Hello.
Welcome.
As we get started today,
Take a moment to get comfortable.
Let your body find the position it wants to rest in tonight.
There's no right way to lie down,
So whether that's on your stomach,
Your side,
Or your back,
Just allow yourself to get nice and cozy.
Allow your eyes to close if they haven't already,
And let the weight of your body settle into whatever is supporting you.
There's nothing to do,
Nowhere to be.
Just let yourself be here.
And I want you to begin by noticing the places where your body is making contact.
The back of your head,
Your shoulders,
Your back,
Your hips,
Your feet.
Let that surface beneath you carry your weight.
And bring your attention to your breath.
We're not changing it,
Not controlling it,
Just noticing the gentle in and out that already happens automatically.
Each breath is already enough.
I'm going to guide you through a simple body scan to help you relax and guide you into a peaceful rest.
We're going to begin by slowly moving through our bodies,
Not fixing or adjusting,
We're just noticing and allowing what is.
Let's start with the soles of your feet.
Just notice,
Bring your attention all the way down,
And let them relax completely as if they are gently melting into the surface beneath you.
Notice your ankles,
Your calves,
Letting the muscles of your legs release,
Letting gravity do the work.
Bring your attention up to your knees,
And now to your thighs,
Grounded and heavy,
Releasing whatever tension the day had brought,
Letting our body feel heavy,
Relaxing into the surface beneath you.
Gently moving up to your hips and your pelvis,
Letting this area feel supported,
Releasing the muscles around your hips can often bring a softness to the lower back,
Releasing it as there's nothing to brace for,
Nothing to hold in,
As we bring our awareness to our belly,
Letting it be soft,
Just noticing the air moving in and out.
We'll shift our focus up to our upper back and the space between our shoulder blades,
Allowing it to soften,
To spread,
To rest.
So many of us hold our day's stress,
The anxieties that fill our head and our upper back and our shoulders,
Let it go.
And bringing our attention around to our chest,
Feeling that gentle rise and fall with each breath.
No need to breathe any deeper,
Just letting it go on its own,
As miraculous as it does every moment.
Now shifting our noticing to our hands,
Our pinky,
Our ring fingers,
Our middle fingers,
Our pointer finger and our thumb,
Letting them loosen,
Relax,
Fall naturally.
And feeling our forearms into our elbows,
Feeling the heaviness travel all the way up our arms into our shoulders.
As we did with our upper back,
Let your shoulders lengthen just a little bit more away from your ears.
And let's bring awareness to our neck and our throat.
Let this area soften and widen as we breathe in deep and out slowly.
There's nothing more that needs to be said tonight.
Let's let the tongue rest heavy in the mouth,
Releasing it from the top.
If your teeth are touching,
Allowing just a small space to open between them,
Relaxing the jaw,
Your cheeks.
Now maybe notice your eyes resting in their sockets.
Feel the space behind them relax and the muscles of your forehead soften.
Continue up as we reach our forehead,
Our scalp,
And bring the attention to the crown of your head,
Releasing all that was,
All that could be,
And bringing it all to right now.
There's nothing to fix,
Nothing to adjust,
Just noticing our body's heaviness,
Feeling the support beneath us.
And now bring your attention inward.
Not to think,
Not to analyze,
Just notice.
Notice the quiet presence inside your body,
The steady rhythm that's already carrying you with every heartbeat.
Simply rest inside this space.
And if thoughts pass through,
Let them pass like distant sounds or waves crashing on a shore going in and out.
They don't require your attention.
Your body knows the rest that it needs and how to sleep.
It's done it so many times before.
From here,
You don't need to do anything else.
You don't need to stay awake or keep listening.
The sound will remain with you through the night,
Holding the space steady and consistent.
You are safe to rest.
You are supported.
Let yourself drift.
Let the body take over.
