Hello and welcome.
My name is Tina and I want to thank you for joining me.
I'm so glad you're here.
Right now you're exactly where you need to be,
Getting ready for bed,
Lying down,
Resting,
Finally letting the weight of the day begin to soften.
This is your time,
Not for doing,
Not for thinking,
Not for figuring anything out,
Just for being,
Just for resting and letting go.
So find a comfortable position,
Lying on your back or on your side,
Whatever feels best for your body.
Get cozy under the covers and tuck yourself in and know that for the next little while there's nothing you need to do,
No decisions need to be made,
No problems solved,
Nothing for you to carry.
Just you,
This moment,
And the gentle invitation to drift off.
Let's begin by simply noticing your breath,
Not changing it,
Just noticing,
Not forcing it,
Just noticing.
Feel the air moving in and out of your body in its own natural rhythm.
Maybe you could feel it moving in and out of your nostrils,
Cool on the inhale and warm on the exhale.
Or maybe you feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly,
Like a soft wave moving through you.
Wherever you feel it most clearly,
Just rest your attention there.
Your breath has been with you your whole life.
It carries you through every moment,
Every day,
And right now it's here to carry you into rest.
There's nothing you need to do with your breath,
No special technique,
No right or wrong.
Just let it be exactly as it is,
In and out.
If your mind wanders,
And it will,
Because that's what our minds do,
Just like your heart beats,
Your mind wanders,
And that's perfectly okay.
Just gently,
Kindly,
Guide your attention back to the feeling of your breath.
No judgment,
No frustration,
Just a gentle return to the in and out.
Now let's invite in a special breath together.
It's called the physiological sigh,
And it's one of the most powerful ways to quickly calm your nervous system.
We'll do it together,
Nice and slow.
I want you to take a gentle inhale through your nose,
Like this,
And then before you exhale,
Take one more little sip of air in on top of that inhale.
Then let it all go in a long,
Slow,
Gentle sigh out through your mouth.
Let's do it together.
Inhaling through your nose,
Then another little sip,
And a long sigh out through your mouth.
One more time.
Can you feel that in your body?
That sigh is your body's way of saying,
I can let go now.
Let's do it a couple more times.
Inhaling.
Let everything release.
Your jaw,
Your shoulders,
Your belly.
Everything softens on the exhale.
Again.
Now let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
Notice if there's a little more space now,
A little more ease in your body.
Now we'll begin to move that sense of ease through your entire body.
Bringing your awareness down to your feet,
Both feet,
Just notice them.
Notice any places holding any tension,
And invite them to soften.
Your toes,
The balls of your feet,
Your arches,
Your heels.
Let them relax and release.
Now move your awareness up to your ankles.
Soften them.
Your lower legs,
Your calves,
Your shins.
Feel the muscles let go of any work they did today.
They can rest now.
Your knees softening,
Your upper legs,
Your thighs.
These very big strong muscles that have carried you through your day.
Send them some gratitude and let them rest now.
Let them sink heavily into the support beneath you.
Your hips.
So often we hold so much here.
Tension,
Worry,
The weight of the day.
Invite your hips to let go,
To release.
Feel the growing heaviness in your body as you relax.
You're exactly where you need to be.
Now bring your awareness up into your lower back.
If there's any tightness here,
Just notice it.
And on your next exhale,
Imagine your breath flowing right into that space,
Like a warm,
Gentle wave,
Softening everything it touches.
Now moving into your middle back and your upper back.
Let every muscle in your back release into the surface of the bed,
Or the couch,
Or wherever you're laying.
Feel the muscles between your shoulder blades softening.
Now bring your awareness to your belly.
Your belly has done so much for you today.
Just working quietly in the background.
Let your belly be soft,
Completely soft.
No need to hold anything in.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly with each breath.
A natural,
Easy resting.
Moving into your chest,
Your heart space.
Focus and feel your heartbeat,
Slow and steady.
Finally getting the rest it deserves.
