Hello and welcome.
I'm Lauren Archer and I'll be your guide for this experience.
Thank you for joining me today.
As you listen to this session.
You're giving yourself a few minutes to pause.
To step out of the busyness of the day and into a quieter space within yourself.
And even a few minutes like this.
Has a way of creating a subtle inner shift.
One that can begin to build.
Over time.
Each time you return to it.
Because so many of the patterns we live with were formed in just that way.
Gradually.
Over time.
Through repetition.
Until they began to feel.
Automatic.
And for many people.
That evening glass of wine or beer or a cocktail.
Has become part of their daily pattern.
A kind of familiar ritual.
Automatic.
It's something that signals the day is done.
And now.
It's time to relax.
And that desire.
To shift out of the day and into the evening is completely natural.
And.
.
.
At the same time.
You might be noticing something's beginning to change.
Maybe it started to feel.
.
.
A little more automatic than you'd like.
Or something you reach for.
Without really thinking about it.
Maybe your body has been giving you small signals.
Or you just have an inner sense that something could feel better.
And sew.
Here you are.
Allowing yourself to explore a different kind of evening experience.
One that comes from a place of choice.
And when you follow through on a choice like that,
Even in something as simple as an evening routine.
Something important begins to shift.
You start to trust yourself more.
And that quiet sense of self-trust.
Becomes a foundation.
For everything else in your life.
You're not alone in this.
Millions of people have turned to alcohol as a way to wind down.
For today.
More and more people like you are waking up and making different choices.
Especially because we're learning that alcohol even in moderate amounts.
Disrupts our quality of sleep.
Interferes with our body's natural rhythms.
And even dysregulates our hormones.
The growing Sober Curious movement is proof that you're in excellent company.
People everywhere are discovering that even a few nights a week of trading the evening pour for something more nourishing feels less like deprivation.
And more like liberation.
This isn't about restriction.
It's about.
Choice.
And knowing that you can choose.
In the next several minutes.
You'll be guided into a deeply relaxed state.
Where your mind and body can experience.
How easy.
And natural that choice can be.
You'll be invited to release the day.
To settle into a state of deep inner comfort.
And to connect with the creative space within you.
From there.
You'll get to experience how good you can feel.
With the power of your own breath,
Your own body.
Your mind and your heart.
And every time you give yourself permission to relax.
And listen to this session.
You are reinforcing and deepening your ability to make conscious choices.
Making it easier and easier.
To settle into this feeling of genuine freedom.
Each listen.
Is a gift.
You are giving yourself.
If you haven't already.
Find a comfortable space where you can relax for a little while.
Silence your notifications.
Let your eyes softly close down.
And when you're ready,
Let's begin.
As you let your body settle into a comfortable position now.
Let's take a moment to turn your attention inward.
Inward.
To yourself.
As you follow the sound of my voice.
You can ignore any distracting sounds.
Even allowing them to help you relax more deeply.
And let's begin by taking a slow,
Full,
Easy breath.
And as you exhale,
Let yourself breathe the air all the way out.
Beginning to release any thoughts of the day.
Now taking in another long,
Slow,
Deep breath.
Noticing how good that feels.
And as you exhale this time.
Feel your body softening.
Releasing.
And settling down.
That's right.
And as you rest here,
Breathing easily.
Begin to bring your awareness to your body.
Just sensing and feeling what is present.
In this moment.
With each breath now,
You can let your body feel a little bit more at ease.
Feeling more spaciousness within.
More room simply to be here.
Notice what it feels like to let your attention Scan your body from the inside out.
Perhaps feeling the places.
Where your body meets the surface beneath you.
Sensing your back.
Your legs,
Your hands,
Resting gently.
Let gravity do what it does best as you gently allow yourself to feel more and more relaxed and support it.
Knowing that you are safe.
And always in complete control.
And in a moment.
Will begin to gently relax the muscles of your body.
From the crown of your head.
All the way down.
To the soles of your feet.
And if you like.
You might imagine a soft,
Soothing light.
Moving through your body.
As you rely.
Or you may simply notice a gentle wave.
Of relaxation.
As each area begins to soften and let go.
And some people find it natural to imagine themselves in a place where they feel safe.
Comfortable and at ease.
And whatever way your mind responds is perfectly fine.
There's no right or wrong way to do this.
So now beginning with relaxing your face.
