I invite you to pause.
I invite you to ground yourself.
Maybe put your feet on the ground.
Feel the cushion,
The seat underneath your legs and your buttocks.
Feel the back held and maybe your back is straight,
Not rigid,
Erect,
Dignified and not stiff.
As we align ourselves so that the energy can flow through us and ground ourselves,
So that we are reminded that we do not have to hold ourselves.
We end this day with gratitude.
Maybe you place your hands on your knees and maybe you feel like opening your hands in a prayer posture of gratitude,
Open to be receiving,
Grateful for the abundance that you've experienced today.
Maybe you feel gratitude for being alive,
For breathing,
For feeling your body,
For not having a toothache today,
For being able to drink and eat and walk and talk.
In gratitude,
We're going to breathe deeply.
I invite you to take a deep breath in,
If possible all the way down into your belly area and have your diaphragm move up and down as you're breathing.
That will calm your brain and signal that you're getting ready for sleeping.
I invite you to breathe in deeply,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And hold.
And out for six,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
And hold.
In,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And hold.
And out,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
And hold.
Keep breathing deeply in that pattern in your own way.
Breathe in a way that feels natural and yet deepening.
Maybe you can feel your body resting after a long day.
Maybe you let go of the tension between your eyebrows and maybe you can release your jaw that often clenches and holds so much stress.
Maybe you release your shoulders down and your arms.
Let them hang softly,
Gently,
And your hands continue to keep them open as a expression of spiritual openness and emotional readiness to receive.
Maybe you let go of the tension in your back,
Your lower back,
Your belly.
Keep breathing deeply and calmly.
Let go of the tension in your upper legs,
Your buttocks.
Relax your pelvis.
Let it go.
Your lower legs and your feet.
Let your body rest after this long day in gratitude that you have all your limbs,
That you can see and hear and taste and feel in awe how your body regulates temperature,
Digests without you having to do anything,
Nourishes you,
Takes in hydration and food to keep you warm,
To keep you nurtured,
Just as the universe,
Just as God intended.
Keep breathing deeply as you're preparing yourself,
Your body,
Your mind,
And your spirit for a night of rest.
Maybe you breathe in calm and you let go of any stress.
Maybe breathe in calm and breathe out any worries.
Breathe in calm and breathe out any doubts.
And now let go of any thoughts that want to race about what happened today or what happens tomorrow.
None of that is important.
All that counts is to be present in the here,
In the now.
As feelings come up,
All kinds of feelings,
Just notice them and let them go.
Breathe in calm,
Breathe out feelings.
Breathe in calm,
Breathe out any thoughts.
Breathe in calm,
Let go and breathe out worries.
And now imagine a warm light beginning to shine right above you.
And as you're holding your hands up,
This light will fill you with light,
Warm,
Warm light,
With the fullness of love.
The universe is pouring out.
God is pouring out love and calm and presence.
Now let your breath return to normal,
Just as it wants to breathe in and through you.
May your night be peaceful.
May you be filled with the light of nourishment,
Of love,
Of calm and of peacefulness.
Good night.
