Welcome and let's take a moment to settle into this space.
This is a gentle pause before sleep,
A time to put the day down and allow your body to rest and restore in its own way.
There's nothing you need to think through tonight and there's nothing you need to prepare for and nothing you need to carry forward with you.
So if it feels comfortable,
Allow your eyes to close or let your gaze soften and we begin by noticing where your body is being supported,
The bed,
The chair or the surface beneath you,
The steadiness that's already holding you.
You don't need to hold yourself together here anymore,
You're allowed to rest.
Often when sleep feels unsettled it's because the body hasn't yet been given permission to slow down.
The day may still be echoing inside with conversations,
Thoughts,
Responsibilities and moments that linger.
So tonight we're not trying to make sleep happen,
We're simply creating the conditions for rest.
I'm bringing your attention gently to your breathing now.
There's no need to change it,
Just notice the breath arriving and the breath leaving.
Allowing the exhale to lengthen naturally as though the body is sighing quietly to itself and bring an awareness to your shoulders,
Letting them soften and release and noticing your jaw,
Allowing it to unclench and letting the muscles around the eyes soften and the forehead smooth and allowing your belly to relax.
There's nothing you need to brace for now.
With each out breath imagine the body settling a little deeper into the support beneath you and if thoughts are still present that's okay,
You don't need to follow them and you don't need to try and quieten them,
Just let them drift through while your attention stays with the of being held and you might like to place a hand on your chest or your stomach,
Feeling the warmth,
The steadiness and the reassurance of that simple contact and quietly inside yourself offer these words,
Tonight my body knows how to rest,
Tonight I don't need to do anything more,
Tonight I can allow myself to restore.
Let the words settle gently without effort.
Now allow your awareness to widen to the whole body,
The weight of your legs,
The support beneath your back,
The natural rhythm of your breathing and if emotions are present you can allow them space too,
There's no need to understand them,
Simply letting them rise and settle held within this quiet awareness and this is how restoration begins,
Not by effort but by allowing.
And for a few breaths we're going to rest here,
Breathing in and breathing out,
Resting in the body,
Resting in the moment,
Nothing to do and nowhere to go.
And as we come towards the end of this practice,
Notice how your body feels now,
Perhaps a little heavier,
A little softer,
A little more settled and even if sleep doesn't arrive straight away,
Trust that you've given your body what it needed,
You can allow the rest of the night to unfold gently and as you move on from here,
Allow your body to continue resting and restoring in its own time.
