Before you begin,
There's nothing you need to achieve here.
Sometimes we go to bed tired.
But the body hasn't quite got the message that the day is over.
The mind might be still thinking,
Body might be still alert.
You might notice tension or restlessness.
Or even that feeling of being tired but somehow switched on.
So with this meditation,
You're not going to force relaxation.
You're simply going to create the conditions for your body to begin to settle in its own time.
Find yourself a comfortable position.
Maybe you're already lying in bed,
Or perhaps you're somewhere comfortable preparing for sleep.
Just bringing yourself into the present moment.
Noticing where you are.
Allow your arms to rest.
Naturally,
Wherever they fall.
Wherever they want to be.
Let your legs become comfortable.
And if it feels right,
Gently close your eyes.
Take a moment to notice that you don't have to be anywhere else right now.
Nothing needs fixing.
Solving.
.
.
The day can wait.
Take a slow breath in through your nose and gently breathe out.
Again,
Breathing in and a soft,
Unforced breath out.
And one more time.
In and out.
Now allow your breathing to return to its natural rhythm.
This makes your body breathe.
Notice any sounds around you.
Perhaps sounds inside your room.
Without the need to identify them,
Just noticing sound as sound.
Sounds outside the room.
Just allow sound to come and go.
Sounds come in.
And drift away.
Notice the feeling of your body being supported.
Feel the surface.
Making contact.
Feel the weight of your head.
Your shoulders.
You're back.
Your hips.
Your legs.
Your feet.
You don't have to hold yourself up anymore.
For now,
The surface beneath you can do exactly that.
See if you can give just a little more of your weight to it.
It's resting.
Thank you.
Um.
.
.
Bring your awareness towards your face.
Notice the space around your eyes.
Go ahead.
Muscles around your jaw.
Just noticing.
You don't have to deliberately relax anything.
Sometimes just becoming aware of tension is enough to let the body settle all on its own,
In its own way.
Let your awareness move down towards your neck.
Your shoulders.
And your upper back.
If there's any tension here,
Just notice it.
Without fighting it.
There's no need to tell your body that it should be relaxed.
Let the tension be there and breathe.
No forcing.
Just being.
Bring awareness towards your chest.
Notice the movement created by your breathing.
Than your abdomen.
Perhaps feeling it rise and fall as you breathe in.
And soften as you breathe out.
You might begin to notice that the outbreath naturally has this settling quality to it.
There's no need to make it dramatically longer.
Simply allow the exhale to be easy.
Soft.
And complete.
You might bring to mind that each breath out is a small signal to your body.
There's nothing I need to do right now.
Breathing in.
I'm breathing out.
Nothing to solve.
Another breath.
Nowhere to go.
Bring awareness down through your hips.
Your thighs.
Your knees.
Your lower legs.
All the way down to your feet.
Build the whole body.
Right now.
To your head.
One body.
Resting.
Breathing.
Support it.
Perhaps thoughts are still appearing.
That's okay.
You don't need an empty mind to sleep.
If a thought appears about tomorrow.
Something you forgot.
Something you need to do.
Or something that happened today.
Just Recognize.
Thinking.
Thank you.
And let it pass without following it.
Another thought may come.
And another.
That's what minds do.
Minds think.
You don't have to finish every thought,
Your mind begins.
You can let it go.
For the next little while,
I'm going to become quieter.
There's nothing you need to concentrate on.
You can stay with your breathing.
Feel the weight of your body against the surface.
Or simply rest in the silence.
And if your mind wanders,
That's okay.
Gently come back to the feeling of being here.
Safe in this moment.
Nothing required of you.
You know,
Become aware of and natural movement of your breath once again.
Notice how little effort breathing actually requires.
Your body knows how to do this.
Just as your body knows how to settle.
You don't have to make sleep happen.
In fact,
You don't even have to try to relax.
You can simply rest.
And allow sleep to arrive whenever it arrives.
If you're still awake when this meditation finishes,
That's okay too.
You know,
Resting.
You're slowing down.
And that's enough.
Take one final gentle breath in.
And slowly breathe out.
Let the day be finished.
Let tomorrow wait until tomorrow.
For now.
There is only this breath.
This body.
And rest.
Good night.
