A warm welcome to this guided sleep meditation,
Tonight we will do a nice,
Slow,
Progressive muscle relaxation.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this practice,
You will be shifting your attention to different parts of your body where you will gently tense your muscles and release.
This will help to relax your entire body and to gradually quieten your mind.
As we progress,
You will slowly find yourself going deeper and deeper,
Allowing you to drift off to sleep.
If you haven't already,
Make yourself comfortable and let your eyes gently close.
The day is done now,
Whatever has happened is already in the past and here,
In this moment,
The future is beyond our reach.
So if thoughts arise about the day or the week that has been or the days ahead of you,
Then acknowledge that these thoughts are completely normal and valid,
They are part of what makes us human,
Which is a wonderful thing,
But also kindly remind yourself that these thoughts or concerns are of no use to us now,
And tonight there is no need to engage with them.
They are simply thoughts,
As fleeting as shooting stars across the night sky.
And now,
We will do a short guided breathing pattern called 3-4-5.
This will allow you to slow down and relax,
Preparing your body and your mind for a wonderful,
Peaceful rest.
When you are ready,
Breathe in through the nose for 3,
Hold for 4,
And breathe out for 5,
Let all of it go now,
Again that's in for 3,
Hold for 4,
And release,
Blowing away the thoughts of yesterday,
Today and tomorrow,
Again in for 3,
Hold,
And let it go.
Continue to breathe in this way in your own time,
And with each breath out,
Allow your body to sink just that bit deeper into your mattress.
And now,
Allow the breath to fall back into a natural rhythm.
Enjoy this new peace flowing through your body.
Surrender to this moment of total bliss.
Let all the burdens of the day flow out of you and melt away.
And,
As we begin our progressive muscle relaxation,
If you know of any parts of your body that are injured or uncomfortable,
Then you can be gentle here,
Or if necessary,
Avoid that area completely.
There is no need to force anything tonight.
Let's start with the forehead,
Raise your eyebrows as high as they will go,
Hold it for a moment and breathe through it,
Notice that tension in the forehead,
And release.
Feel your forehead soften now as the tension melts away.
Now,
Tightly close your eyes and squeeze your nose,
Hold it here,
And let it go,
Feeling that release in your eyes and your nose.
Now,
Clench your jaw and smile as wide as you can,
Hold it here,
And release,
Allowing your mouth and jaw to become soft.
Enjoy the relaxation already flowing through your forehead,
Your face,
Your mouth and your jaw.
Shift your focus now to your neck,
Shrug your shoulders as high as you can,
Feel that tension in your neck as you hold it here,
And now,
Release,
Allowing your neck and shoulders to soften and feel the tension melting away.
Now,
Squeeze your hands into a tight fist and tense your arms,
Hold this here,
And let go.
Take a moment to notice this new softness from your forehead down to your hands.
Remind yourself that it is okay to surrender to all of these beautiful feelings and that this is your time.
Bring your focus to your chest and take a deep breath,
Allowing the ribs and the belly to expand.
Hold this breath here,
And exhale completely and allow any tightness in your chest to melt away.
Let's do this one more time as you take a nice deep breath in.
Hold and notice the feeling,
And release.
With each out breath,
Allow yourself to relax deeper and deeper.
And now,
Bring your attention to your stomach and draw in your belly button towards your spine.
Hold this position,
And release.
Feel your abdomen soften as your whole body is slowly sinking deeper and deeper into comfort.
And now,
Begin to gently arch your back as if you have a small pillow under you and push your shoulder blades together behind you.
Hold it here and notice this feeling,
And let it go.
Allow your back to melt into the mattress as all of the tension in your body is slowly dissolving.
Notice how different your body feels already and enjoy this new found peace.
Focus your attention on the muscles in your buttocks,
Squeeze and hold as tight as you can.
Hold it just a little longer,
And release.
Feel your buttocks muscles relax and soften.
Now,
Tense both of your legs by flexing the feet and squeezing the legs.
Hold the tension and notice the feeling,
And relax.
Enjoy this new warmth and heaviness trickling through your legs.
And finally,
Tense your feet by gently curling your toes.
Hold here,
And release.
Let your feet soften and notice how loose your ankles have become.
Allow your body to feel heavy,
Sinking deeper as you completely relax.
As you keep breathing slow and deep,
Allow any remaining tension to seep out of your body.
Let your mind soften and any remaining thoughts to just dissolve.
And as you surrender to this beautiful moment,
You feel your body is soft,
Warm and comfortable.
You are healing your mind and your body,
And you are taking care of yourself.
And now,
You completely let go of trying to control anything or trying to hold on.
You allow yourself to just be heavy as you sink deeper,
Deeper and deeper into a wonderful sleep.
