So let's begin by settling into bed just preparing for a nice long night of sleep making sure you're comfortable maybe flipping your pillow over to the cool side or cuddling up under your favorite blanket and if you can,
Take a big full body stretch lengthening out,
Trying to stretch everything as much as you can and then settle into a supportive and relaxing position for your body to rest and fall asleep and then once you've settled give yourself permission to let the day slide away whatever happened earlier today pack it away,
Set it aside and remind yourself that now is the time to sleep everything else can wait but now is the time for sleep and let's begin with a few big deep easy breaths inhaling through the nose and exhaling letting everything go inhaling,
Bringing it all in exhaling,
Letting it all go inhaling fresh air and nourishment exhaling,
Releasing any tension,
Worry or stress one more time and now feel your body being supported by your bed notice the points of contact between your body and your bed beneath you and now feel whatever is covering your body maybe it's your pajamas maybe you can feel the warmth of your blankets or perhaps the weight of a comforter or duvet resting on your body and just notice yourself being tucked away supported by the bed beneath you and covered by the blankets over you feel yourself cocooned here protected,
Comfortable and being held for a perfect night of replenishing sleep and now bring your awareness to the space between the eyebrows softening any clenching or tension here and then release the base of the front of the neck softening the right shoulder the right elbow wrist and thumb softening through the right index finger middle finger ring finger and your right little finger release through the right wrist elbow and shoulder and just move your awareness to the base of the front of the neck softening now through the left shoulder the left elbow and left wrist releasing through the left thumb index finger middle finger ring finger and little finger move your awareness to your left wrist elbow and shoulder become aware of the base of the front of the neck the center of your chest the right side of your chest the left side of your chest and once again soften your awareness and release through the center of the chest become aware now of your navel softening through your pelvis relaxing through the right hip knee and ankle become aware of the right big toe the right second toe third toe fourth toe and the right little toe softening through the right ankle knee and hip allowing your pelvis to rest and be heavy releasing now through the left hip knee and ankle become aware of the left big toe the left second toe third toe fourth toe and little toe releasing once again through the left ankle knee and hip relax the pelvis soften the navel and open the center of the chest become aware of the base of the front of the neck and the center of the forehead feel the whole right side of your body the whole left side of your body the front of your body and the back of the body feel your whole body resting easing off to sleep your breath slow,
Steady and rhythmic your body drifting off to sleep even if the mind still remains awake and now bring your awareness back to your feet imagine your feet stepping into a quiet,
Misty rainforest it feels so calm,
Quiet and peaceful here the air is warm and soft against your skin every breath you take is slow and easy and it's filled with the earthy scent of rain soaked leaves rich earth and wild orchids every breath of this fresh air feels so good to your body and there's a deep sense of calm all around you you just pause for a moment to take in your surroundings above you,
The trees stretch tall and the leaves spread out wide intertwining with one another and the branches are laced with vines and water droplets from the recent rainfall clouds drift low through the forest weaving between trunks and floating around you like a cool,
Shimmering mist and as you breathe deeply with the fresh air and light cloud mist around you you can feel the clouds clearing your chest softening your breath calming your lungs and bringing a stillness and peace to your mind your skin is absorbing the fresh air it's becoming hydrated and glowing it just feels so good to be here and you begin to walk slowly along a narrow,
Mossy path underneath the canopy of branches and leaves the ground beneath your feet is soft and springy blanketed with leaves and moss that cushion each step the only sound you hear is a slight whisper of the breeze through the canopy and the distant call of birds you can hear them,
But they're flying somewhere just out of sight you continue to walk slowly and with intention taking in what you see and as you continue along the path the trees grow taller,
Wider and more ancient you know that they've been here for centuries they've seen and witnessed so much some of the trees rise with roots like ribbons reaching up off of the ground spiraling in different directions intertwining with one another and grounding deep in the earth,
Holding their space their trunks are thick wrapped in blankets of soft moss and tiny green leaves you reach out and lightly run your fingers along the bark it's cool and textured beneath your hand and you see just a little bit of sunlight shining on your palm as a little bit of light filters softly through the leaves you look at these few droplets of light on your hand for a moment and then you see the golden shimmer the sunlight casts through the mist as you pause here,
Cradled by the peaceful quiet of the forest you then notice something you hear something up ahead a soft rushing sound a waterfall you step closer,
Drawn by the sound and then soon you see it a thin white and silvery stream of water tumbling down smooth stone surrounded by ferns and flowering vines you just take some time watching the waterfall the rhythm of it is steady and soothing you can feel the cool mist rising from the pool below and brushing across your cheeks you sit down nearby held by the earth beneath you supported by the silence and steady sound of water and here in this sacred forest your body softens your thoughts are at ease and your soul truly rests there's nothing else you need to do there's no place you need to be but just right here,
With each breath in this moment
