Hello,
My friend.
As much as you are able,
Invite a quality of restfulness into your bedroom.
Make it as dark and quiet and cool as feels comfortable for you.
If you are listening to this meditation on a phone,
Place it away from you on a nightstand or a dresser with the screen light off.
Signal to your mind that it is now free of any duty to your phone.
Your day is complete.
There's nothing you need to do right now.
There's nothing you need to solve or fix.
You have permission to be completely at ease.
So,
Settle in and gently call to mind any moment from this day that you feel grateful for.
It could be something random,
A breeze on your cheek,
A smile from a stranger,
A bite of delicious food.
Just savor that moment and then let the memory go.
To ease into sleep,
We're going to do a gentle muscle relaxation followed by a calming breath cycle.
So if it's comfortable for you,
Lie on your back.
This can help with the body scan,
But most important is that you feel cozy and at ease.
So,
It's fine to find any position that feels really good to you and get comfortable.
And starting with the crown of your head,
Gently let your awareness sift down through your body,
Inviting a sense of relaxation.
Relaxing your scalp,
Letting your forehead relax,
Bringing ease into your temples,
Letting your eyes relax,
Letting your upper eyelids rest gently on the lower lid,
Letting your nose and your cheeks relax,
Letting your jaw unhinge and be at ease,
Your tongue resting in the floor of your mouth,
Bringing a sense of relaxation into your neck,
Your collarbone,
Your shoulders.
If it helps,
You can tense your shoulders,
Tense them up tightly and then completely release,
Letting go.
Tensing your arms and your fists and then completely relaxing,
Letting go of any stress in your arms and your hands,
Letting your shoulders drop and be at ease,
Inviting a sense of relaxation into your chest,
Ribs gently expanding and relaxing,
Letting your skin down through your torso,
Letting your hips relax,
Your buttocks and your thighs,
Feeling your whole body fill with soft,
Golden relaxation.
You can tense your legs for a minute,
Tense up your muscles all the way down to your feet and then completely release.
Let your legs be fully at ease,
Letting your feet relax,
Letting each toe be completely at ease,
Letting a warm sense of relaxation permeate your whole body and now bringing your attention gently to your breath and to signal to your body that it's completely free to relax,
We'll do a few rounds of 4,
7,
8 breathing where you inhale for 4,
You hold for 7 and you exhale for 8.
I'll count with you but if the rhythm feels off to you,
Feel free to ignore my voice and simply exhale deeply at your own pace.
So inhale for 4,
1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold for 7,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale for 8,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
Inhale for 4,
2,
3,
4,
Hold for 7,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale for 8,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
Inhale for 4,
2,
3,
4,
Hold for 7,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale for 8,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
Last one,
Inhale for 4,
2,
3,
4,
Hold for 7,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale for 8,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
And then let your breathing relax into its own natural rhythm.
No need to control.
Letting the body breathe on its own.
And as you inhale,
Imagine your heart rising up to meet your mind.
And as you exhale,
Imagine your mind falling into your heart.
Your heart rising to meet your mind.
Your mind falling into your heart.
And if your mind wanders,
No worries,
Just gently bring it back.
And as you inhale,
Imagine your heart rising up to meet your mind.
Your mind falling into your heart.
Surrendering your mind to heart center.
Surrendering your mind to deep,
Peaceful sleep.
Bathing your body in rest.
