Get yourself comfortable in bed.
Begin by making any final adjustments you need.
To really settle in.
Maybe you flip your pillow over to the cool side.
Or pull your blankets up a little bit higher.
Or perhaps you roll onto your favorite side.
Take a moment.
To really get as comfortable as you can.
And then when you're ready.
Close your eyes.
Now bring your awareness to your breath.
And just notice the natural rhythm of your breathing as you lie here.
Feel the air entering in through your nose.
Moving into your lungs.
And then leaving your body as you exhale.
You don't need to change anything yet.
Just notice the gentle movement of your body as you breathe.
We're now going to slow things down just a bit.
So take a big,
Deep breath in through your nose.
And then slowly exhale through your mouth.
Allowing the exhale to be just a little bit longer than the inhale.
Again,
Breathing in slowly.
And letting the breath leave your body.
With a long,
Easy exhale.
No foreseeing or straining.
Just a comfortable,
Deep breath in.
And a slightly longer breath out.
Continue breathing this way.
Imagining that with every exhale you're releasing.
A little bit more of the day behind you.
Maybe it's tension in your body you're releasing.
Or thoughts that are still moving through your mind that begin to slow down.
And perhaps it's just that feeling.
Of switching off after a busy day.
But each time you breathe out.
Allow yourself to soften.
Just a little bit more.
Inhaling,
Filling your lungs with air.
And exhaling,
Allowing your body to become heavier.
Inhaling and exhaling.
Sinking a little deeper into your mattress.
Continue this for a few more breaths.
Letting that breath become slower.
More effortless with every breath cycle.
Now allow your breathing.
To return to its natural rhythm.
There's nothing else that you need to do with it.
But just let your body breathe.
And as you breathe.
Begin to bring your awareness.
To the sensation of your body resting in bed.
And tonight as we relax our bodies.
We're going to move through our bodies piece by piece.
Allowing them to sink into the bed beneath you.
And begin to soften.
And drift off to sleep one by one.
Begin by noticing.
The back of your head or the side of your face resting against your pillow.
Feel the weight of your head.
And imagine the pillow becoming just a little bit softer beneath you.
Allow your head to settle into that softness.
And feel the muscles around your forehead.
Your eyes,
Cheeks,
And jaw begin to relax.
And now imagine that same softness spreading beneath your neck and shoulders.
Feel your shoulders becoming heavy.
Sinking down into the mattress.
The muscles in your upper back soften.
And your arms become completely relaxed.
Feel the weight of your upper arms.
Your elbows.
Your forearm.
And your hands.
Let your fingers relax.
And your palms rest comfortably.
Feeling how the mattress beneath your upper body is perfectly shaped to support you.
There is no need to hold yourself in any particular position.
You can let the bed do all the work.
And now bring your awareness to the middle of your body.
Feel your ribs moving slightly as you breathe.
And notice the weight of your back and hips against the bed.
Imagine that with every exhale,
The muscles surrounding your spine become a bit softer.
And your hips sink just a little deeper into the mattress.
Feel the weight of your thighs.
Your knees.
And your calves.
Allow your legs to become heavy.
And completely relaxed.
Notice your ankles and feet.
Resting comfortably.
As your toes soften.
Now imagine your entire body resting in the perfect impression.
In the mattress.
Every curve and every part of your body is supported.
There's no tension that you need to hold.
Or movement that you need to make.
Nothing that you need to do.
Just feel your whole body resting here.
Heavy and comfortable.
While your breath continues to move naturally in.
Now in your mind's eye.
Begin to imagine.
That you're standing on a quiet walking path in the mountains.
It's late afternoon.
And the sun is beginning to sink down toward the horizon.
The air is cool and fresh.
You're dressed comfortably.
And you feel cozy in a warm sweater.
Soft pans.
And a pair of well-worn walking shoes.
You take a moment to look around and notice where you are.
You are standing in a beautiful evergreen forest.
Surrounded by towering pine and spruce trees that stretch high above your head.
Their branches are thick.
With deep green needles.
And the late afternoon sun filters through the trees.
Creating soft patches of golden light on the ground.
The path beneath your feet is smooth and easy to walk on.
Made of packed earth.
With a scattering of pine needles and small stones.
And as you take your first few steps.
You hear the crunch of the ground beneath your shoes.
The air smells fresh and earthy.
With the unmistakable scent of pine trees and damp forest soil.
You begin to walk slowly down the path.
Taking your time.
And enjoying the peaceful surroundings.
There is no destination you need to reach quickly.
No schedule to follow.
Nowhere else you need to be tonight.
You're simply taking a relaxing walk through the mountains.
