Tonight,
There is nothing you need to do,
Nothing left to solve,
Nothing unfinished that belongs to this hour.
The day has already laid itself down,
And now you are invited to do the same.
Take a deep breath in,
And out.
Imagine you are walking along a quiet path at dusk.
The air is cool,
The sky deepening into indigo.
The world is slowing,
In the distance a small cottage window glows with firelight.
You walk toward it,
Not hurried,
Not searching,
You already know you are welcome.
As you reach the door,
You feel something shift in your body,
A softening,
A remembering.
You open the door,
The scent of warm wood smoke and something faintly herbal lingers in the air,
Lavender perhaps,
Or dried rosemary hanging near the beans.
The fire is burning low in the hearth,
Not roaring,
Not bright,
Just steady,
Golden,
Alive.
You close the door behind you,
The outside world remains outside.
You step closer to the fire,
There is a woven blanket laid out near its warmth.
This place was prepared for you.
You lie down,
And as you do,
Begin to notice the points where your body meets the ground.
The weight of your heels,
The backs of your calves,
The softness behind the knees,
There is nothing to hold,
Nothing to brace.
The earth beneath this cottage has held centuries,
It can hold you.
Bring gentle awareness to your feet,
No need to move them,
Simply notice temperature,
Texture.
And with your next exhale,
Allow them to grow heavier,
As though warm sand were slowly pouring over them,
Ankles softening,
Lower legs releasing,
The fire crackles quietly beside you,
Steady,
Predictable,
Your nervous system begins to recognise safety,
Now the knees,
The thighs,
The deep bowl of the hips,
Let the hips widen,
There is no one watching,
No one needing anything from you,
The belly softens completely,
No pulling in,
No guarding,
Just the natural rise as you breathe in,
And the fall as you breathe out,
Like the quietest tide,
The warmth of the earth begins to travel upward,
Into the lower back,
Between the shoulder blades,
If there is any residue from the day,
Let it fall gently,
Like ash,
You do not need to carry it into the night,
Shoulders melt,
Arms grow heavy,
Hands open slightly,
Fingers uncurling,
Bring awareness now to your chest,
Notice the rhythm of your breath,
You are not controlling it,
Just witnessing,
Exhale,
Each breath slower than the last,
Your throat softens,
Jaw unclenches,
Tongue rests gently,
Lips part slightly,
The space between your eyebrows smooths,
Forehead wide,
Scalp soft,
Even the tiny muscles behind the eyes begin to rest,
If a thought arises,
Imagine it as a small spark,
Rising from the fire,
Floating upward,
And disappearing into the chimney,
You do not follow it,
Hold,
Safe,
Now bring awareness to your whole body at once,
From the soles of the feet,
To the crown of the head,
A single field of warmth,
The fire burns low,
Outside the night deepens,
Inside everything is steady,
You are allowed to rest,
Are allowed to drift,
You are not required tonight,
The earth asks nothing of you,
It simply warns what comes close,
Your body knows how to sleep,
Your nervous system knows how to descend,
With each exhale you sink a little deeper,
The fire crackles,
Steady,
Safe,
And as you continue to rest here,
I will begin to speak less,
You may drift at any time,
You are safe,
Rest now,
Nothing is required,
