Welcome to this guided journey into deep rest and relaxation.
This is a time to take the pressure off yourself and to give your body and mind a peaceful space in which to settle.
And it really doesn't matter why you've awakened before you intended to.
Perhaps someone or something woke you.
Perhaps you're feeling unsettled for some reason.
Or perhaps you have no idea why you're awake.
I'm going to guide you through a process of relaxation that will slow your mental activity,
Soothe your nervous system,
And relax your body into a deep state of stillness.
So let's begin with an intention to forgive yourself or anything else that may have contributed to your being awake.
You don't need to carry that.
Simply soften,
Release,
And let go.
And as you listen to my voice,
You may find you begin to feel pleasantly drowsy,
In touch with that part of you that knows and has always known the path to deeply restorative rest.
So very easy,
So very effortless.
And if you have concerns about tomorrow and what you'll be doing,
Or how you may need to perform,
You can lay them aside now.
Tomorrow will take care of itself.
So on your next outbreath,
See if you can feel your body surrender to the surface you were lying on,
Letting go of any tension or stress,
Any cares or concerns.
Leaning into the deeper knowing that you are secure and need do nothing in this moment,
But watch over the movement of your breath as it enters and leaves your body.
Noticing the smooth rise of your belly as you inhale,
And the soft,
Slow release as you exhale.
I'm going to count from ten to one.
And as I do,
You can allow your body to soften and melt a little deeper with each count.
Beginning at ten.
Feeling your body becoming heavy and relaxed.
Nine.
Noticing your thoughts beginning to slow down.
Eight.
Feeling your body become loose and free.
Seven.
Enjoying the feeling of drifting softly down.
Six.
Not a care in the world.
Five.
Allowing your muscles to soften even more.
Four.
Feeling warm and heavy.
Three.
So drowsy and at peace.
Two.
Deepening into rest and relaxation.
And one.
Feeling that you need do nothing at all to deepen into blissful rest.
It's inevitable.
It's calling you.
And whether you fall asleep now or later.
Whether you awaken and fall asleep again.
It really doesn't matter.
Because even in this moment,
You are resourcing and renewing yourself from a place of deep relaxation.
Either way,
It's handled.
And knowing that allows you to relax even more.
And at any time you choose,
You can simply allow the sound of my voice to fade out.
And turn your focus to the music.
Or allow that to fade out too.
And follow your own path into deeper rest and relaxation.
And finding yourself now on a meandering path through a pine forest.
The air is warm and clear.
The trees are tall and still.
And as you walk along the path,
You enjoy the soft sound of your footsteps on the ground beneath you.
In a soothing,
Gentle rhythm.
As if the earth is massaging the soles of your feet with each step you take.
And you are massaging the earth in return.
Up ahead is a clearing,
Surrounded by a circle of tall trees.
You make your way there and enter the circle.
This place feels familiar.
As if you've come here to rest many times before.
You walk into the centre and lie down on a soft bed of moss.
As your body surrenders into the warm,
Welcoming earth,
You notice you feel even more relaxed and peaceful.
Having any remaining burden of stress or tension to melt into the ground below you.
The trees encircle you like ancient guardians watching over you and protecting you as you explore an even deeper dimension of rest and relaxation.
And as you breathe in the soft scent of the sap,
It has a deeply calming effect on your nervous system.
The forest is calling you home to that place of rest and recuperation you know so well.
Opening to the forest's stillness and allowing relaxation and wellbeing to spread throughout your body now.
Beginning at the top of your head and flowing down over your face.
Feeling any tension between your eyebrows,
Softening your mouth,
Releasing your jaw.
Letting the relaxation flow down through your neck and shoulders.
Giving up the burden of effort and noticing how good it feels to allow your body to become heavier and heavier.
Letting the wellbeing and relaxation flow down through your chest and into your belly.
Letting your breathing be so soft and easy.
Letting the delicious warmth and relaxation spreading down through your back.
