This is a body scan meditation for sleep or deep relaxation.
So finding a comfortable position,
Lying on your back in bed,
Or whatever position is comfortable for you right now and gently closing your eyes.
During this body scan we will be resting our attention on different parts of our body in turn and relaxing our body as we go by imagining that we are turning off the muscles one by one.
By focusing on the body we are allowing more space in the mind and getting ourselves ready for sleep.
If you notice thoughts in your mind during this meditation you haven't done anything wrong.
Just seeing if you can let go of these thoughts when you notice that you've been distracted and gently and kindly lead your attention back to the sensations of your body and relaxing your muscles.
So starting by just noticing the weight of your body and how it feels against the bed or the surface beneath you.
The feeling of being supported.
It's okay to let yourself relax now.
Noticing the feeling of your head against the pillow.
Your arms resting by your sides.
Letting yourself sink a little more deeply into your bed with each out breath.
Moving your awareness into your toes and imagining those muscles switching off.
Relaxing the soles of your feet.
Letting your feet sink into your bed.
Noticing what it feels like to relax these muscles.
Noticing your ankles.
Relaxing your shins and your calf muscles.
Noticing the sensations when you switch off these muscles.
Noticing your knees.
Relaxing your thighs.
Letting them sink down.
Relaxing your hips.
Relaxing your pelvis.
Noticing how relaxing feels.
Moving your awareness to your stomach.
Noticing your stomach and letting it be soft.
Aware of the movement of your breath in your stomach.
Letting your lower back relax.
The middle of your back.
Your upper back.
Now noticing your chest.
And how it feels to relax your chest.
Relaxing your hands.
Your right hand.
And your left hand.
Relaxing your fingers.
And your thumbs.
Relaxing your wrists.
Your forearms.
Your elbows.
Noticing the tops of your arms.
And now a sense of your shoulders switching off.
Letting your shoulders sink into the bed.
Noticing how it feels to let them relax.
Bringing your awareness to your throat.
Letting it be soft.
Your neck.
Letting your jaw relax.
Noticing your chin.
Your mouth.
Your cheeks.
Your ears.
Your nose.
Your eyes.
Your eyelids.
Your forehead.
Letting your whole face be soft.
Letting your head be soft.
And sink into your pillow.
And now expanding your awareness to your whole body.
Feeling yourself supported by your bed.
Feeling pulled down by gravity.
Letting yourself fully relax.
Finding a place of stillness.
And allowing yourself to gently drift off to sleep.
