This practice is designed to guide you into a state of deep relaxation,
To help you ease into a restful night's sleep.
The music and guidance will slowly fade away at the end of the practice to allow you to drift off to sleep.
So you might begin by lying down in bed to listen.
As you are ready,
Invite yourself to come into a comfortable position and allow yourself to simply be.
Make any adjustments that you need to be completely comfortable,
Supported,
And held.
Invite your eyes to rest shut.
Welcome your body and mind into the practice in any way that feels right to you.
Notice your current level of relaxation and draw in a deep breath through the nose.
And as you exhale through the mouth,
Allow your body to become twice as relaxed.
Notice your level of relaxation now.
Draw in another inhalation.
And as you exhale,
Allow your body to become twice as relaxed again.
Begin to soften into this new,
Deeper level of relaxation.
Let the whole body get heavier and sink into the support beneath you.
Let go.
Begin to bring awareness to the breath.
And simply feel the body being breathed without changing the breath in any way.
Simply noticing and observing the natural breath.
Perhaps the rise and the fall of the belly as you breathe.
Or how the body responds,
Shifts,
Moves,
Or changes with the breath.
Feel the breath flowing in and out.
In and out.
Now begin to scan through the body,
Relaxing each part of the body as you scan.
Bring all of your awareness down into the palms of both hands.
Allow them to feel warm,
Soft,
And completely relaxed.
Invite this relaxation to spread through the hands and fingers,
Up to the wrists and forearms,
Elbows,
Upper arms and shoulders.
Both arms and hands warm,
Soft,
And completely relaxed.
Now float your awareness down to your feet.
Allow the soles of your feet to become warm,
Soft,
And completely relaxed.
Invite the sensation of softness to release any tension from the calves,
The thighs,
Hips,
And pelvis.
Both legs and feet warm,
Soft,
And completely relaxed.
Invite softness to flow into the belly and low back.
Open the solar plexus just beneath the rib cage.
Release the low back.
Release and unwind any tension through the upper back,
Between the shoulder blades,
Both shoulders.
Create a sense of spaciousness,
Openness,
And ease through the heart,
Chest,
And lungs.
The mid back.
Whole torso warm,
Soft,
Completely relaxed.
Open the neck,
The sides of the neck,
Nape of the neck,
Throat,
Jaw,
Mouth,
Whole tongue,
Lips between the lips.
Whole mouth warm,
Soft,
Completely relaxed.
Open the inner ears,
Outer ears.
Allow softness to flow like water into the pools of the eyes.
Soften eyelids,
The tiny muscles around the eyes.
Faces in the temples,
Forehead,
Scalp,
Whole face and head,
Whole entire physical body.
Now warm,
Soft,
Completely relaxed.
As the whole physical body relaxes,
Awareness draws deeper inside to connect with the breath.
Trust your awareness now in the spaciousness of the breath.
Feel the breath flowing in and out.
Feel the breath become more spacious and open with each breath.
Spacious and smooth.
Notice any pauses or spaces between the breaths.
Any gaps in the breath.
Begin to consciously lengthen the exhales.
Each exhale becoming twice as long as the inhale.
Continue breathing in this way.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
