Nighttime Surrender: Breath, Gratitude, And Deep Relaxation

This gentle evening meditation helps you reflect, unwind, and release the day. We'll explore the high and low lights of your day, cultivate gratitude, do gentle breathwork and end with a deep relaxation practice in yoga nidra style. Close your day with softness and intention and drift into deep sleep and surrender to the night.

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to your evening ritual.

I invite you to get comfortable in your bed,

Snuggling into your blanket,

Get yourself as comfortable as you can,

And allow your body to settle into the surface beneath you.

Let your hands rest gently by your side,

And allow your eyes to close.

Take a slow,

Deep breath in through the nose,

And exhale fully through your mouth.

As you breathe,

Allow any tension to drip from your body as you inhale and release.

Take one more deep breath together,

In and out,

As you let your whole body soften.

In this evening ritual,

We're going to reflect on our day with a rose,

A thorn,

And a bud.

We will also connect with gratitude,

We are going to do some soothing breath work with supportive I am affirmations,

And finally,

A guided long body relaxation to allow you to drift into sleep.

Let's start by clearing the day with breath work.

Begin to breathe in for a count of four,

Then we hold for a count of two,

And exhale for a count of six.

So inhale,

Two,

Three,

Four,

And hold,

One,

Two,

And exhale,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six.

And again,

In,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Fold,

And exhale,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six.

If you like,

You can do that one more time at your own pace,

And if your exhale doesn't reach six,

That's just fine.

Just allow your breath to be long and slow.

With each exhale,

Imagine releasing the weight of the day.

Let it fall away from your body.

Now let's move into a rose,

Thorn,

And bud.

The rose is about noticing the good.

So bring to mind a rose of your day.

This is something positive that happened today,

An interaction,

A feeling,

An activity,

Doesn't need to be anything big.

Just think of a brief moment even of positive energy or connection today.

Maybe a smile,

Maybe something that you accomplished,

Or maybe simply something that felt good in your body.

Let this rose fill you and fill your awareness for a moment,

And allow yourself to revisit this positive moment and appreciate it.

Notice how it felt in your body,

Where you felt it,

And let the warmth of that just expand gently in your whole body and mind one more time.

Take a slow breath in and let it go.

Let's reflect on a thorn.

This is acknowledging something difficult or challenging that happened today and giving it space.

So gently bring to mind your thorn,

Something that happened today that was difficult or challenging,

A frustration,

Or something heavy.

We're not going to dwell on it,

But we also want to give it space.

You don't need to fix it.

Just notice it with compassion.

No need to judge.

No need to make up a story.

Just bring your awareness to it and allow it to be.

You might want to put your hands on your heart and say to yourself,

I am okay.

Feel your own presence,

Your own support,

And your own strength.

We can acknowledge what's hard and you are allowed to have challenges,

But with this practice we are releasing what no longer serves us and what we don't need to carry anymore.

Take a deep breath in and with your exhale,

Let the thorn go.

With your exhale,

Notice how it softens its grip on you.

Now think of a bud.

This is something you're looking forward to or that you're excited about.

So let that come to mind.

Again,

It doesn't have to be anything big,

But just think of something that you are looking forward to,

Something that you are working towards or growing to,

Something that you're hopeful about.

Let this sense of possibility feel fresh and alive like the first signs of new beginnings like buds on a rose bush.

Allow it to be a gentle spark and something that fills you.

Let the bud remind you that tomorrow is a new day full of new opportunities,

Full of things that have not yet unfolded.

Let us move into a couple of affirmations and allow these affirmations to just wash over you and sink into your mind and your body.

You may want to repeat them silently after I say them or just allow them to wash over you and rest in your mind and body.

I am safe.

I am worthy of rest.

I am letting go of what no longer serves me.

I am grateful for the good in my life.

I am open to growth and possibility.

I am calm.

I am grounded.

I am safe.

I am enough exactly as I am.

Take a deep breath in and a slow exhale as we're moving into a gratitude practice.

So bring something to mind that you're grateful for.

This too can be big or small.

Just allow the feeling of gratitude to fill your heart.

Let it soften your face,

Your shoulders,

Your belly.

You say out loud or to yourself mentally,

Thank you,

Thank you,

Thank you.

Allow the gratitude to settle into your body like warm light that soothes you and comforts you.

Now we move into deep rest.

Let your awareness rest on your natural breath.

Bring your awareness to your right hand,

The thumb,

The index finger,

The middle finger,

The ring finger and the pinky finger.

Back of your hand,

Your wrist and feel your entire hand.

Allow your awareness to travel up your right forearm,

Your elbow,

Now your upper arm and into your shoulder.

Feel the entire right arm from fingertips to shoulder.

Now bring your awareness to your right chest,

Your ribcage,

Your waist,

Your right hip and down your right thigh,

Your right knee,

Your right shin,

Your right calf.

Gently bring your attention to your right ankle,

The heel,

The sole of the foot,

The top of your right foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and your right baby toe.

Feel your entire right leg from hip to toes.

Feel your entire right side from shoulder to toe and let the whole right side of your body grow heavy and warm and at ease.

Now shift your awareness to the left hand.

Notice your left thumb,

Your index finger,

Your middle finger,

Your ring finger and your left pinky finger.

Notice the top of your hand,

The wrist and your full left hand.

Allow your awareness,

Move up your left forearm,

Your left elbow,

Your left upper arm,

Your left shoulder.

Sense your entire left arm from fingertips to shoulder.

Now bring your awareness to your left chest,

The left side of your ribs,

The left side of your waist and your left hip.

Let your attention move down your left thigh or left knee,

Your left shin,

Left calf,

Down to your ankle.

Gently bring awareness to your left foot,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Your left big toe,

The second toe,

The third toe,

The fourth toe and your left baby toe.

Feel your entire left leg from hip to toes and now feel your whole left side of your body.

Let it grow heavy,

Feel the warmth and how it is completely at ease.

Move your attention to your back body,

Bringing awareness to your entire back of the body,

Back of the head,

The back of the neck,

The back of your shoulder blades,

Feel your upper back,

Your middle back,

Your lower back,

Everything resting heavy on your mattress.

Soften the spine one vertebra at a time.

Feel your pelvis,

The glutes,

The back of the legs,

The calves,

The heels.

Allow the entire back body to melt into the surface beneath you.

Now bring your awareness to the front of your body,

Bringing awareness to your forehead,

The eyes,

Rest your eyes in their socket,

The cheeks,

The jaw,

Let it soften.

Feel the throat,

The collarbones and your chest rising gently with each breath.

Bring awareness to your belly,

Allow it to soften and gently expand with your breath without any effort.

Feel the front of your hips and thighs and your knees and your shins and the top of the feet.

Let the entire front body become light and open and calm.

Sense your whole body now,

Feel the ease,

Both sides front and back,

Your entire physical presence resting effortlessly.

Imagine a wave of warm light sweeping down from the top of your head all the way down to the tip of your toes.

Allow this light to carry away any remaining tension,

To soothe you and feel yourself descend down deeper into stillness,

Deeper into rest,

Held in a safe place.

Let yourself float in this feeling as if your whole body was glowing with calm.

Take one deep breath in and exhale completely,

Letting go of absolutely everything.

As you drift towards sleep,

Carry with you the gifts from today,

The rose that nourished you,

The lessons of the thorn and the bud that inspires you.

Feel the gratitude for the simple act of showing up for yourself tonight.

You are peaceful,

You are calm,

You are ready for deep restorative sleep.

Good night.