Welcome,
My friend.
Tonight we take a journey into peaceful rest.
I invite you to find a comfortable position in your bed,
Lying on your back,
Side or stomach,
Whatever feels truly comfortable for you.
Close your eyes gently and allow your body to settle into the mattress.
Take a nice slow deep breath in through your nose and just let it flow naturally out whenever your way feels right for you.
There is no right or wrong in the way you take in breath.
Feel your body beginning to release the day behind you.
And with your next breath,
Just imagine that the air flowing in represents such calmness.
Think about anything that brought tension to your day,
And with a nice big exhale just imagine breathing it right out of your body.
Breathing in the calm,
Breathing out the tension.
And then,
Slowly breathing back into a nice natural state,
Noticing how your body feels against the bed,
The weight of your head on the pillow,
Your shoulders sinking down,
Your back truly supported.
There is nothing you need to do,
Nowhere you need to go.
This is your time to rest.
Now gently scan your body,
Concentrating on the top of your head,
Relaxing fully into this moment,
Moving down,
Relaxing the jaw,
Softening the shoulders,
Feeling the rise and fall of the chest,
As you make sure that your fingers are resting softly with no tension.
Breathing into your stomach,
Just pushing that life force through your body,
Letting your legs get heavier and heavier and heavier.
And if you're noticing any areas of tightness or tension,
Simply breathe into those spaces and let them soften with each exhale.
Now imagine all the thoughts from your day,
The conversations,
The tasks,
The worries,
The anxieties,
Gathering like leaves all on the surface of your mind.
And with each breath out,
Watch these leaves gently drift away,
Carried off by the soft breeze from your breath.
You don't need to hold onto anything from today,
Your mind is becoming clear and spacious like a calm lake at twilight.
Feel your head smoothing out.
Your jaw releasing.
Your tongue resting softly in your mouth.
Each breath allows you to sink deeper into comfort and peace.
Each release allows the rhythm of your body to relax.
Imagine you're laying in a beautiful,
Safe place in nature,
Perhaps it's a soft meadow under a starlit sky,
Or a peaceful beach with gentle waves nearby.
Choose whatever feels most soothing to you.
Feel the soft surface beneath you supporting your entire body.
The air around you is perfectly warm,
Feeling that light,
Gentle breeze of warmth gently kissing your skin.
And in that gentle breeze,
Allow it to carry away any remaining thoughts or concerns.
Your arms are completely relaxed now,
Heavy and still by your sides.
Your hands soft,
Fingers gently curled.
Feel this relaxation flowing down through your body,
Your chest continuing to rise and fall effortlessly,
Your lower back releasing completely into the surface beneath you.
As you lay here in this beautiful place,
Feeling the warmth of the air,
The comfort around you,
The ease of a body released of all tension and worry,
You begin to float in this perfect state between waking and sleeping,
Sinking deeper and deeper into rest.
Imagine with each breath you're floating down gently,
Like a feather swaying gently in the wind,
Side to side,
Side to side,
Sinking down deeper and deeper into rest.
Your mind becoming quieter and quieter,
Thoughts moving slower and slower,
Body feeling relaxed,
Again,
Heavier and heavier.
Feel yourself at the very edge of deep sleep now,
In this soft,
Dreamy space where consciousness gently fades,
Your body completely relaxed.
