Good evening and welcome.
This is your time for rest.
And you may already be lying comfortably in your bed,
Wrapped in blankets,
Letting your body settle.
And as you rest here,
You might notice a soft steady sound in the background.
This is white noise,
A gentle even sound similar to a calm breeze,
A soft rainfall or distant air moving through space.
And this sound will remain with you through the night,
Supporting your body as it naturally moves into sleep.
There is nothing you need to do with it,
Nothing you need to listen for,
Let it simply be there,
Like a quiet undercurrent beneath everything else.
And for now,
Just allow yourself to arrive.
Notice the simple fact of being here,
The feeling of the bed beneath you,
The way your body is being held,
The quiet of this moment.
Now let's take a slow breath in through your nose and gently sigh it out through your mouth.
Let's do that again,
Breathing in through the nose and softly releasing.
One more time.
And allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
And notice the gentle movement of your breath within your body.
Feel the gentle rise and the soft fall.
And with every exhale,
Allow a little more of the day to leave your body.
Now gently bring your awareness to where your body meets the bed,
The back of your head,
Your hands,
Your shoulders,
Your upper back,
Your lower back,
Your hips,
Your legs,
Your heels.
Notice how the surface beneath you receives your weight,
How there is nothing you need to hold up anymore.
And from here,
We begin to let the body rest more deeply.
Bring your awareness to your feet.
Notice the heels,
The soles of the feet,
The toes.
You don't need to move them,
Simply sense them.
Allow the feet to soften as if they are gently warming,
Becoming heavier,
More at ease.
Let that softness slowly move into the ankles.
The calves,
The chins,
The muscles no longer doing anything.
The bones completely being supported.
Move your awareness into the knees,
The thighs,
The backs of the legs.
Allow the upper legs to sink into the bed,
Supported,
Held.
Feel into the hips and the pelvis,
A place where we often hold a lot.
Let this area be wide,
Let it be heavy,
Let it rest.
Move your awareness to the lower back,
To the belly.
Notice the natural movement of the breath here,
The gentle rising,
The gentle falling.
And with each exhale,
Invite the belly to soften,
The lower back to broaden,
The whole center of the body to feel safe to rest.
Now bring awareness to the chest,
The ribcage,
The upper back.
Notice how the breath touches this space without needing to guide it.
Let the shoulders melt away from the ears.
Feel the arms resting from the shoulders,
To the elbows,
To the forearms,
The wrists,
To the hands,
The palms,
The fingers.
Let the arms feel heavy,
Loose,
At rest.
Now gently bring your attention to the neck and throat.
The back of the neck softens,
The front of the throat feels at ease,
The jaw unclenches,
The tongue rests,
The cheeks soften,
The eyes sink back,
The forehead smooths,
The scalp releases.
Feel the whole head resting,
Supported.
Now take a moment to sense your body as a whole,
From the feet to the crown of the head.
There is nothing you need to fix,
Nothing you need to follow.
Each time you notice the mind becoming busy,
You can gently return to the feeling of your body in the bed,
To the slow rhythm of your breathing,
To the steady sound beneath everything.
If it feels natural,
Allow the exhale to become a little longer than the inhale.
Not forced,
Just easy,
Like a soft sigh.
Your nervous system begins to receive the message there is nothing to watch for,
Nothing to solve,
Only rest.
From here,
You don't need to listen anymore,
You don't need to stay with my words.
Your body knows how to fall asleep,
The sound will stay with you through the night,
Supporting the natural rhythm of your rest.
You are free to fall asleep,
In your own way,
In your own time.
You are safe and it's okay to sleep.
There is nothing you need to do,
The body is already resting.
Breathing is happening on its own,
Sleep is happening on its own,
Everything can wait,
Rest is allowed,
The body knows how to return to balance.
Good morning,
If you are awake or gently drifting in and out of sleep,
This moment is for you.
Notice your breathing,
Not changing it,
Just sensing,
A gentle rise and a gentle fall.
You might begin to sense the space of the room around you,
The air,
The quiet or maybe some sounds,
The morning atmosphere,
Still resting,
Still safe.
Bring your awareness back into your body,
To the feet,
The legs,
The belly,
The chest,
The arms,
The neck,
The face,
No effort,
Just soft presence.
You might notice tiny movements beginning on their own,
A deeper breath,
A small shift,
A swallow,
A sigh.
Let the body lead,
This is a moment of integration,
Where the rest of the night settles into you,
Where the nervous system completes its reset,
Where the body keeps what it needs.
You may choose to stay here longer,
Enjoying the comfort,
The warm,
The quiet,
Or when the time feels right for you,
You may slowly allow a sense of wakefulness,
Not rushing,
Not pushing,
Just a gentle returning.
Before the day begins,
Take a moment to sense one quality you would like to carry with you,
Maybe ease,
Maybe steadiness,
Maybe clarity or kindness,
You don't have to name it,
Just feel it,
Let it rest in your body,
The way the night rested in you.
And know that whether you continue sleeping or slowly begin to awaken,
This calm,
Grounded state remains available to you,
The body knows the way,
The breath knows the way,
And you can move into your day whenever you are ready.
Thank you for listening to this meditation and wishing you a wonderful day.
