Welcome,
Just take a moment now to make yourself comfortable in bed and to give yourself permission to relax.
Let's begin by drawing our awareness to our breaths.
Just let that breath slow and soften.
Imagine breathing gently enough that a feather beneath your nose would barely stir.
Each exhale arrives like a quiet release,
And at the very end of the exhale notice the tiniest pause,
Like the stillness between waves.
No need to force it,
Simply allow that pause to be there.
Each pause a small doorway into rest.
Now bring your awareness to your face.
Start with the space between your eyebrows.
Imagine it widening,
Softening,
As though the skin there was gently spreading apart.
Let your forehead smooth,
The skin opening and light.
Allow your eyelids to grow heavy,
The muscles around your eyes unravelling,
As though the corners of your eyes were drifting back towards your temples.
If there's any trace of tension here,
Just let it dissolve.
Now turn your awareness to your lips.
If they're closed,
Let them simply rest together,
Barely touching.
If they're apart,
That's fine too,
No effort is needed here.
Soften the skin around your mouth and let your cheeks follow.
Now move to your jaw,
Imagine the lower jaw gently falling away from the upper jaw.
Not a big movement,
Just enough space for ease to rest.
Let this sense of release spread deeper,
Through the gums,
The roots of the teeth,
The tongue resting heavy and soft within the mouth.
Notice how even the back of the throat feels open,
As though the whole face were sighing into stillness.
Now let that softness ripple down through your neck,
Into your shoulders.
Feel your shoulders melting away from your ears,
Heavy and loose.
Moving down your arms,
To your elbows,
To your wrists,
Right down to your fingertips,
Resting in gravity's hands.
Imagine your palms softening,
The lines in your hands gently releasing,
The backs of your hands warm and still.
Bring your awareness to your chest,
With each inhale let it gently rise and float,
Like a boat on calm water.
With each exhale,
Feel it settle back,
Steady and quiet.
Notice how your upper back broadens,
The space between your shoulder blades opening,
As though the whole torso is breathing with you.
Now soften through your hips,
The back of your pelvis loosening into support.
Let this wave of ease travel down through your thighs,
Behind the knees,
Along the calves and shins,
All the way to your ankles.
Allow your feet to rest naturally,
Without control,
Simply falling into place.
Now take a moment to sense your whole body,
Face,
Arms,
Chest and legs,
All connected,
Supported,
Safe.
With each exhale you release a little bit more,
With each pause after the breath a moment of calm spreads,
Every part of you is released,
Every breath a soft surrender.
And you feel yourself drift unhurried,
Along the quiet tide of your breath,
To deep sleep.
Good night.
