Welcome,
This is a body scan practice designed to guide you into deep,
Restful sleep.
So to begin,
Find a comfortable position lying down.
If you're in bed,
Arrange your pillows and blankets so you feel completely supported and let your body settle into the surface beneath you.
Take a few moments to arrive here.
There's nothing you need to do,
Nowhere you need to be.
This time is just for rest.
Close your eyes if it feels comfortable,
And take three slow breaths with me.
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
One more time,
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
As we begin,
Notice the weight of your body.
Feel how the surface beneath you is holding you completely.
You don't need to hold yourself up,
You can fully let go.
Notice the places where your body makes contact with the bed.
The back of your head,
Your shoulders,
Your back,
Your hips,
Your legs,
Your heels.
Each point of contact is an invitation to release a little more.
With each exhale,
You can allow yourself to sink a little deeper,
Letting gravity do the work.
There's nothing to figure out,
Nothing to fix.
Just noticing and releasing.
Now,
Bring your awareness down to your feet,
Noticing both feet at the same time,
And without moving them,
Just feel them from the inside.
The soles of your feet,
The tops of your feet,
Your toes.
And as you breathe out,
Imagine any tension in your feet simply dissolving,
Melting away.
Let your awareness then travel up to your ankles.
Notice the weight of your ankles,
And with your next exhale,
Let them soften.
Moving up to your lower legs now,
Your calves and shins,
Feeling the weight of your lower legs against the bed.
Breathing in,
And as you breathe out,
Allow your lower legs to become heavy,
So heavy that they could sink right through the mattress.
Bring your awareness to your knees.
Often we hold subtle tension here without realizing it.
Just notice and let your next exhale soften anything that's being held.
Now to your upper legs,
Your thighs,
Some of the largest muscle groups in the body that have been working all day,
Holding you and moving you.
And they can rest now,
So with each breath,
Feel your thighs getting heavier,
Warmer,
More relaxed.
And let both legs become completely still,
Completely at rest,
Like they're made of sand,
Slowly settling.
Bring your awareness to your pelvis,
Your hips,
The base of your spine.
Notice how this part of your body is supported.
You don't need to do anything,
Just feel the contact with the bed and breathe.
Allowing your hips to widen slightly with the next exhale,
Releasing any gripping,
Any holding.
Your lower back,
For many of us,
This is where we store the day's tension.
Just acknowledging whatever you find here without judgment.
And imagine your breath flowing into your lower back like a gentle wave washing through,
Softening,
Soothing.
And with each exhale,
Your lower back releases a little more,
Spreading wider against the bed.
Moving up to your belly,
Your abdomen,
Let it be soft.
Let it be round,
There's no need to hold it in.
And feel your belly rise gently with each inhale and fall with each exhale.
This natural rhythm,
This gentle motion.
Your belly is the home of your deep breathing.
Allow your belly to move freely and effortlessly.
Now to your chest,
Your ribcage.
Feel the expansion as you breathe in,
The settling as you breathe out.
Your heart has been beating all day,
Every day,
Without you having to think about it.
So just notice this fateful rhythm and feel grateful.
Let your chest become spacious,
Open,
Soft.
Your upper back,
Your shoulder blades,
Often we carry so much here.
The weight of our day,
Our responsibilities,
Our worries.
But right now you can set all of that down,
Allowing the bed to hold it for you.
Breathing into your upper back as you exhale,
Feel your shoulder blades melting into the mattress.
Your shoulders,
These faithful workers always lifting,
Reaching,
Holding.
Take a deeper breath in and as you exhale,
Let your shoulders drop,
Really drop.
Releasing away from your ears.
One more time,
Breathe in.
And as you breathe out,
Let your shoulders become completely soft,
Heavy at rest.
Now your upper arms,
Feeling the weight of them.
Let them be heavy against the bed.
Your elbows,
Your forearms,
Just resting,
No need to do anything with your arms.
Your wrists and hands,
These remarkable instruments that do so much throughout the day.
Let your fingers uncurl,
Soften.
Imagine all the tiny bones in your hands releasing.
Your palms opening,
Your hands completely at rest.
Bring your awareness to your neck,
The bridge between your head and your body,
Often holding so much tension.
And without moving your head,
Just notice your neck.
The front,
The sides,
The back.
And with each exhale,
Imagine your neck lengthening softly and slightly,
As if the muscles are releasing their grip.
Your throat,
Letting it be soft,
Your breath flowing easily in and out.
And now to your jaw,
For many of us the jaw can hold a lot of tension.
You might be clenching right now without even realizing it.
So let your teeth part slightly,
Your tongue rest at the bottom of your mouth.
Allow your jaw to become slack and heavy.
Your cheeks,
Your lips,
All the tiny muscles of your face.
You don't need to hold any particular expression,
Let your face be neutral,
Soft and smooth.
Your eyes,
The muscles around your eyes.
Let your eyelids be heavy,
Like soft curtains.
Your forehead,
This place where we furrow and worry and think.
Let it be smooth,
Wide,
Peaceful.
Feel the top of your head,
Your scalp,
Even your ears,
Every part of your head can be at rest.
Now feel the whole body at once,
From the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
This complete organism,
This home that you live in.
Feel it all resting,
All at peace,
All held by the bed beneath you.
And with each breath,
Your body sinks a little deeper into relaxation,
Into stillness.
Your breath is happening on its own,
Gentle,
Quiet,
Automatic.
Your heartbeat is steady,
Faithful.
You don't have to do anything.
Your body knows how to rest and knows how to sleep.
You can trust it.
And I'm going to leave you in this restful state.
If you're still awake,
That's perfectly fine,
You don't have to force sleep.
Just rest here in the darkness,
In the quiet.
Let your breath continue,
Soft and easy.
Let your body continue releasing,
Sinking,
Settling.
And when sleep comes,
Let yourself drift into it gently,
Like a leaf floating on water.
Rest well.
Thank you.
