Before we begin,
One small thing to know.
When these words end,
There will still be a little music and then a soft steady sound will continue through the night.
You don't need to worry about turning anything off.
You can listen to these words lying down in the position that feels most comfortable for you right now.
If you like,
You may gently close your eyes and if you prefer to keep them open,
That's fine too.
There is no right way to do this.
Allow your body to settle in the way it wants to settle.
The body already knows how to rest.
If at any moment you fall asleep,
That is exactly what this space is for.
There is nothing to achieve here,
Nothing to fix,
Nothing to improve.
You don't need to follow every word.
You don't need to stay focused.
You don't even need to listen carefully.
These words are simply here,
Like a quiet presence in the room,
While your system has what it already knows how to do.
Now that you're here,
You can stop holding the day together.
You don't need to review it.
You don't need to understand it.
You don't need to prepare for tomorrow.
The day is over and your nervous system knows that,
Even if the mind is still catching up.
If there are thoughts,
That's not a problem.
If there are sensations,
That's not a problem.
Sleep doesn't require perfect silence.
It only requires less effort.
And now,
Slowly,
Without rushing anything,
We begin to reduce stimulation,
Like a house in the evening that starts turning itself off.
Imagine,
Without trying,
A house seen from the outside at dusk.
You don't need to see it clearly.
Just a vague sense,
An impression.
Inside this house,
The rooms of the mind are still lit,
Soft lights,
Not disturbing,
But still on,
And that's okay.
Without deciding anything,
As if it happens by itself,
One light gently dims,
Not switching off,
Just dimming.
This is a room of fast thoughts,
The ones that jump,
That comment,
That anticipate.
You don't need to push them away.
You don't need to stop them.
Just lower the brightness.
Thoughts become slower,
More spacious,
Less defined.
Like sentences left unfinished,
Like words that are getting sleepy.
And if a thought appears,
It can stay at a lower volume.
Another light begins to dim.
This is the room of worries,
The ones that try to solve things at night.
They don't need answers now,
They can rest.
Questions can stay open,
Sleep doesn't need to close them.
And as this light softens,
The mind begins to do what it naturally knows how to do.
The room of images and memories.
Here too,
The light becomes gentler,
Edges blur,
Scenes slow down,
As if seen through water.
The house of the mind is not being shut down,
It's being guided into rest.
Now only one soft light remains,
A gentle presence.
It doesn't need to turn off,
It can stay on all night.
And now,
As if the house itself knows,
Attention moves downward,
Slowly,
Without effort.
From thinking to sensing,
From doing to being.
Bring awareness to the contact between your body and the bed.
You don't need to feel it clearly,
Just knowing it's there is enough.
The bed is supporting you,
Completely,
Even when you do nothing.
Now,
As if someone were moving from room to room,
The body begins to rest.
The light in the forehead softens.
The muscles around the eyes release.
Eyelids grow heavier.
The jaw loosens.
The tongue rests.
The face no longer needs to communicate.
Another light dims.
The neck doesn't need to hold anything.
The shoulders drop,
Just a little.
There is no posture to maintain.
At night,
The body has no tasks.
The arms grow heavier,
As if they've been resting for hours.
The hands soften,
Open or closed.
Either is fine,
Each finger can stop participating.
Notice the breath,
Without changing it.
Night breathing doesn't need depth,
It needs space.
Each exhale is a small shutting down,
A releasing.
The belly softens,
No holding,
No guarding.
This is where the body remembers sleep,
Even when the mind forgets.
The pelvis settles.
The legs grow heavy,
Very heavy,
As if they no longer belong to the waking part of you.
The feet may warm or cool,
A simple sign of descent.
Now the house is almost entirely dark,
Not empty darkness,
A safe one.
Outside,
The night does its work.
Inside,
There is no need to stay alert.
If thoughts appear,
They are like distant footsteps.
You don't need to get up.
If sensations arise,
They are like wind outside the windows.
The house is protected,
And you are inside.
Now,
You may imagine or simply sense that the final light dims a little more.
Not turning off,
Just falling asleep.
And as these words become fewer,
Your nervous system recognizes the moment.
There is nothing to do,
Nothing to monitor,
Comes when it is not summoned.
You can simply listen to the music.
Good night.
