So lying down now on the bed and making yourself comfortable,
Taking a slightly deeper breath in and slowly letting it out as you close your eyes,
Allowing the eyes to rest and relax,
Letting gravity take hold,
Imagining yourself sinking a little deeper down into the bed.
Perhaps you can already sense a subtle heaviness appearing.
If and when you notice that heaviness,
Just welcome it,
Accept it,
Embrace it,
Encourage it.
It simply means that the muscles in your body are starting to naturally relax.
Notice the flow of your breathing,
The subtle movement of your chest and stomach,
The temperature of the air at the nostrils,
Perhaps noticing the subtle difference between the freshness of the in-breath and the relative warmth of the out-breath,
And notice perhaps that now familiar feeling that the body relaxes and releases just a little on the out-breath.
We're going to do a little body scan,
But in this body scan I want you to stretch the areas that I talk about.
There should be no discomfort,
No unease,
No over-exertion,
Just a little stretch,
But you should let go of that stretch on an out-breath.
So moving your awareness down into the toes and the feet,
Stretching the toes and the feet,
Hold,
And on your next out-breath,
Release.
Move your awareness into the ankles and stretch your ankles.
You may want to point your feet up or out.
Have a nice,
Natural stretch of the ankles,
And on the out-breath,
Release.
Move your awareness into your legs.
Have a gentle stretch of your legs,
And on the out-breath,
Release.
I wonder if you can stretch the muscles in your back.
Try that now.
There are no rights or wrongs.
Stretch,
Hold,
And on the out-breath,
Release.
I wonder if you can stretch your stomach.
Push it out.
Stretch,
Hold,
And on the out-breath,
Release.
Being gentle,
Expand your chest now as if you're taking a much deeper breath.
Stretch,
Stretch,
Hold,
And on the out-breath,
Release.
Now one of the places that most of us hold too much tension is the shoulders.
Move your awareness into the shoulders.
Can you pull your shoulders up towards your ears?
Stretch,
Hold,
And on the out-breath,
Release.
Good,
And stretching the arms right down to the hands,
And stretching out the fingers and thumbs.
Just gently stretch,
And on the out-breath,
Release.
Move your awareness into the neck.
Gently stretch the neck,
And on the out-breath,
Release.
Stretch the jaw as if you're having a big yawn.
Stretch,
Hold,
And on the out-breath,
Release.
I wonder if you can stretch the muscles in your face.
However you wish to do it.
Stretch,
Hold,
And on the out-breath,
Release.
Now here's something interesting.
I wonder if you can do the same thing with your mind.
Just imagine it.
Have a little fun with it.
Imagine your mind stretching,
Expanding,
Hold,
And with the out-breath,
Release.
Let's do that once more.
Imagine your mind stretching,
Expanding,
Stretch,
Hold,
And on the out-breath,
Release.
And notice how your body and mind feel.
Your awareness fully inhabiting your body and mind.
Notice the relaxation,
The release,
The heaviness.
Your entire body and mind relaxed and released.
And now letting go completely,
Allowing yourself to drift deeper and deeper,
Asleep.
Deeper and deeper,
Asleep.
Deep asleep.
Letting go,
Letting go,
Letting go.
