Welcome to this bedtime body scan.
This is a simple gentle practice to help your body release the day and prepare for a deep restorative sleep.
Lie down in your most comfortable position.
Cover yourself with a blanket if you'd like and close your eyes.
We're going to start with taking three deep breaths in through the nose.
And release.
Breathe in.
Hold.
And release.
One more time.
Breathe in with me.
Hold.
And release.
Now I'd like to set an intention.
So if you'd like,
Go ahead and repeat after me.
Or you can just say it in your mind.
Whatever you choose is best for you.
I am letting go of today.
My body is ready to rest.
Now we're going to move through your body slowly,
Starting at the very tippy top of your head.
So I want you to bring your awareness to the crown of your head.
And just notice any sensation you may feel there.
No judgment,
Just awareness.
And I want you to consciously try to relax.
Relax your scalp and the top area of your head.
Now let's move down to your forehead.
Are you tension there?
Let's soften it right now.
Let's smooth that area out.
Let the eyebrows fully relax.
Now we're moving down to your eyes.
They've been working all day,
Looking at screens,
Reading,
Taking in everything around them.
So let's let them rest.
You can feel them sinking back into your head.
You can feel your eyelids start to release all the heaviness that they've been holding up all day.
Now we slowly move down to the tip of our nose.
We acknowledge it and we relax it.
As we continue to move down,
We become aware of our jaw.
This is where so many of us hold stress and tension.
Unclench your jaw and let the muscles fully relax.
You can let your mouth hang slightly open if that feels comfortable for you.
You can place your tongue gently behind the top teeth.
This is called the fire pose and it's very powerful for healing and restoration.
Now we move down to our neck.
You can roll it gently if you need to.
Then I want you to let it settle fully into your pillow.
Let it rest fully supported.
Continue to let every muscle untangle and relax.
We now move down into your shoulders.
The shoulders can carry so much.
Some people hold tension here.
Some people work on computers and they hold an uncomfortable position.
But right now,
We're going to let them drop away from our ears.
Let those muscles completely unwind and feel them melt right into the bed.
As you move down through your body,
You feel warmth,
You feel peace and you feel full relaxation.
We're now going to move down to our arms.
Be aware of any tension throughout your arm.
And once you notice it,
Just release it.
Let your elbows,
Your forearms,
Your wrists fully relax.
Notice if you're clenching your hands.
Unclench them now.
Let your fingers spread out and fully relax.
Now we move down to our chest and our heart.
With every breath,
We can feel our heart expanding.
And with every exhale,
We can feel the softening through our chest and our rib cage.
There's nothing that you need to protect right now.
There's nowhere that you need to be right now,
But in this space.
You can be open.
You can relax.
You are completely safe.
We now are going to slowly move down to our stomach and the core of our body.
This is where we hold so much of our emotions.
And this is a place we might not notice is holding lots of tension.
So I want you to go to this place right now.
And just be aware of what you're feeling here.
With each breath,
Breathe into your belly,
Your soft,
Tender,
Sweet belly.
Let it rise.
Let it fall naturally.
You do not have to control anything at this moment.
And when you do find any tightness,
Which you may,
Acknowledge it and release it.
Now we move down through our spine to our hips.
And we focus on the hips and the lower back.
This is another place where we may hold lots of tension.
Because this is where we hold lots of our support throughout the day.
It's okay to wiggle gently till you find a comfortable position to fully let your hips and lower back settle.
Get comfortable and find what's right for you.
We now bring our awareness to our legs.
We'll start with our thighs.
Noticing any tension or pain that may be there.
We slowly move down to our knees.
And don't forget the back of the knee.
You may be holding tension there.
Just let those muscles unwind and relax.
Fully relax your thighs down to your knees.
Moving down into our calves.
We feel them start to get heavy.
We feel our legs sinking into the bed around us.
They are secure and they are rooted.
Continuing to move down our body,
Down our legs.
You become aware of your ankles and your feet.
They have carried you all day.
I want you to actively feel them relax completely.
Unwind your ankle muscles.
Feel them untangling and softening.
Feel the heel of your foot.
Feel the sole of your foot.
Feel the balls in the bottom of each foot.
And feel the arch.
If you'd like,
You can spread your toes,
Wiggle your feet a little bit.
Whatever helps you soften and relax them at this time.
Now,
Your entire body is completely relaxed,
Heavy,
At peace.
And if any part of your body is still holding tension,
Let's send one more breath to that exact spot right now.
Take a deep breath in and release.
As you release,
Let that pain and tension just melt away.
You've done everything you need to do today,
Right now.
Your only job is to sleep and feel fully relaxed in your body.
Let go.
Let sleep come to you.
You are safe.
You are held.
Good night.
You
