Welcome to this winding down for sleep mindfulness practice.
With this practice we are acknowledging that when our thinking mind is active,
We will have higher levels of adrenaline and cortisol in our body.
These chemicals are our body's natural stimulants,
Keeping us alert and leaving us poorly prepared for restful sleep.
By taking this time to place our attention on the present moment,
We allow our activated systems to settle and slowly shift into our rest and digest systems,
Our nurturing and replenishing systems that support restorative sleep.
And knowing it takes time to train our brains to rest in this calmer place,
So removing any expectations of immediate gains and simply seeing this time as an opportunity to be present.
And we begin by settling into a position that you find restful,
Lying down or sitting,
Supported by any cushions or pillows.
A blanket for warmth.
Grounding yourself in this space by noticing the physical sensations of contact between you and the surface supporting you.
Feeling supported,
No need to hold yourself,
Allowing any underlying sense of tension to flow away,
Letting the surface beneath you hold your weight.
A sense of sinking in on each out-breath.
And taking three deep breaths,
Feeling the expansion as your lungs fill with the in-breath and sensing the release that comes with each out-breath.
After three deep breaths,
Returning to the natural rhythm of your breathing.
Coming to the present moment by taking the time to note the order of your day.
From waking this morning,
Briefly marking the content of your day in order without judgment or narrative until you arrive at this moment in this space.
The to-do list,
The inbox,
They are all complete,
Allowing them to fade from mind.
There is nothing for you to do in this moment.
And coming to the breath,
Feeling the rise and fall as you breathe in,
Sensing each breath as it is,
Allowing it to be its natural self.
Each time the mind drifts elsewhere,
Acknowledging where it has gone,
Not being critical that it has wandered,
But constantly and kindly bringing it back to the sensations of each breath.
Understanding this awareness of the breath,
To include an awareness of the body,
Moving your attention as if it were a spotlight,
Down your body and into your feet,
Noticing the sensations in your feet,
A warmth,
A tingling,
A coolness,
A pulse,
Noticing contact points,
The weight of a blanket,
Or perhaps noticing the absence of sensation if nothing arises.
Now bringing the breath into this exploration,
Imagine that as you breathe in,
The breath travels down through your body and fills both your feet.
And as you breathe out,
Following the breath as it travels back up through the body,
Before exhaling through your mouth or nose.
This can take some practice,
But in its essence,
It is a simultaneous awareness of the breath and the body,
Bringing a softer,
More allowing exploration of the sensations you feel.
With the next in-breath,
Breathing into your feet,
And as you exhale out,
Allowing your awareness to leave your feet and move into your lower legs,
And exploring sensations in your lower legs.
With the next in-breath,
Breathing in,
Filling the lower legs with the in-breath,
And as you breathe out,
The focus shifts into your knees,
Exploring sensations in your knees.
Breathing in,
Filling your knees with the in-breath,
And as you breathe out,
Exploring sensations in your upper legs.
Taking in a breath again,
Filling both your legs,
And as you exhale,
The attention moves to your hips and your pelvis.
Noticing when the mind drifts,
Not being critical when it does,
Just gently guiding it back to sensations as you find them in your pelvis.
Breathing in,
Filling the pelvis with the in-breath,
And as you exhale,
Releasing the awareness from your pelvis and moving it to explore sensations in your abdomen and your lower back.
Breathing in,
And as you exhale,
The awareness now shifts to your chest and your upper back.
Noticing sensations that come as the lungs fill with air,
The expansion,
The release.
With the next in-breath,
Filling the chest and upper back,
And as you exhale,
Releasing the attention from here and moving it into your arms and your hands.
What do you feel in your arms and your hands?
Sensing these rather than thinking about it.
Breathing in again,
Filling the arms and hands with the in-breath,
And as you exhale,
Moving that awareness into your neck,
Exploring in the throat the movement of the breath,
Shifting the awareness into your face,
Exploring sensations as they are as you find them in your face.
Perhaps loosening or softening will occur naturally,
However not willing or forcing anything to be different than it is.
Taking your time,
Breathing into the face,
Following the breath as it leaves through the mouth or nose,
Moving into the top of the head,
Into the hairline,
Sensing around the crown of the head,
Into the back of the head in contact with the surface beneath you if you're lying down.
With the next in-breath,
Breathing in,
Filling the head and the face with the in-breath,
And as you exhale out,
Expanding your awareness to include the whole of your body,
Your head and face,
Your neck and shoulders,
Your chest and your back,
Your arms and your hands,
Hips and pelvis,
Upper legs and knees,
Lower legs and feet,
And awareness of the whole body,
Breathing in and breathing out,
Allowing awareness of the breath and body to give you a sense of space,
A sense of peace,
And knowing that in this moment that is enough.
And holding the sense of space and peace,
Continuing this rest into the next moments.
