a little massage there.
While you're at it,
Give a little massage to your temples and up into the side of your scalp in front of the ear.
That should feel very good.
That's the top part of the jaw muscle.
And then let your hand smooth down to the jaw muscle and just give it a nice little massage,
Releasing and letting go of that jaw.
And last,
Take one hand and put it on the opposite shoulder and squeeze and just give a nice little massage to the opposite shoulder.
It should feel really good.
Pressing the fingers in the top of the back of your shoulder.
Yeah.
And do that to the other side.
Just massaging that shoulder.
Good.
Now,
Let go of all massaging if you're not laying down in the bed.
Get in the bed now and take a moment to just make any adjustments you need to get in the comfortable position in which you would like to fall asleep.
And take a nice deep breath in,
Big sigh out,
And then just take three to five breaths.
Easy breaths,
Where the exhalation is longer than the inhalation.
Just stretch out the exhalation a little longer.
You could breathe out in a small opening in the lips as if you were breathing out through a straw,
If that's helpful.
Just let the exhalation be elongated for three to five breaths.
And you can take a little catch breath in between these elongated breaths out.
Good.
Okay.
Now,
As you're lying in bed,
The body may feel some vibration or energy from having moved,
Maybe from the breathing.
If there's any vibration or undulation or wave-like movement,
Anything that wants to move,
Let it move and let it be a kind of softening massage,
Maybe like little tingles that will put you to sleep.
And similar to how snow on a snow globe slowly settles,
So will any energy that may be there.
And if there isn't any,
Just appreciate the stillness of the body.
Now,
Take a moment to feel the whole body,
Out to the outer edges of the body.
And as you stretch out and hold the whole body,
You're aware there's just space in there filled with different sensations.
Now,
Allow your attention to go outside of the body,
To notice sounds around you.
There may be sound,
It may be silent,
But just listen out.
Feel your attention expand out beyond the body.
Now,
Bring your attention to your visual experience with your eyes closed.
There might be colors,
Shapes,
Swirls,
Geometric patterns.
There might be images or parts of images from the thought process of people,
Objects,
Places.
Or,
And most likely at this point,
There may just be a kind of grayscale blank screen of lightness and darkness,
Maybe blobs or patches.
Or it might be mostly dark as your room is dark.
And just let your attention rest there for a moment in this blank field,
Not attaching meaning to any image.
Just noticing that your attention is now placed in your visual field with your eyes closed and rest there.
Now,
You have moved your attention from feeling the body as it stretches,
After it stretches,
From zooming out to hold the whole body in awareness.
You had to move your attention deliberately.
You deliberately moved your attention then to sounds or the world of sound around you,
Even though it may have been mostly silent.
And then I just had you move your attention to your visual experience with your eyes closed.
Now,
I want you to notice that all of those involved you moving your attention deliberately with an intention to move your attention.
Now,
We're going to let go of any intention to move your awareness in any way whatsoever.
This is an ultimate letting go.
Do nothing.
Let whatever happens happen.
Let your attention go wherever it goes.
But you let go of the wheel.
No effort.
Do nothing.
Whatever happens is fine.
And if you find yourself going back to one thing,
But you're not deliberately attempting to go there,
That's fine.
Let that happen.
Let your attention goes wherever it goes.
Your job is to let go of effort to do nothing.
Let whatever happens happen.
Let go of the wheel,
Lay back and enjoy the ride.
Do nothing.
No effort.
And your attention may go to one of the places I guided you.
Fine.
That would be natural.
But don't attempt to direct where your attention goes.
Do nothing.
Let go of the wheel.
Let whatever happens happen.
Do nothing.
And maybe a natural appreciation of the effortlessness of this will arise.
But don't even try to appreciate too much energy,
Too much effort,
No effort.
Do nothing.
And if the body goes to sleep,
Let it do nothing.