Let your heart open,
Soft,
At ease.
Your shoulders.
Most of us carry the world on our shoulders without even realizing it.
Right now,
Invite your shoulders to drop and release.
To let go of any weight that isn't yours to carry right now.
Just let that melt away.
Now moving into your upper arms,
Your elbows,
And your forearms.
Let them relax and rest heavily beside you.
Feel your wrists soften and your hands curl up as you release them.
Your hands have done so much for you today.
Send gratitude towards them,
And let them rest now.
Release every muscle and every finger,
And allow your hands to be soft and heavy.
Feel how still and quiet your hands can be when they're not needed for anything.
Now bring your awareness up to your neck.
This is often where we hold the tension of the day without even noticing.
Let your neck be soft.
Let it feel completely supported by whatever is beneath you.
No need to hold your head up.
It's being held for you.
Allow your jaw to release.
This is a very sneaky place where your stress hides.
Allow your teeth to part just slightly.
Let your jaw drop open.
Soften it.
Feel the heaviness of it.
And if you notice your tongue pressing against the roof of your mouth,
Let it rest also.
Just let everything in your mouth be soft.
Allow your cheeks to be soft.
And moving into your eyes.
The muscles around your eyes have been working hard all day,
Taking in information,
Focusing,
Reacting.
Let them be soft and release into your sockets where they'll be cradled and supported.
Let them be heavy.
Your forehead.
Feel every line in your forehead smoothing out,
Relaxing.
Your scalp.
Let all the muscles in your scalp release.
Feel any tightness just melt away.
And the very top of your head is soft.
Open and at ease.
Take a moment now to feel your whole body from the top of your head all the way down to your toes.
Resting.
Relaxed.
Completely supported.
Nothing to do.
Nowhere to go.
Just resting.
Relaxing.
Enjoy the peace that you have right now.
Now we're gently going to move into some affirmations.
You don't need to repeat them or even think about them.
Just let them wash over you like a gentle wave.
Let them sink into your subconscious mind,
Receiving whatever it needs.
I give myself permission to rest right now.
I have done enough today.
I am enough,
Exactly as I am.
The thoughts of my day can float away like a cloud.
I don't need to hold on to them.
Every exhale releases what I no longer need to carry.
My body automatically knows how to rest and I trust it completely.
I am safe here.
I am held here.
And I am allowed to let go.
The world can wait.
Right now,
There is only this moment for my rest.
I release the need to figure anything out.
Solutions can come in the morning or not at all.
For now,
There is only rest.
Every breath brings me deeper into my peace.
I am not responsible for everything.
Tonight,
I am only responsible for resting.
Right now,
I am only responsible for resting.
My body is being held.
My body trusts me and my mind is learning to be still.
I let go of the day's worries.
They are not mine to hold right now.
I deserve this rest,
Not because I earned it,
But because I am human and humans need to rest.
Sleep is not a reward.
It is a return to myself.
I am beginning to drift off softly,
Gently,
Completely safe and supported.
Feel how heavy you are right now.
How soft,
How deeply held.
You may notice thoughts drifting through your mind from time to time.
And that's okay.
Just let them be there.
Like clouds passing through the vast sky,
You don't need to follow each one.
You don't need to grab onto them.
Just let them float by.
With each breath,
You sink just a little deeper,
A little further down into the warm,
Soft place where sleep begins.
Your body knows what to do.
It's been doing this your whole life.
You don't have to try.
You don't have to work at it.
Just let yourself go and be carried.
The music will continue playing for a long time.
You don't need to stay awake for anything else.
No more instructions,
No more words you need to listen to.
Just you and the music and the drift into sleep.
So I will leave you with this one last thought completely right now in this moment.
Everything you've been holding,
The lists,
The worries,
The shoulds,
The what-ifs,
The world will still be there in the morning.
But tonight,
You rest because you're human.
You rest because you are loved and you rest because you belong to yourself first.
And to the peace that has been waiting for you all night.
