As you snuggle into your bed now,
Make your body as comfortable as you possibly can,
Starting to slow your breath right down,
Breathing in really low into your belly,
Breathing out with a long and soft sigh.
And with each breath,
Trust the natural cycles of this body.
Periods of effort,
Balanced by periods of rest.
This body,
A creature just like any other creature in nature,
Instinctively retiring.
With each breath in,
Entering a time of deep retreat.
With each breath out,
Withdrawing from the whole world and everything in it.
The breath slowly leading this creature back to its natural state of ease and rest.
Offering a bow of deep respect for all this human mind has accomplished today.
Allowing it to run free.
Giving it all the time and space it needs to unpack.
Just as when we unplug a fan and it takes time to wind down to a stop.
As you continue to breathe slowly and deeply,
Feeling every drop of breath,
Imagine that you're unplugging from the world the energies of your mind and body,
Slowly,
Slowly running out.
Just like that fan.
With each breath in,
Unplugging from the past,
The fan slowing down a little more.
With each breath out,
Unplugging from the future,
The fan moving slower and slower,
The whole story of your life falling away.
As the fan winds down even more and even deeper,
Down,
Barely moving now,
Flicking the switch from thinking to feeling,
Sensing the weight of your whole body and just let that weight drop into the bed.
Feel the places where body meets the bed.
That plane of contact between bed and body.
Body and bed.
Feel the sensation where your head meets the pillow and let the full weight of your head melt into that support.
Notice the feeling of the covers,
Clothes,
Touching the skin,
Giving your full attention to the feeling of your breath now.
Not changing your breath,
Not controlling it,
Not imagining it,
But the actual feeling of your breath.
Noticing the parts of the body that move as it breathes,
Just quietly noticing.
Noticing.
Breath coming in,
Breath going out.
Right here,
Right now.
Body,
Breathing.
Feel the sensation in the inner passageways of your nostrils,
The touch of air on the throat,
The raw texture of the breath,
The temperature.
Breath arising,
Breath dissolving.
In you,
A wide open awareness.
Every breath out,
An invitation to just let it all go.
Now beginning to count your breath.
Inhaling to a count of one,
Exhaling to a count of one,
Inhaling counting two,
Exhaling counting two.
Continuing to count your breath like this.
Like this.
And any time you lose count,
Simply begin again from one.
Taking your time,
Breathing slowly and deeply.
Continuing to count your breath,
Starting again from one.
Any time your mind wanders,
No matter how many times you lose count,
No judgement.
Gently coming back.
Body,
Breathing.
And now welcoming the feeling inside the mouth,
The immediate sensation,
The inner walls of the mouth,
The natural taste inside the mouth,
The tongue,
Root of the tongue,
Softening.
Let the sensations come to you,
Making less and less effort.
Hinges of the jaw,
Loosening.
Lower jaw,
Surrendering to gravity.
Throat,
Settling into stillness.
Whole face,
Pure sensation.
Skin,
Releasing its weight.
There is nothing to be done.
Just words arising.
Body responding.
Awareness noticing.
A softening of the outer ears.
A softening of the inner ears.
Let the words come to you.
An effortless listening.
Sounds,
Arising in awareness.
Sounds,
Dissolving in awareness.
Let everything come and let everything go.
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow.
Space between eyebrows.
Resting open.
Feel the weight of the eyes.
Sense the hollows of the eyes.
Eyes softening back.
Supported.
Muscles around eyes,
Releasing and letting go.
Notice any tension around or behind eyes and give it up.
The sensation behind eyes,
Expanding in awareness.
Contents of the head,
Pouring like liquid into the space all around.
Scalp,
Softening.
Back of the head,
Pure sensation.
Base of the scalp,
Top of the neck,
Back of the neck.
Whole head,
One global sensation.
Expanding in awareness.
Awareness,
Wide open.
Unbound,
Located.
Completely free.
Let your attention drop now,
Right into your chest.
Feel the beating of your heart.
The space behind the heart.
The softening deep in the chest.
The experience.
Whole right arm.
Not the idea,
Not the image,
But right now the actual feeling.
Whole right arm.
Giving up the weight.
Back of right arm.
Heavy.
Back of right hand.
Thumb.
Second finger.
Third.
Fourth.
Little finger.
Resting open.
The experience.
Right palm.
The direct feeling.
Right palm.
See if you can stay.
Right here.
Right now.
Right palm.
Don't try to keep it.
Allow the sensation to flow.
Right palm.
Alive with sensation.
Palm of right hand.
Tingling and alive.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Right shoulder.
Right side of back.
The current sensation.
Right side of chest.
Waist.
Hip.
Buttock.
Thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Car.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of right foot.
Let the feeling come to you.
The direct experience.
Sole of right foot.
Give it time.
Gently returning if you leave.
Sole of right foot.
Alive with sensation.
Big toe.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
Little toe.
The whole right side of body.
Releasing and letting go.
And now welcoming the experience.
Whole left arm.
Giving up the weight.
Let the experience come to you.
Back of left arm.
Heavy.
Back of left hand.
The immediate sensation.
Thumb.
Second finger.
Third.
Fourth.
Little finger.
The rest of the finger.
Resting open.
The current sensation.
Left palm.
Give the sensation time.
Less and less effort.
Let the feeling come to you.
Left palm.
Alive with sensation.
Let the sensation be free.
Don't try to keep it.
Allow it to unfold.
Left palm.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Left shoulder.
Left side of back.
Left side of chest.
Waist.
Hip.
Buttock.
Thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Calf.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of left foot.
See if you can be right here.
For the immediate experience.
Sole of left foot.
The raw sensation.
Let it come to you.
In its own time.
And in its own way.
Sole of left foot.
The flow of sensation.
Gently returning if you leave.
Big toe.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
Little toe.
The whole left side of body.
Releasing and letting go.
The whole body.
A mass of sensation.
Whole body.
Softening just a little more.
Whole body.
Giving up.
Or the holding.
Waves of vibration.
A pulsation.
Heart beating.
By breath.
By breath.
Moment.
By moment.
By moment.
The primal aliveness of this body.
Feeling as a creature.
Simply here.
Breathing.
Conscious.
Before mind.
Before self.
Simply being.
Whether mind is busy or calm.
Either way.
Awareness.
Noticing.
Awareness untouched.
Body.
Deeply at rest.
Activity.
And rest.
Simultaneously.
Movement.
And stillness.
Together in the very same moment.
Welcoming the feeling of the breath.
A whisper of sensation.
Noticing the momentary pause between each breath.
Just before inhalation becomes exhalation.
Just before exhalation becomes inhalation.
And now allowing attention to fall away.
Surrendering.
And just letting it all go.
Attention at rest.
Unfocused.
Undirected.
And any time attention moves.
Even slightly.
Allow it to soften again.
Dropping behind.
Before.
Beneath.
Between.
Abiding as awareness.
This body knows how to sleep.
Slipping now into the deepest,
Most peaceful,
Restful sleep.
Dear friend.
