Welcome to tonight's meditation,
Where we will use a progressive muscle relaxation in order to bring the body into a deeper state of comfort and allow you to sleep peacefully.
Find a comfortable position where you can lie down,
Ready for sleep,
And try to make sure that you are not too warm and not too cold.
And when you feel ready,
Allow your eyes to close.
Just take a moment now to scan your body and acknowledge any parts that might be carrying more tension tonight.
And if you notice any areas that are more tense,
Then allow yourself to just let go of that tension now.
This is your time to release everything.
We will begin with a short breathing exercise to help us quiet the mind after a long day and prepare the body for rest.
Begin by exhaling any remaining breath you have,
And when you are ready,
Breathe in through your nose to a count of four.
Hold for four,
And release to a count of five.
There is no need to force anything tonight,
Just breathe in a way that is most comfortable for you.
So,
That's in for four,
Hold for four,
And release for five.
Imagine that you are blowing out any tension from your body and your mind.
Continue to breathe in this way in your own time.
Allow the breath to fall back to a natural rhythm,
And let yourself feel the new heaviness of your body now.
Notice how you have started to sink just that bit deeper into your mattress,
And enjoy the sensation of letting go.
In a moment,
We will begin the muscle relaxation,
Working from the feet to the head.
If you have any injuries or areas that are more painful,
Then please be gentle with these parts of your body,
Or avoid them completely.
Don't worry if your mind starts to wander,
It's perfectly normal.
If or when you notice it,
Simply bring your attention back to my voice and to the exercise,
And try not to be too hard on yourself tonight.
You deserve this time.
So,
To begin,
Curl the toes in your left foot and lightly tense.
Hold it here and notice the feeling,
And let go.
Feel your left foot soften and release that tension.
Now,
Curl the toes in your right foot and gently squeeze.
Hold and notice how it feels,
And release.
Feel both of your feet becoming warm and loose,
And your toes and ankles are soft.
Now,
Squeeze and tense your left leg.
Hold it here and release.
Feel the muscles soften in your left leg,
And notice the difference to your right leg.
And moving to the right leg now,
Squeeze and hold.
Notice any tension in the leg,
And let go.
Feel a new relaxation in both of your legs.
To add to this feeling now,
Push your heels into your mattress and tense both of your legs.
Hold it here and release.
Allow the muscles in your legs to be heavy and soft as you feel any tension melting away.
Now,
Squeeze the buttocks muscles and hold the tension here.
Continue to hold and notice the feeling,
And release.
Feel any tension leave the buttocks muscles and the hips become heavy as your entire lower body becomes warm and free.
Now,
Gently arch your back and bring your shoulder blades together.
Hold it and be aware of the tension,
And release.
Allow your back muscles to soften and the tension to melt away into the surface beneath you as you become heavier and heavier.
Now,
Pull your belly in towards the spine and hold it here.
Notice the feeling in your stomach,
And let go.
Allow the belly to completely soften and expand.
Feel your abdomen become free.
Focus on your chest now and take a slow breath in,
Allowing the belly to fill and the ribcage to expand.
Hold this breath here for a moment and release on a sigh,
Allowing any tightness in your chest to melt away.
Once more for the chest now,
Take a nice deep breath,
Expand the belly and the ribcage.
Hold it and notice the feeling,
And exhale completely.
Just let all of it go.
Allow yourself to relax deeper and deeper.
Now,
Bring the focus to your left hand.
Squeeze your hand into a tight fist.
Hold and release.
Allow the left hand to soften as you move the focus to your right hand.
Squeeze your right hand into a tight fist.
Hold and let go.
Both of your hands have become warm and soft,
And the tension is melting away.
Now,
Bring your palms together in a prayer-like position and push together,
Tensing all the muscles in your arms.
Hold it here and notice the feeling,
And release.
Allow all tension to fall away from your arms and your hands as you sink into the mattress.
Bring your focus to your neck and shoulders.
Shrug your shoulders as high as you can.
Feel that tension in your neck and shoulders,
And now release.
Allow the tension to melt out of your neck and shoulders as the muscles unravel and become soft.
Bring your focus to the muscles in your face now.
Squeeze your lips as if you are blowing a kiss.
Hold it here and let go,
Allowing your lips to gently part and relax.
Now,
Clench your jaw and smile as wide as you can.
Hold and notice the feeling,
And release.
Let your mouth fall slightly open and your jaw release and soften.
Now,
Tightly close your eyes and squeeze your nose.
Hold the tension here and let go.
Feel that release in your cheeks,
Your eyes,
And your nose as the muscles unravel and the tension melts away.
And now,
Bring the attention to your forehead.
Raise your eyebrows as high as they will go.
Hold and notice the tension across the forehead,
And release.
Feel the muscles in your forehead unravel and soften now,
As all the tension melts away.
Notice how different your body is feeling,
And continue to allow all the tension to melt away.
Any knots to unravel and your muscles to soften.
Enjoy this new found relaxation.
Feel yourself becoming heavier and heavier.
And now,
Give any remaining thoughts permission to leave you,
And imagine that they are drifting away into your pillow as your mind becomes clear and free.
As you sink deeper and deeper into relaxation,
You are completely at peace.
You are ready now for a deep,
Healing sleep.
Allow your body to be heavy.
Allow it to be soft.
You are comfortable and warm.
You are healing your mind and your body.
You are taking a journey of rest and recovery.
You have permission to completely relax and let go.
You are freeing yourself from all control.
And when you wake,
Your body will be refreshed and your mind will be clear.
You are warm.
You are heavy.
You are safe.
You are warm.
You are heavy.
You are safe.
You are warm.
You are heavy.
You are safe.
