A good yawn and stretch.
Is a nice way to begin.
Just yawn and stretch.
Extend.
Settle.
Whatever you need.
That's usually the best gauge.
What is your body calling for?
Oh,
Feels good to be here.
Feels good to be resting.
After a long,
Hot or cold day.
Too much food,
Too little.
Too much activity,
Too much scrolling,
Not enough.
You let it all go.
It's nothing else to be done,
No evaluation,
No checklist,
No grade to deliver for this day.
It is just ending.
And you can let it drift off with a goodbye.
Just quit.
Just surrender,
Throw up the white flag on the day.
Ooh,
You got me.
Now it's time for bed.
I didn't go.
Yes,
There were mistakes that crept in.
Yes,
There are things you regret.
Yes,
There are things you worry about for tomorrow.
Things you could lose sleep over.
That's fine.
You might even have nightmares.
I guess.
I was there entertaining.
And all these things that you worry about.
Whether they come or they don't come.
It can be sort of absurd and amusing,
And that's all they need to be right now.
Laughable.
All of our human troubles.
Difficult human experience.
A lot to carry,
So put it down.
Surrender it.
Give it over to the night.
Maybe you want to exhale on the word cella,
This ancient breath word that we know so little about,
Mysterious and before our time.
Salah.
Just inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly,
Yawning and stretching,
Just getting comfy and cozy.
No goal?
No rubrics by which to judge yourself,
No parameter for success in meditation.
And if you fall asleep,
That might be nice.
If you don't fall asleep,
That might be nice.
Who's to say?
But maybe you start to feel the weight in your temples and your eyes want to close to that.
That's a feeling.
Maybe your skin gets soft and heavy because you can't hold up your brows anymore.
You can't clench your jaw anymore.
You can't smile anymore.
It's just too much work.
Let go.
Stop making an effort.
See what muscles you can relax in your face or in your body,
Shoulders,
Your legs,
Back.
This is getting heavy.
And unsupported.
Quitting,
Just quit.
Give up.
Whatever's on your mind,
It'll be there tomorrow.
You can let go.
Every silly thing you said that you regret.
Everything you worry about doing tomorrow.
Yeah,
Those are all real,
But they're not here now.
Just you.
See you in your resting place,
Maybe a nice comfy bed.
Just you and the dark and the quiet.
The small sounds,
Your breath.
Your body,
This sweet home.
And when you get distracted,
Because we will,
We do,
You will get distracted.
Breathe in.
Come back to your breath.
Breathe in deeply,
Exhale slowly.
All it has to be.
Just time to breathe.
Fall asleep,
You fall asleep.
You don't.
Go read a book later.
Just relax and enjoy yourself.
This isn't goal-oriented.
And maybe you have all these resentments that you're holding onto.
Maybe you're not ready to let go,
But maybe you want to try.
Maybe you want to try forgiving.
It's holding on to.
.
.
The anger and the disappointment could just keep you awake so maybe you just half forgive you,
Fake it out you.
Forgive for the night.
And be really ready to forgive.
Just toy with it.
Away with the experiment or the possibility of forgiveness.
And toy with the idea that you made mistakes and that you don't want to repeat them.
And that's really cool.
That's enough.
You flubbed something and you're sorry.
And you wish you could do better next time.
And maybe it won't even be next time.
Maybe it'll take several times,
But.
That's okay.
May that be acceptable.
But you can feel your eyes getting heavy and your body just wants to let go.
The room is getting a little darker.
Maybe your eyes feel a little bit like sandy.
Or heavy or drooping.
Maybe your face just can't keep up.
And there's a little bit of a dream that came in.
A little bit of sleep,
Were you awake just then?
The world gets dim.
Time to say goodnight and goodbye for now.
Can take a moment just to acknowledge the beauty of the world,
How it all came from one source and it all coheres under the same laws of physics.
That we're all connected through our atoms and energies.
That's kind of incredible.
That's kind of a joyful thought,
A loving thought before bed.
Just take a moment with that oneness.
If you go to bed,
Then maybe when you wake up or you're walking,
You'll think about it again.
The world is pretty miraculous and amazing.
And you're protected.
You're sheltered?
You're rescued?
Covered.
And shielded.
And protected by great and good forces who lift up your feet and.
.
.
Safeguard you through the passage of night.
You are A-OK.
Maybe you take a deep breath in and exhale the word cella.
Selah.
And you can use your breath to help you relax,
Just guiding that oxygen into the stiff and sore places.
Maybe your lungs expand and that helps your shoulders relax.
You lie down peacefully,
And when you wake up,
It can be peaceful.
Shielded.
Protected.
And shade and comfort.
And you go out of the day when you come back into it sometime.
We'll all be there for you.
Great and good forces are watching you,
Are attending to you.
And they looked over those before us,
And they looked over.
Us,
And they will look over those who come next.
You will be safeguarded.
And the universe blesses you and guards you.
It gives you generous blessings.
Deep protection.
And the universe shines down upon you to face you.
Give you grace.
They get to end.
Enjoy that grace.
Just as the universe turns towards you to offer you peace as well.
Peace and wholeness and the completeness.
Health and rest.
And you are surrounded by great and good forces.
During the day,
So many questions,
So many doubts and concerns and wonders,
And you just put that down,
Just drop it at your right side.
There is a great and good force prepared to take those questions on for you.
With an eye.
Leave it in the question box.
When you exercise,
You lift weights,
You lift packages,
You carry groceries,
You struggle.
Grapple literally,
Figuratively.
It's a lot.
Just let that go on your left side with a great and good force.
That's responsible for that kind of work.
Notice that a great and good force is holding out light for you through the night.
Behind you,
Another force of healing.
Massaging that sweetness into you as you sleep.
And all around you.
The incredible universe entire.
You're safe,
Fortunate.
Fruitful.
Blessed?
Maybe you want to shift or shimmy one last time or adjust something.
Hit your Scratch.
Stretch,
Inhale deeply,
Exhale with the word Salah.
Well,
I'm a big yawn.
Quieting down.
Quieting down,
Becoming more still and more settled.
More sure.
You're safe.
And the world goes on.
It's awesome,
And it was,
And it is,
And it will be.
You don't have to do anything to make that happen.
You have to work at it.
Just is,
Takes care of itself and it takes care of you.
Without a beginning,
Without an end.
They're for you and for all of us.
You can put your hand and your spirit and your body into.
The care of a loving universe.
No fear.
Just keep breathing through the night and letting go,
Letting go.
Bingo.
Nothing to do,
Nothing to say.
Nothing to become.
It's a great surrender.
Breathing and breathing.
Going farther and farther away from the day with each breath.
Disappears from view.
