Welcome to this space of rest.
This is your time to disconnect,
To turn down the noise of the world,
And to drift into a deep revitalising sleep.
Just take a moment or two to get comfortable,
Maybe adjust your pillows so your neck is fully supported.
Make any final movements you need to make,
Perhaps wiggle your toes or shift your hips,
Allow your body to begin to sink into the mattress.
Now perhaps rest your hands gently by your side,
Or maybe you'd like to put them on your stomach,
And close your eyes,
And just for a moment acknowledge that you have absolutely nowhere else to be.
The day is done,
And regardless of what happened today,
It is now time to let go.
Now I would like you to bring your awareness to your internal world.
You might notice the static of the day,
Thoughts,
Plans,
Conversations replaying in your mind,
And that's ok,
Your mind is a thought making machine and it will just continue to churn out thought after thought after thought,
A little like a conveyor belt at a factory.
But we're going to turn the volume down on those thoughts.
To do that,
I'd like you to visualize a control panel just behind your eyelids.
On this panel,
There is a smooth sliding fader,
A master volume control for your mind.
Now right now,
It might be sitting near the top,
Perhaps at level 10.
We're going to use your breath to lower the volume of the fader.
We'll take some deep breaths in through the nose in a bit,
And then with an open mouth,
I would like you to exhale to reset your nervous system.
So,
Inhale deeply through your nose,
Imagining that you're filling the bottom of your stomach with relaxation and peace.
Now,
Open your mouth and exhale slowly,
And as you do,
See that fader slide down from 10 to 8,
Notice that the noise is dropping.
Inhale deeply again,
Feeling your chest expand.
Exhale completely,
Sliding now down to 6,
The internal voice becoming muffled,
A bit like a radio playing in the next room,
Holding it for just a moment at the top of the breath.
Then exhale down to 4,
Day is fading out,
Starting to feel more distant now.
Inhale,
Breathing in that sense of calm,
Hold it,
And exhale,
That volume now going down to 2,
Just a faint hum,
Barely noticeable.
Deep,
Healing breath in,
And a long,
Slow exhale all the way down to 0.
Enjoy this silence for a moment.
If a thought tries to enter,
Simply notice that the volume is down,
So you don't need to engage with it.
Now that the mind is quiet,
Let's just turn off the switches in the body one by one.
Firstly,
We will scan through the body,
Bringing awareness to one area at a time.
Let's start by imagining a warm,
Heavy wave of relaxation,
Starting at the very top of your head and moving down all the way to the tips of your toes.
Very good.
Now,
Let's focus on your forehead and scalp.
Smooth out those tiny muscles around your eyes.
Unfurrow your brow.
Just imagine in your mind's eye,
Turning off a switch there.
Click,
The muscles go loose.
Now let's move down to your jaw.
Unclench your teeth.
Let your tongue fall away from the roof of your mouth and just let your cheeks soften.
Now,
Bring your attention to your neck and shoulders.
This is where we often carry the weight of the world.
Take a nice deep breath into your shoulders.
And on the exhale,
Drop them away from your ears.
Allow them to sink heavily into the bed.
And turn off that switch.
Click.
Moving down your arms,
Past your elbows,
Into your wrists and hands.
Just feel your thumbs and fingers softening.
Your hands are open and empty.
There's nothing you need to hold on to right now.
Let's just flick that switch.
Click.
Let's focus on your chest and stomach.
Click.
Just notice the gentle rise and fall.
Allow your belly to soften.
Let your breath reach deep into your abdomen.
There's no tension here,
Just a soft rhythm.
In and out.
Now,
Move your awareness to your hips and your glutes.
Feel the contact with the mattress.
Let the top of your legs feel very,
Very heavy.
Anchoring you safely to the bed.
Drifting down through your thighs.
Continuing to your knees.
Just let the large muscles of your legs click,
Switch off.
They've carried you around all day.
Now they can rest.
Now down to your calves and ankles.
Allowing them to completely relax.
And finally,
Let's flick that switch as we move down to your feet and your toes.
Feel your entire body now,
From the top of your head to the tips of your toes,
Totally relaxed.
You are heavy.
You're warm.
You are now switched off.
In this state of zero effort,
You may find your mind is drifting.
If any final stray thought tries to turn the volume back up,
We won't fight it,
We'll just use your mind to move it.
You can imagine that thought is coming from a small,
Old speaker.
Perhaps sitting on a table.
In your mind,
Just pick up that speaker and walk it out of the bedroom.
Down the hall,
Placing it outside your front door.
Now watch as it floats away,
Drifting,
Getting farther and farther and smaller and smaller,
Like a cloud toward the horizon.
It's so small and quiet now.
It's almost impossible to see or hear it.
Simply allow your mind to drift into that space between consciousness and subconsciousness.
Nothing more for you to do.
Your thoughts are now sector zero.
Your body is completely relaxed.
Your mind is free.
You deserve this rest.
Beautiful,
Nourishing.
Drifting deeper and deeper.
Beautiful,
Nourishing.
