Preparing for sleep,
Time for sleep,
Sleep is a time of letting go.
Letting go may be challenging for many,
A giving up of control.
For many of us,
We bring to our beds our concerns,
Worries and fears that ruminate and swirl through our minds.
I invite you now to make yourself as comfortable as possible and sense into the comfort your body needs,
Supporting areas that need support.
Experience the sensations of your head on the pillow.
Is your neck supported?
Invite the eyes to relax,
Softening them,
Letting go of straining to see and just letting them be.
Inviting this forehead to soften,
Temples and jaw softening,
Softening.
Now sense into your torso,
Inquiring what is comfortable or tense.
Do you need to make some adjustment?
Breathing deeply into any tension and releasing it on the out-breath.
Bring a gentle awareness to the sensations in your legs.
Are they supported?
Your feet,
Is there warmth,
Coolness or tingling?
Now imagine a full body breath,
Deeply and slowly breathing in.
Imagining the breath entering your whole being,
Inviting in self-kindness and care,
Exhaling any tensions,
Anything that no longer serves you.
Inhaling,
Exhaling.
Inhaling openness and spaciousness,
Exhaling all that is no longer needed.
Returning now to your natural rhythm of breath,
Experiencing the subtle movement of breathing in and out.
On the out-breath,
You may choose to silently say soften.
Exhaling,
Softening a bit more.
With each exhalation,
Softening.
Soften body,
Soften heart,
Soften mind.
Easing into sleep,
Soften,
Soften.
Just being.
Sweet dreams.
