So,
Moving into a comfortable position in the bed,
Closing down the eyes,
Allowing them to relax,
Allowing the eyes to rest.
Take a moment to notice that you're already lying down,
Already supported,
Already held.
The body has arrived and the mind is starting to catch up.
There's nowhere you need to go tonight,
Nothing you need to solve,
Nothing you need to stay alert for,
This time is not asking anything of you,
Just allowing the body to begin its natural descent from waking,
Into resting,
Into sleep.
Notice the contact points beneath you,
The places where your body meets the bed,
The steady,
Reliable support underneath it all,
And imagine that with every gentle breath out,
You sink just a little deeper into that support.
Not falling,
Not dropping,
Just descending,
Slowly,
Safely.
It's as if the bed knows exactly how to hold you,
It's as if gravity itself has softened.
Feel the heaviness beginning in your feet,
A gentle weight,
A comfortable pull downwards,
Your feet growing warm,
Relaxed,
Heavy.
That heaviness begins to spread,
Moving into the ankles,
The calves,
The knees.
There's no efforts required,
No helping needed,
Your body knows how to do this.
With every out breath,
You descend another small step,
As if there's a soft staircase leading downwards,
Wide,
Cushioned,
Welcoming,
And you're moving down it effortlessly,
One breath at a time.
The thighs softening now,
Muscles that carried you through the day beginning to let go.
Your hips release their holding,
That deep,
Unconscious gripping starts to unwind.
The lower back starts to ease,
Not all at once,
Just enough.
And if thoughts arise,
That's fine,
They don't interrupt this descent into sleep.
They don't need to stop,
They don't need to be pushed away.
They simply drift past,
Like distant clouds moving across a darkening sky.
The belly softens,
Breathing settles lower,
Slower,
Quieter,
More automatic.
The chest loosens,
There's no need to control the breath now,
It knows its rhythm,
Descending deeper and deeper still.
The shoulders melt away from the ears,
Layers of tension gently sliding off,
As if the day is being set down,
Piece by piece.
The arms feel heavy now,
Pleasantly heavy,
As though they're sinking into warm sand.
Hands relaxed now,
Fingers no longer gripping anything,
Nothing left to hold.
The neck releases its effort,
The head feels fully supported,
Balanced,
At rest.
The jaw loosens,
Teeth no longer touching,
The tongue resting comfortably in the mouth.
And the face,
The cheeks,
The eyes,
The forehead,
Let them soften,
Let them smooth,
Let them fall back into their natural resting place.
There's no need to watch,
No need to monitor anything,
No need to stay aware.
You're descending now,
Into the place where sleep begins,
That gentle borderland between waking and dreaming,
Where thoughts lose their edges,
Where time stretches and blurs.
Nothing to do,
Nothing to hold onto,
Nothing to get right.
Just sinking,
And sinking,
And sinking.
Descending deeper,
Resting,
Letting go.
Descending deeper,
Resting,
Letting go.
Descending deeper,
Resting,
Letting go.
