Welcome to this guided meditation to help release stress,
Tension,
And anxiety from your head,
Your neck,
And your shoulders.
You can do this meditation anytime,
But it might be especially nice to focus on this relaxation as you're falling asleep at night,
Moving toward gentle rest and sweet dreams.
As you begin to settle,
You may want to take a moment to make sure that you have the time and space to rest.
You're as safe as you can be.
And whatever needs to be done for the moment is done for the moment.
If you need to adjust the lights,
Have a drink of water,
Complete whatever it is that may bother you while you're resting,
You can pause this meditation and get those things done.
You may also simply resolve to spend this time here,
Resting,
And let whatever needs to be done,
Be done later.
If you haven't already,
Take a moment to get as comfortable as you can.
Especially for your head,
Your neck,
And your shoulders.
Laying on the back may be best,
With some support underneath the neck.
Make sure your pillow is comfortable enough to support the curve under your neck,
Allowing your chin to slightly tip up towards the sky and not push your head forward too much.
It may be better for you to lay on your side,
And you can try putting one pillow under your ribcage,
Just below your armpit,
And two pillows or a larger pillow under your head.
So there's a little extra room between the pillows for your shoulder to relax.
Make sure your head feels as neutral as possible and that your neck is as comfortable as it will be today,
Whatever that might look like for your body.
Take your time to fidget and adjust until you're as comfortable as you can be.
Now let's check in with the breath.
It might feel good to take a deep breath or a sigh,
Or maybe you'd like to simply notice what your breath is doing naturally.
As you do this,
Do you notice that your breath rhythm is reflecting the kind of day you've had?
Is there an emotion sitting there in the breath?
If there is,
That's just fine.
You don't need to identify it,
Fix it,
Or change it.
Simply notice it for the moment.
And now bring your awareness to your shoulders and your arms.
You're not carrying anything right now.
There's nothing you need to do or fix or change,
Nothing you need to lift or hold or pick up for yourself or anyone else.
Can allow your arms and shoulders to relax completely.
To be held by the earth beneath you.
Feel your shoulders softening away from your ears,
Your shoulder blades sliding a little bit away from each other,
Down from your head.
There's nothing you need to carry,
Nothing you need to brace for.
You are safe right now.
There is time.
There's nothing you need to do right now.
Not at this moment.
Not while you're here with me.
Whatever it is will be waiting for you some other time.
Now is not that time.
Notice how your head is resting.
How your neck feels in whatever position you're in.
Notice your throat.
Is there any excess tension there that you might not need right now?
Is there a breath,
A thought,
A word being held there?
You don't need to know what it is or do anything with it.
If something wants to come out,
You can sigh or groan,
Even speak if you want to.
Or simply notice.
Right now,
There is nothing you need to do,
Nothing you need to say.
Right now,
You can relax the tension in your throat,
Your teeth,
Your jaw.
As you move your awareness up into your mouth,
Notice your tongue,
Your teeth,
Your cheeks.
Is there movement there?
Tension?
Maybe a habit of grinding or clenching.
Are there words or thoughts stuck in your jaw,
Unspoken frustrations?
There may be,
And that's welcome if the thought or the words want to come.
And they don't need to.
Not right now.
Right now,
There's nothing you need to say,
Nothing you need to fix or change or protect.
You are safe enough to relax your jaw and throat.
To let your breath flow easily,
To let your teeth rest,
Your tongue soften,
Nestling into the crevice at the roof of your mouth.
Let's notice your ears,
The environment around you.
Relative quiet or maybe there's a bit of background noise.
Here's the sound of my voice.
There's nothing you need to learn or process or understand right now.
You could tune me out.
Stop listening to this and anything else.
And that would be just fine.
Imagine your ears relaxing.
Softening.
And the inside and the outside.
Receiving the safety and calm of this moment.
Attend now to your eyes.
Space around your eyes.
If they're not already,
Let your eyelids soften and close.
Enveloping your eyes in warm,
Soft darkness.
Nothing to see right now,
Nothing to read or process.
You've been thinking all day,
Planning,
Looking ahead,
Puzzling,
Attending,
Walking,
Driving,
Whatever else you've had to do with your eyes open,
Paying attention to what's in front of you.
Now the eyes are closed and quiet,
Bathed in darkness.
There is nowhere you need to look,
Nothing you need to see or figure out.
You can allow your attention to move inward and let it soften.
Drift,
Wander.
And dream.
And now we notice the scalp,
The head,
The mind.
Relax the muscles of your forehead and your scalp.
Imagine softening your grip on any thoughts that may be in there.
There's nothing you need to remember or sort out or figure out.
Not right now.
Your brain knows what to do when you are at rest and it doesn't need or want you to be thinking all the time.
You can think later.
You don't need to now.
Imagine that your mind is letting go,
Allowing,
Softening.
Allow your mind and your body to be held by the earth beneath you and trust that's all you need right now.
Let this restful softening practice flow from your head and neck and shoulders all the way down the rest of your body.
Receive the time,
The relaxation.
Nothing is required of you.
Stay here as long as you want to.
And if you fall asleep,
Sweet dreams,
Your meditation is now complete.
