This is a night for letting go,
Not improving,
Not fixing,
Not becoming anything better,
Just releasing.
Close your eyes,
Let the eyes relax.
Whatever the day placed on you,
Whatever you carried,
Whatever remained unfinished,
None of it needs your attention now.
Begin by noticing the breath,
Exactly as it is.
No need to deepen it,
No need to slow it,
Just noticing.
And with every breath out,
Allowing the body to soften,
In its own way,
At its own pace.
Nothing forced,
Nothing controlled.
Bring your attention to the top of your head,
And imagine any tightness there,
Gently loosening,
As if warm water were flowing over the scalp,
Soothing,
Loosening,
Washing the day away.
The forehead smooths,
The space between the eyebrows softens,
The eyes rest back in their sockets,
No effort to see,
No need to focus.
The small muscles around the eyes let go of their work,
You're not scanning the body to make it relax,
You're simply giving it permission to do what it already knows how to do.
The jaw unclenches,
The teeth separate slightly,
The tongue rests naturally in the mouth,
No need to hold anything in,
No need to hold anything back.
The neck releases its effort to hold the head upright.
The head feels heavier now,
Fully supported,
The shoulders dropping,
Not forced,
Just allowed.
If you notice resistance anywhere,
That's okay,
You don't need to push it away,
You don't need to understand it,
Just notice it and let the breath pass through it,
Like air moving through an open window.
The arms grow heavy,
Upper arms,
Forearms,
Hands,
As if the muscles are gently switching themselves off,
No longer needed for anything.
The hands soften,
Fingers softening,
Nothing left to grasp.
The chest softens,
The heart area feels open,
Calm,
Steady.
Breathing happens by itself now,
Quiet,
Unnoticed,
Easy.
The belly releases its hold,
No need to keep it tight,
No need to protect anything,
The body understands it's safe.
The lower back unwinds,
Muscles letting go layer by layer.
The hips spread and soften,
Releasing their deep unconscious tension.
The legs relax downward,
Thighs,
Knees,
Calves,
Feet.
Each area settling into the bed,
Supported,
Held.
And if you drift in and out of awareness,
That's fine.
If thoughts blur,
If images appear,
If nothing happens at all,
That's exactly what's meant to happen.
There's nothing left to hold together tonight,
Nothing to stay ready for,
Nothing to anticipate,
Nothing to manage.
The body is allowed to sleep,
Deeply,
Fully.
And you don't need to follow the rest of these words,
You can simply rest now,
Release.
And sleep,
Letting go,
Letting go,
Letting go.
Welcoming the stillness,
Welcoming the peace,
Welcoming the heaviness,
Welcoming sleep,
Drifting deeper asleep,
Drifting deeper asleep,
Drifting deeper and deeper asleep.
