Welcome.
You are exactly where you need to be.
Let your body settle into the surface beneath you.
Feel the bed supporting every curve and contour.
Tonight we'll honor your body,
Not by moving or stretching,
But by doing exactly what it is designed for.
Rest.
Recovery.
Renewal.
Close your eyes gently when you're ready to begin.
And bring your awareness to your breath.
Close your eyes and start to take a slow inhale followed by an even slower exhale.
Again,
Breathe in deeply.
Let it all go as you exhale.
Let's begin with the brain,
Your body's command center.
Right now your mind is slowly transitioning from alertness to ease.
Your thoughts may still be moving and that's ok.
Imagine your brain waves softening like ripples on a lake,
Settling into still water.
The prefrontal cortex responsible for planning,
Analyzing,
Thinking is quiet now.
It has done enough for the day.
Breathe in and imagine a soft light washing over your scalp and forehead.
Feel it melt any tension in your temples,
Your jaw,
Your eyes.
Allow your brain the nourishment of stillness.
This is its time to restore.
Allow your brain the nourishment of stillness.
This is its time to restore.
Bring awareness to your neck and shoulders,
So often carrying the weight of the day.
Visualize your cervical spine,
Those delicate vertebrae lengthening and releasing.
Now the shoulders.
Let them drop.
Let gravity take them.
There is nothing left to carry.
In this moment,
There is nothing left to carry.
With each breath,
Notice the gentle expansion of your ribcage,
The lift and fall of your lungs.
Feel the diaphragm working effortlessly.
Massaging the organs below with each and every breath as you inhale and exhale.
You don't need to breathe in any special way.
Just breathing normally as you are in this moment.
Allowing everything to feel free and expansive.
Just letting it happen.
Your body knows how.
Now tuning in to your heart.
Your heart has been beating since before you were born and it will keep beating as you rest in this moment.
You don't have to do anything,
Just let it rhythmically pump,
Sending warmth and oxygen to every cell.
Visualize your arteries and veins,
Those vast highways of circulation as it moves through your body so freely and effortlessly on its own journey of autopilot.
It carries vitality to even the tiniest capillaries in your fingertips and toes,
Making sure your body restores completely and is filled with its nourishment with each beat of your heart.
With each exhale,
Imagine your blood pressure softening,
Your pulse slowing,
And you are entering a deep biological calm.
Now let's move to the abdomen.
Soften your belly completely.
Let go of holding the stomach,
Intestines,
Liver,
Kidneys.
All these systems have been working all day,
Processing,
Filtering,
Detoxing,
Absorbing,
But now they shift into rest and digest mode.
This is the work of the parasympathetic nervous system,
Your body's built-in calm response.
Feel warmth here,
Like a gentle fire glowing low in your core.
Steady,
Safe,
Restorative.
Now bring your awareness to your pelvis and hips,
These strong bones from the cradle of your anatomy.
Let them sink into the bed or the surface beneath you.
Feel the muscles of your glutes,
Hip flexors,
And lower back soften and sink.
Let gravity guide them down,
Melting away the last of your tension.
Now travel down the thighs to the knees,
Down the shins and calves,
And finally to the feet.
These legs have carried you,
They've stood for you,
Walked for you,
Grounded you.
Give them permission to rest now in this moment.
Feel the gentle heaviness from the hips to the knees to the ankles,
As though your legs are becoming one with the earth.
Now bring your attention to your whole body,
From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet.
Scan for any remaining tension.
Breathe in and on the exhale release it.
Breathe in and on the exhale release it.
Your body knows how to sleep,
It knows how to restore itself cell by cell,
Muscle by muscle,
Breath by breath.
You don't have to think,
You don't have to try.
Simply feel your body as one connected whole,
Wrapped in comfort,
Bathed in stillness,
Floating in warmth.
With every breath you drift deeper and deeper into peaceful rest.
Your anatomy is not just designed for action,
It's designed for recovery,
Rebooting,
Healing.
Let go now,
You're free to sleep.
Let these words feed,
Let your breath guide you deeper.
There's nowhere to go,
There's nothing to do.
Just rest,
You are safe,
You are whole,
You are where you need to be,
On the surface beneath you,
In your body.
Sleep well.