Loosening any tense or tired muscles as it flows.
Lying out tension as the relaxation spreads from your shoulders down through your arms,
Your elbows,
Your wrists,
Your hands and fingers.
Just noticing how little effort it takes and how much your body enjoys the feeling of softening and melting in each area.
And bringing the focus now to the heaviness and warmth of your pelvis and your hips.
Letting the warm inviting energy of relaxation flow down through your thighs,
Into your knees,
Softening and loosening your calves,
Your ankles,
Your feet and toes.
Until your whole body from head to toe is feeling deeply relaxed,
Deeply surrendered,
Enjoying the peace and stillness of rest.
Letting your breath moving freely like a gentle wave,
Taking you deeper into relaxation.
Now you become aware of your connection to the earth and where before there was a sense of heaviness and weight,
Now you notice you begin to feel lighter.
And as this feeling of lightness grows,
Your body gently rises up off the ground,
Floating on a magic carpet.
You rise gently upwards above your guardian trees,
Feeling so safe,
So held.
Riding the warm air currents,
Rising up and up above the land below.
Your magic carpet carries you now beyond the forest and over beautiful meadows sprinkled with wildflowers,
Transporting you in a state of wonder and blissful relaxation.
And eventually it comes to rest at the top of a hill,
Placing you softly down onto the welcoming earth.
As you gaze at the panoramic view around you,
The sun is beginning to set and the sky is lit up with exquisite oranges and golds,
Pinks and purples.
You marvel at the beauty of the view that seems to grow more lovely with each passing moment.
As you drink your fill of this tapestry of colour,
You feel nourished and relaxed from head to toe.
Little by little,
Night falls softly around you,
The light and colour of the sunset fades,
Replaced by an equally beautiful inky blackness,
Punctuated with twinkling stars.
The air is balmy and warm,
And the vastness of the starlit sky fills you with a sense of expansiveness and infinite possibility.
And as you gaze into the far reaches of space,
You notice with delight a shooting star across the sky.
And just as you lie there,
Wishing you could see another,
As if in response to that wish,
Another star shoots across the vast open space above.
The stars twinkling fill you with wonder and awe.
There is one star now in particular that shines brighter than the rest.
It keeps calling your attention,
And you notice that as you look at it,
You feel a warm glow in your heart.
This is your home star,
Your guiding star,
It carries messages for you of support,
Wisdom,
Feeling and wellbeing.
It has the power to bring you home to the deepest part of yourself,
To soothe your nervous system and restore your body to help you enjoy effortless sleep and awaken feeling inspired,
Blessed and grateful.
And as you feel the connection with your home star more and more clearly,
You notice something surprising.
The star has lifted away from the backdrop of the dark night sky and is beginning to move towards you.
Unlike the shooting stars,
This star moves gently and slowly,
Descending on a path towards the precise place where you are lying.
Coming closer and closer until it finally alights softly on your chest,
You welcome your home star with an open heart,
And as you do,
It transforms into shimmering particles of light which penetrate your body into every cell,
Filling you with peace,
Wellbeing and joy.
The energy of your star is nourishing at the deepest level,
Clearing stress and fatigue,
Relaxing your biochemistry and effortlessly building reserves of energy and resilience for you to draw on in the future.
And as you continue to drift in this delicious place of relaxation atop your hill,
Drinking in the elixir of your home star,
You sense a recalibration of your mind too.
Old stories of impossibility and limitation,
Even the story of sleeplessness,
Simply dissolve away.
And any identity of outgrown or belief that no longer serves you melts away too.
And in their place is a new energy of possibility and expansion,
An innate wellbeing that knows no bounds.
You trust and know that you are perfectly on track and aligned with your soul's purpose.
And resting easy in this awareness now,
Knowing that when you are ready to awaken,
You'll take this feeling of renewal and inspiration with you.
And for the time being,
You need do nothing at all.
Simply bask in the restful starlit glow of infinite oneness and limitless possibility and let yourself dream.