Bring your awareness now to your forehead and temples,
Letting them feel smooth and relaxed.
Relaxing your jaw.
And even your tongue.
Sensing the little muscles in your head and your scalp.
Feeling yourself gently relax.
Noticing any sensations and just allowing them to be.
And now bringing your attention to your neck and throat.
Relaxing these muscles and dropping down into your shoulders,
Feeling your shoulders drop.
Releasing any tightness or tension.
And noticing how good it feels to let the muscles in your neck and throat and shoulders just relax.
And from your shoulders now.
Feeling your arms,
Your wrists,
Your hands and fingers.
Sensing them as heavy,
Loose,
Limp,
And relaxed.
Noticing the sensations in the palms of your hands and your fingertips.
And just allowing those sensations to be.
Good,
Now taking in another nice full breath.
As you bring your awareness to your chest and abdomen.
Sensing the in and out flow of your breath.
And softening the belly.
Relaxing the muscles of your back now.
Letting all of these muscles loosen,
Soften,
And relax.
And as you take another nice deep breath,
You can become aware of the area in and around your own heart.
Breathing in and through the space around your heart.
And you can know that your heart is a center of intelligence.
That is the place inside of you.
That holds wisdom.
And as you let your mind rest here.
You may get a sense of the subtle wisdom.
In your heart.
Taking in another full deep breath.
This time breathing in ease and comfort.
Almost like breathing in an inner smile.
Let this good feeling fill up inside that space around your heart.
Breathing in comfort and ease.
Breathing in an inner smile.
Breathing in gratitude and appreciation.
And noticing how good that feels.
With each breath now,
Let that inner smile expand outward.
Blowing through your body.
Sensing the subtle sensation.
Within you.
As you give yourself permission.
To feel good from the inside out.
Some people feel a sense of expansiveness.
Some people feel a warmth.
Or lightness.
Or a phone.
Or a spaciousness.
Begin to notice what you are feeling in that space around your heart.
As you continue to breathe in.
Gratitude.
And appreciation.
And now allowing these good feelings to expand and flow throughout your entire body as you continue moving your awareness down through your lower abdomen.
Through your hips and your pelvis,
Feeling safe,
Supported,
And comfortable.
Continuing to let these relaxing feelings move down,
Down into your legs and feet now.
Letting your thighs,
Knees,
Calves,
And ankles feel heavy,
Loose,
And limp.
And all the way down to the soles of your feet.
And the tips of your toes.
Your whole body now.
Comfortable and relaxed.
Deeper and deeper.
Every muscle.
Feeling comforted.
And fully at ease.
Every cell basking in these good feelings.
And at your center.
You can become aware of your heart.
Open.
.
.
And spacious and gently smiling.
You are here.
Fully present with yourself.
This inner space.
Is a safe place of genuine stillness that exists within you.
It has always existed within you.
And you can return here.
Anytime you choose.
With an easy breath.
And an inner smile.
This is a place.
Where you are connected.
To the deepest part of your own inner wisdom.
And right here.
Right now.
Inside of you.
A gentle awareness.
Is opening.
And you can let yourself feel it.
This inner space is filled with a living stillness.
It's a quiet,
Magical space.
Filled with possibility and potential.
Where change.
Happens naturally.
And easily.
And as your attention begins to settle inward now.
You may start to notice a little more awareness.
Of your habits.
And what's been shaping them.
And somehow,
Someway.
You may notice that certain habits in your life that may have felt stuck.
Or block.
Or limited.
Are somehow shifting.
And changing.
Like passing clouds.
It's as if old familiar patterns from your past.
Are now untangling,
Unraveling,
And unwinding.
What may have felt solid.
Is more like foggy mist.
Dissolving and changing.
And releasing.
As you let go so naturally and so easily.
And as the fog clears.
As the old patterns drift away.
You may notice that somehow,
Someway,
There's more room.
In your life.
More spaciousness.
More freedom.
To show up in your life the way you want to.
And be the kind of person that you want to be.
Your creative inner mind is opening up.
Waking up.
And as it does,
You may feel a sense of aliveness.
Within you.
Like you are coming home to your natural state of being.
You can notice how good it feels to fully relax and let yourself be.
Who you choose to be.
Knowing that there's really nothing outside of yourself that you need.
You have everything that you need within you.
And as you rest in this deep and beautiful stillness.
