You're awake,
And that's all right.
I'm Sarah Raymond with The Mindful Movement,
And I'm here with you now.
There is nowhere you need to be right now,
Nothing you need to figure out.
The night is still full and long,
And there is more rest in it than it might feel like right now.
You have arrived exactly where you need to be.
Lying down in the dark,
With permission to let everything else wait.
You can give yourself that permission now.
To let go of the day that passed.
To release what's waiting for tomorrow.
None of it needs you in this moment.
This moment only needs you to be here,
Breathing.
Resting.
Allowing.
Close your eyes if they aren't already.
Feel the weight of yourself in your bed.
Recognize the support holding you is still holding you.
And you can allow yourself to drift gently into the deepest rest.
Take a slow breath in.
And on each exhale.
We count down together from 10 to one.
Nothing else,
Just the breath and the number.
Moving in one direction only.
Downward into rest.
If at any point your mind wanders.
Or thoughts arise,
Simply return to this.
Begin again at 10.
And let the counting do its quiet work of carrying you back to sleep.
Let's begin.
Breathe in slowly.
And breathe out 10.
Drifting a little deeper with that breath.
Something beginning to soften.
Breathe in.
And out.
Nine.
Your shoulders releasing.
Your jaw,
Unclenching.
Your body beginning to remember what it already knows.
Breathe in.
And out.
A heaviness settling into your arms.
Into your hands.
Fingers loose and open.
Breathe in.
And out.
7.
With each number,
You may notice sleep drawing a little closer.
Not forcing it.
Simply allowing.
Breathe in.
And out.
Six.
Your mind growing quieter.
Thoughts becoming softer at their edges.
Further away.
Breathe in.
.
.
And out.
Five.
Your chest open.
Belly soft.
Each exhale releasing just a little more of whatever was held.
Breathe in.
And out.
4.
.
.
Deeper now.
Your body,
Heavy.
And completely support it.
There is nothing you need to hold.
You are being held.
Fully.
Breathe in.
And out,
Three.
So close to sleep now,
Right at the edge of it.
A soft,
Quiet threshold where everything.
.
.
Can relax and be supported.
Breathe in.
.
.
And out.
Two.
Almost there.
Your body surrendering.
Your breath slowing all on its own.
Sleep is very close.
Breathe in.
.
.
And out.
One.
Rest.
Deep,
Complete,
Healing rest.
In your own time.
In your own rhythm.
Breathe in.
And on each exhale,
Count down from 10 to 1.
Let each number carry you a little further into rest.
Let each exhale be a little longer than your inhale.
And trust that each cycle brings you closer.
There is no destination.
Only this breath.
And the next.
And the quiet descending.
If your mind drifts,
That's all right.
Simply begin again.
And let it carry you back.
Allow the counting to drift into the background.
Coming back to it only if your mind wanders away.
Allow it to be gentle.
Allow it to be organic.
And filled with compassion.
Now,
Imagine that beneath you.
Beneath the bed.
Beneath everything holding you.
There is something vast and soft.
And completely supportive.
Like resting inside a cloud.
Held.
Cradled from underneath.
The way you might be held in the arms of someone who loves you completely.
That quality of safety.
Of being fully received.
Of not needing to hold yourself up at all.
You can feel it now,
If you allow it.
A softness beneath you.
A gentle yet complete holding.
Your body sinking into it the way something heavy sinks into something soft.
Settling and being received.
Every part of you that has been holding on.
Holding up.
Holding together.
Can release into this support now.
The cloud holds you.
The night holds you.
There is nothing you need to carry here.
Your arms are heavy and released,
Resting in that support.
Your legs,
Your hips,
Your spine.
All of it.
Letting go into the holding beneath you.
Your head,
So completely supported.
So held.
Just the gentle,
Complete receiving.
And a quiet exhale.
The letting go of the day.
The day leaving because it was ready to go.
And you had a moment still enough to let it.
You are being held right now.
And in that holding.
Sleep arrives the way it does.
Not when you reach for it.
But when you finally,
Completely,
Stop reaching.
If you notice,
Your mind begin to wander.
Simply return to the breath.
And begin your countdown again.
Starting at 10.
And letting each number carry you back to this.
To being held.
To letting go.
To rest.
Let your awareness rest for a moment.
On your heart.
Simply be with it.
Notice what is there.
And allow whatever is present to soften on its own.
Your ribs can expand a little more with this next breath.
And with the exhale,
Something loosens.
You may feel your shoulders ease away from your ears.
Toward the softness beneath you.
Your arms,
Heavy.
Your hands and fingers loose.
And completely at rest.
Your belly rising and falling without effort.
Your body breathing itself.
You don't need to do anything with this breath.
Or the next one.
Your body knows.
You feel heavy all the way down through your hips.
Your thighs,
Calves,
And feet.
Heavy and still.
And released into the support beneath them.
And back to your heart.
Which is softer now.
Your breath slower.
Your body more complete in its rest.
Nowhere else to be.
No version of this that needs to be different.
Only this,
Your body resting.
Your breath continuing.
And the night holding all of it.
If a thought arises gently without judgment.
Simply return.
Breathe in.
And begin again.
10.
9.
.
.
Let the numbers carry you.
The rest of the night is yours.
A night still full of rest.
Full of the kind of sleep that does its quiet,
Important work.
Your body has been doing this your whole life.
It knows the way.
The cloud beneath you.
Still there.
Still soft.
Still receiving every part of you without effort.
You don't have to earn this rest.
You don't have to deserve it.
You simply allow yourself to receive what was always here.
Your subconscious mind.
Is receiving.
Everything it needs to rest and heal.
Even as you allow your conscious mind to drift.
Even as you allow thoughts to grow soft.
And distant.
And eventually still.
Your breath is slow now.
Each inhale easy.
Each exhale carries you a little further into rest.
Safe.
Held.
Drifting.
Your body is heavy.
Being held completely.
Your mind is growing still.
You are right at the edge of sleep.
The soft in-between place where the day has completely dissolved.
And dreams are beginning to form.
You are already in the threshold.
Simply let go.
You are held.
You are safe.
Sleep is here.
The night has you.
And in the morning.
You awake,
Having been held.
Having rested.
Having received exactly what you need.
You For now,
Only this.
The soft cloud holding you from beneath.
Your slow breath.
The jar.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go into sleep.