Allowing the sights and sounds of nature.
To help you unwind.
And as you continue walking,
You notice how quiet the forest is.
There are no cars,
No voices.
None of the usual sounds of a busy day.
Just the occasional rustling of branches overhead.
The faint sound of birds settling into the trees.
And the rhythm of your footsteps moving along the path.
And every so often.
A gentle breeze moves through the forest.
Causing the branches above you to sway slightly.
You can hear the soft whisper of pine needles rustling.
And you take a deep breath of the cool air.
Noticing how clean and refreshing it feels.
And as you exhale,
Your shoulders soften.
And your steps become even slower.
The path begins to curve gently through the trees.
Following the natural shape of the forest.
Along the edges of the trail.
You notice patches of thick,
Green moss growing over fallen logs and stones.
Small ferns spread their delicate leaves across the forest floor.
In tiny white,
Yellow,
And purple wildflowers that peek out from between the rocks.
And you pause for a moment.
Beside a large old pine tree.
Its trunk is wide and textured.
With deep grooves running through the bark.
You reach out and place your hand against it.
Feeling the rough surface beneath your fingertips.
The tree is solid and still.
Its branches stretching high above you.
You take another slow breath.
Enjoying the quietness of this pace.
And then you continue walking.
After a little while,
You begin to hear the faint sound of moving water somewhere ahead.
And at first it's barely noticeable.
The soft rushing sounds beneath the quiet of the forest.
But as you continue down the path,
The sound becomes a bit more clear.
Soon the trees begin to open up.
And you find yourself walking beside a beautiful mountain river.
The water is an unusual shade of pale turquoise.
Almost milky blue.
And it moves steadily over smooth stones and around large boulders along the riverbank.
The water is so clear in some places that you can see the rocks resting beneath the surface.
While in others the pale blue color becomes deeper and more opaque.
You walk closer to the river and pause along the bank.
Watching the water move past you.
The current creates small ripples and tiny waves in the surface.
From time to time you notice the current swirling around,
A rock or a stick in the water.
Before the flow of the stream continues down the river.
The sound is steady and relaxing.
A constant gentle flow of water that fills the air.
You find a large flat rock near the edge of the river and sit down for a few moments.
The stone is smooth beneath you.
Warmed slightly by the afternoon sun.
You rest your hands in your lap.
And just watch the water flowing past.
Noticing how the river continues moving at its own pace.
It doesn't hurry.
It doesn't stop.
It simply follows the shape of the land,
Moving around whatever lies in its path.
So you sit here for a while.
Listening to the water.
And watching the small ripples move across its surface.
And eventually you stand.
Continue following the path alongside the river.
The trees begin to thin.
And you can see more of the mountains rising around you.
Tall,
Rugged peaks stretch high into the sky.
Their upper slopes covered in patches of snow that remain even during the warmer months.
The mountains are huge.
With steep rocky faces and deep valleys carved between them.
Some of the peaks are pale gray while others have darker layers of stone running across their sides.
You continue walking.
Following the river as it winds through the valley.
The path is easy and comfortable.
And the landscape around you seems to become more beautiful with every turn.
Along the way you pass small meadows filled with grasses and wildflowers.
The grass moves gently in the breeze.
The flowers add little touches of purple,
Yellow,
And white.
To the green grass.
The air is beginning to cool slightly as the afternoon shifts into evening.
But you stay warm and comfortable.
Continue walking.
Listening to the steady sound of the river beside you.
And after a while,
The path curves around a small cluster of trees.
And suddenly the landscape opens up in front of you.
There nestled between towering mountain peaks.
It's one of the most beautiful lakes you've ever seen.
The water stretches out across the valley in a brilliant shade of turquoise blue.
Surrounded on all sides by dense evergreen forests and enormous rocky mountains.
At the far end of the lake,
A glacier rests between two peaks.
Its pale blue and white ice catching the last bits of afternoon sunlight.
The lake is almost completely still.
And with only the faintest movement across its surface.
The mountains are reflected in the water.
Creating a beautiful mirror image.
From the landscape above.
And so you stay.
And simply take it all in.
You take a slow,
Deep breath in.
And a long easy breath out.
Your body becomes a little heavier.
Your eyelids a bit softer.
Your mind begins to drift.
Everything continues at its own slow,
Natural pace.
The trees sway.
The lake rests beneath the sky.
The world outside continues quietly while you sleep.
You can let the day come to an end.
You can let your thoughts settle.
You can let your body become completely heavy and relaxed.
Forehead softens.
Jaw relaxes.
Your shoulders sink.
Arms and legs become heavy.
Your breath is slow and effortless now.
And your body is ready for sleep.