You can allow your mind to drift gently forward in time.
To the evening hours.
When the day is about to end.
You can notice all the ways that you are in complete control of your choices.
Sensing how easy it is.
To fully enjoy.
Alcohol-free evening.
And how good you feel about yourself when you choose to live this way.
You're standing just a bit taller now.
Walking and moving with intention and purpose.
Feeling calm and confident and totally comfortable.
You're present and aware,
Noticing how much you enjoy alcohol-free evenings.
You may find yourself.
Doing something nice that's just for you,
Deliberately and consciously.
Maybe going for a short walk.
Or taking some time to stretch.
Or kicking back.
And reading for pleasure.
Or doing something creative.
And when you do reach for a glass of something.
You find something else to satisfy you.
Something nourishing that quenches your thirst.
It hydrates your body.
And that's healthy and delicious.
And you can notice yourself holding that glass in your hand.
Perhaps it's a tall glass of water with ice.
Or sparkling water with a twist of citrus.
Or a soothing cup of herbal tea.
You can take pleasure in the way it feels as it passes your lips and your tongue.
And soothes your throat.
Hydrating your body as you swallow.
It's so enjoyable.
So satisfying.
And so refreshing.
And you can drink as much of this as you want.
And it feels so good and so healthy.
As if your body is saying,
Yes.
Boom.
This tastes so good.
Like this.
Is what I want.
This is what I need.
And each time you choose this.
It feels better and better.
You can have an even greater sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.
Of living in alignment.
With who you want to be.
And how you want to show up in your life.
As someone who is in control of their choices.
As someone who makes intelligent decisions.
Who knows that they are enough.
And they have enough.
And this is enough.
You may even hear yourself say,
Wow.
This is easier than I thought.
Feeling a sense of inner pride and confidence and self-trust growing from within you.
And no matter where you go.
Whether you're at home,
Or out with friends,
Or at a restaurant,
Or a gathering.
You can notice how natural and easy it is.
To enjoy an alcohol-free evening whenever you choose to.
How confidently you can order a non-alcoholic beverage.
And no matter what's in your glass.
You can feel satisfied.
And fulfilled.
Enjoying yourself.
Enjoying the moment.
Enjoying the evening.
Nothing missing.
Totally at ease.
And in the days and weeks to come.
You find evidence that having more alcohol-free evenings are creating positive benefits in so many areas of your life.
You may notice how sleep.
Comes more easily now.
At first with a calm,
Clear presence.
After you close your eyes and begin to rest.
And then.
.
.
Over time.
A deeper,
More restorative sleep.
Leading to morning wake-ups feeling rested and refreshed.
With more clarity and lightness.
That stays with you.
Throughout the day.
You may find yourself feeling more uplifted.
More available.
To moments of heartfelt joy.
Finding small moments of gratitude.
In simple things.
Like pausing to notice the way the light reflects a certain way.
Or the feeling of warm water on your skin.
Or a passing smile.
And through it all.
Beneath it all.
Feeling the spaciousness in your own heart.
Sensing your inner wisdom.
Quietly guiding you.
Your inner sense of self-trust is growing stronger and clearer.
As you live your life in alignment.
With the person that you choose to be.
And now let's take another long,
Slow,
Deep breath.
And let all of this awareness settle into every part of you.
And in a moment.
Will gently begin returning.
Back to the present.
If this is your normal time to fall asleep.
You can ignore the suggestions to awaken.
And instead allow yourself to drift into a deep sleep.
Restful,
Restorative sleep.
Taking all these good feelings with you.
Tonight and every night as you sleep.
Your mind and body continue to integrate these ideas.
Planting them like seeds into the rich,
Fertile soil of your inner life.
And when you do return to full awareness,
You'll feel refreshed,
Clear.
And filled with a renewed sense of hope and possibility.
Carrying all the positive changes with you.
As you now recognize yourself as someone who is confident,
Clear.
And fully in choice.
And now.
Gently allowing your awareness to return at your own pace.
Becoming aware of your breath.
Easy and natural.
Noticing the feeling of your body.
Supported and comfortable and at ease.
Becoming aware of the space around you.
And the sounds.
And the light.
And perhaps gently moving your fingers and your toes.
And when you're ready,
Allowing your body to gently stretch and your eyes to open,
Feeling refreshed,
Clear,
And wonderful.
