Good evening.
Thank you for joining me as we lay down your day with gratitude.
As you settle in for the night,
Take a moment to make yourself completely comfortable.
Perhaps adjusting your pillow.
Softening your blankets around you and letting your body know that there is nowhere else it needs to be.
And as you arrive here.
Allow yourself to gently arrive home within yourself too.
Nothing more to sow.
Nothing more to carry.
Nothing more to do for today.
Just this moment.
This breath.
This quiet invitation to now rest.
Feel the support beneath you.
The bed holding you.
The earth beneath that holding you too.
And notice your breath exactly as it is.
Simply noticing the gentle rhythm of breathing.
The body already beginning to slow down.
Because when we arrive in the breath.
We arrive here too.
And here is where rest begins.
Tonight we lay the day to rest.
Begin to deepen the breath just a little now.
Breathing softly in through the nose.
And exhaling slowly,
Gently,
Completely also through the nose.
Perhaps letting the exhale become just a little longer than the inhale.
Without forcing,
Without effort.
Inhale softly.
Exhale softly.
Letting the body soften a little more.
And again.
Inhale.
Receive the breath.
Exhale releasing the day.
With every exhale,
Allow the body to hand itself over to rest.
Slowing the rate of the heart.
Quietening the mind.
And softening the nervous system.
Letting the body know it is safe now to rest.
Now gently bring awareness to the body.
Softening the jaw by unclenching.
Relax the shoulders away from the ears.
As they fall heavy into your bed.
And allowing the belly to soften completely.
No holding.
No bracing.
Relaxing the hips,
Heavy and supported.
Softening the tiny muscles around the eyes.
And softening the places still holding on to the day.
And with every breath out.
Letting yourself sink a little deeper into rest.
And I invite you now to play the keys of gratitude for today.
It feels comfortable for you,
Place one hand softly over your heart space.
Feeling the warmth of your iron hand.
And the gentle rise and fall beneath it.
And tonight we'll lay down the day with five gentle gratitudes.
Small acknowledgements of this day.
No need for grand things.
Sometimes the smallest moments are the most sacred.
And we'll use our thumb as the first key.
As you gently and lightly press your thumb into the chest.
Recall one simple thing you're grateful for today.
Perhaps a breath of fresh air.
A warm drink,
A moment of quiet.
Or a small comfort.
And then gently press the index finger into the chest.
Bring to mind a person.
Perhaps someone that showed you kindness,
A connection you had today.
Someone that touched you in some small way.
Now the middle finger.
The center key.
Offering gratitude to your body for all it carried you through today.
Every step.
Every breath,
Every unseen thing it quietly did for you.
And now the ring finger,
Recalling a moment of beauty.
Peace or presence.
Perhaps something easily missed,
Light through the window,
Birds in the distance,
A smile you experienced,
The feeling of warm water.
Small moment of beauty.
And finally the final key,
The little finger,
The pinky finger.
A gentle promise to yourself now,
To let go of the day.
To stop carrying what no longer needs holding tonight.
To allow yourself to rest.
For now,
This day is complete.
Allow the hand to gently release from the heart space down by your side or wherever feels most comfortable.
And from here,
We're drifting towards sleep.
There is nowhere else to get to.
Nothing more to remember.
Nothing more required of you tonight.
Only rest.
Allow the breath to just find its natural rhythm now.
Moving towards its autonomic state where you don't need to think about it.
Feeling the body heavy,
Supported,
Soft.
And if thoughts drift in,
That's okay.
Simply returning again and again to this feeling of the body resting.
Letting your muscles switch off.
The breath moving softly.
The quiet rhythm of the night.
And you can continue resting here,
Drifting gently towards sleep.
Held by breath.
Held by stillness.
Held by rest.
Softening.
Letting go.
Nothing to do.
We rest gently with the breath.
The day is now laid to rest with gratitude.
To drift you into a deep night's rest.
Truth.
Soften.
Rest.
