A little help for falling asleep.
Be sure that you are comfortable and warm,
That the room is dark and that there are no
other distractions.
Gently close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath,
Noticing the gentle movement
of your ribs expanding with your inhale and contracting with your exhale.
Focus on the transition between the inhale and the exhale to be smooth and easy,
Much
like the waves rolling to shore and back out to sea again.
Inhale expand,
Exhale let go.
Inhale receive,
Exhale give away.
Notice that just by paying attention to the breath,
A sense of stillness has room to enter
the body.
Notice the sound of your breath.
Notice the inhale is cool and the exhale is warm.
Now bring your attention to your body.
See if there is a way for you to release and let go,
Relax,
Even just 1% more than
you are right now.
So let's check in,
Moving down from the top of the head,
Check for any tension that you
may be holding around your eyes and see if there is a way for you to let go here.
Let go around your eyes and moving down to the mouth.
Is there a way to release any tension around your mouth?
Let go around your mouth and moving a little deeper,
Notice if there's any tension or tightness
in your jaw and if so,
See if there's a way to release just a little bit more.
Let go around your jaw,
Coming down noticing the neck and if there's any tension here,
Feel free to gently roll your head side to side,
Exploring if there is a way to find
more ease and comfort in this area and then come to stillness,
Letting go of any tension
in the neck.
Coming down the body,
Sensing the heart and the lungs,
A beautiful partnership.
Moving down into the low back,
Noticing any areas that feel discomfort or tension and
see if there's a way to release even a little bit more.
Perhaps it would help to rock your knees side to side just a little bit,
Adjusting
your hips to find a more comfortable place.
Moving down the legs,
Down to the feet,
The soles of the feet.
Perhaps take a moment to curl your toes under and then lift them up and spread them out,
Bringing in a little more ease in the soles of your feet and then noticing the contact
of your body with the bed.
Bring your observation and your attention to all the places that you are held and supported.
Notice the comfort,
The firmness or the softness,
The warmth or the coolness.
Feel all the places that you are held so that you may let go and be held.
Imagine that all of these places in your body have released and let go and now your body
feels heavy,
So heavy,
As though melting down into the bed,
Every muscle so tired,
So deeply relaxed that it would be impossible to move,
Feeling your body heavy,
Pressing
downward into the bed,
Noticing the breath is calm and steady,
The room is dark and warm
and your body is heavy and relaxed,
So deeply relaxed that it would be impossible to move.
Noticing your eyelids are heavy,
Resting together,
Almost impossible to open.
Give yourself permission to completely let go,
To completely sink down and accept the
quiet night ahead,
Allowing yourself to float as though weightless,
Drifting,
Floating.
You are so light,
Like a cloud or a feather,
Absolutely weightless now,
As though you could
feel your body but also not feel your body,
As though your body has disappeared,
That there is total and deep relaxation so that you may rest and fall into a beautiful,
Deep restful sleep.
Feel the sensation of the mattress and the blankets,
Feel the sensation
of completely letting go in your body,
Completely letting go in your mind and allowing yourself
to open up to the big night sky.
May you have sweet dreams and a deeply restful sleep.
Goodnight.
