Welcome to this guided meditation that is designed to regulate your nervous system before you go to sleep.
Let's take a moment to really slow down and let the body settle.
So you can situate yourself sitting up if you prefer or laying down.
Any sort of posture where the body can really relax.
Allow the eyes to gently close and allow your hands to rest wherever they want to go.
Maybe the arms are down by your sides or perhaps you take your hands and place them somewhere on your body that would feel comforting and grounding.
I like to place a hand on my heart.
And whatever surface you are on right now,
I want you to feel it underneath you.
Feel that sturdy support and allow your body to really melt down into this embrace.
Let yourself feel as if you are being held here.
And start to notice your breath.
No need to change it,
Just observe this natural rhythm,
This rising and falling.
Let yourself really arrive in this moment.
You can let go of the day and just be here.
You can let go of the day and just breathe.
And now we'll introduce some very gentle breath work that I will guide you through.
But what we'll be doing is inhaling through the nose to the count of 4 and exhaling out of the mouth for the count of 8.
And this longer exhale helps signal to your nervous system that you are safe.
And in that safety you can let go.
You can just be present.
You can start to down-regulate,
Shift out of this state of activation,
This fight or flight,
And really drop into ventral,
Your parasympathetic nervous system.
Where the body can relax,
Rest,
And heal.
So let's start to work with this together.
Start to take a really deep breath in.
Then just let it out of your mouth.
And now inhale to the count of 1,
2,
3,
4.
Breathe out the mouth for 8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Keep going on your own,
Counting in your mind.
Inhaling very gently through your nose.
And exhaling completely and fully,
Slowly through your mouth.
Let's work with this breath work just for a few minutes.
With every exhale feel your body soften just a little bit more.
Let the weight of the day fade away.
Let your jaw unclench.
Let the shoulders be heavy away from your ears.
And let the belly soften.
If thoughts arise,
That's okay.
Just gently return to the focus of your breath and of this breath work.
Feel your body becoming heavier,
More grounded.
More at ease.
You can begin to let go of the counting in your mind.
Let go of any restriction on your breath and just allow the breath to flow naturally again.
Continue to let your breath be your anchor.
And let this moment be enough.
Notice how it feels to be still.
Notice how it feels to be in your body.
And you can stay here for as long as you would like.
And once you feel ready,
You can gently bring your awareness back into your space.
And carry this sense of calm and regulation with you as you head off to bed.
Good night.
