Relaxing Bedtime Body Scan You can do this practice as the last thing you do in your day.
So perhaps getting ready for bed,
Lying down in the bed and ensuring you're as comfortable as possible.
Spending a few moments settling into the bed and giving the body up to gravity.
As best you can letting go of the day that you've had so far.
Letting go of what's to come tomorrow and allow the awareness to settle on the body as it lies on the bed.
So firstly bringing into awareness the sensations of where the body meets the bed surface.
Sensations underneath the thighs,
The back of the body,
The head as it rests on the pillow.
Having a sense of the whole body as it lies here this evening.
A whole body awareness.
And if it's helpful and useful you might like to take a few slow deeper breaths.
Maybe breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Using the out breath to help the body settle and sink into the bed.
Perhaps taking a few rounds of this deeper belly breathing.
Slowing the mind and body down as best you can.
Breathing in through the nose and out through the nose or the mouth.
Each out breath allowing the body to sink and settle a little bit more.
And now allowing the body to take over the breathing.
Body knows how to breathe so letting go of control.
Letting the body find its natural rhythm of breath.
And starting to shift the focus down into the feet.
Having an awareness of what sensations are down in the feet.
Maybe contact between the heels and the bed.
Top of the feet and the sheet or the duvet.
Perhaps being aware of the temperature of the feet.
And as best you can see if you can allow the feet to soften and let go.
A sense of softening in the feet.
Softening the toes,
The sole and the top of the foot.
And shifting up now into the shins and the calves.
Being aware of what sensations you notice here.
Again perhaps the sensations of the cover on the lower legs and the calves on the bed.
Whatever you notice is fine.
Awareness in the shins and the calves.
And a sense of softening,
A sense of letting go in the lower legs.
Moving up into the knees,
The kneecaps and the back of the knees.
Softening here too.
And shifting focus into the thighs,
The front and the back of the thighs.
Noticing what sensations are here.
And allowing the thighs to let go,
To soften,
To relax into the bed.
And the mind might still be very busy.
Thinking about the day that you've had or projecting into tomorrow and know that that's okay.
Minds like to think.
But now is not the time to take action.
So when you notice that the mind has wandered,
Then gently and kindly reorientating it back into the body.
Doing so softly and kindly with patience.
Settling back into the thighs now.
A sense of softening and letting go.
Continuing our journey now into the hips and the bum.
Being aware of the contact between the buttocks and the bed.
And then bringing a sense of softening there.
A sense of allowing the bed to support the body.
Shifting further up into the lower back.
Being aware of what sensations are here.
And once more bringing a sense of softening,
Of letting go into the lower back.
A feeling of relaxation into the lower back.
Travelling into the mid-back area now.
Resting the awareness here and seeing what you notice.
Maybe some sensations,
Maybe not much at all and that's okay.
A sense of letting go in the mid-back.
And travelling further up the back into the upper back,
The shoulder blades and the upper back.
We often hold a lot of tension here.
So perhaps breathing into the upper back and the shoulder blades.
Allowing them to soften and sink into the bed.
Softening out the upper back and the shoulder blades.
And where is the mind now?
Has it wandered away from the body?
Planning,
Reminiscing and if it has not to worry.
Gently and kindly reorientating back into the body and resting now with the belly.
Perhaps noticing a rise and fall as the breath moves in and out of the body.
A sense of softening here,
A sense of letting go down in the belly.
And shifting up the front of the body into the waist,
The stomach.
A sense of softening here too.
Relaxing the stomach,
The waist.
Shifting focus into the chest now.
Perhaps noticing a rise and fall as you breathe.
Resting the attention here as best you can.
Bringing a kind awareness to the chest and allowing it to soften and let go.
Moving into the shoulders.
What sensations do you notice here?
Can you bring a sense of softening and letting go into the shoulders?
Relaxing the muscles in the shoulders as best you can.
Travelling down the arms now,
Bringing them into focus.
Seeing what you notice here in the arms.
Maybe contact between the arms and the covers,
The bed,
The body.
Can you allow the arms to soften,
To let go?
Allowing the tension in the arms to release.
Bringing the hands into focus now.
Fingers,
Palms,
Back of hands and thumbs.
What do you notice here?
Maybe there's some clenching or some holding on.
And if so,
Can you soften and let go?
Softening,
Relaxing the fingers,
The thumbs.
Bringing the attention now into the neck and the throat.
A sense of softening here too.
Softening the muscles in the neck.
Shifting focus into the face now.
What sensations do you notice in the face?
Is there tightness or tension in the jaw,
The forehead?
And if there is,
Is it possible to soften,
To let go?
Allowing the jaw to relax and soften.
Cheekbones,
Forehead,
Space between the eyebrows,
Softening.
Allow the whole face to soften.
Bringing awareness to the head itself,
Back of the head,
Top of the head.
There'll be sensations of where the head meets the pillow,
The cushion,
The bed.
And can you have a sense of letting go,
Of allowing the head to be fully supported?
Widening out the awareness,
Having a sense of the whole body as it lies here now.
Noticing if there is any holding on in any parts of the body,
Any tightness or tension that remains.
And if so,
Can you soften,
Can you let go?
Perhaps breathing into those tight or tense areas,
Breathing out from them.
Using the breath to allow the body to soften and let go just a little bit more.
Bed fully supporting the body.
A sense of letting go.
And then a sense of letting be.
Whatever's here right now is absolutely fine.
A whole body awareness.
Letting it be just as it is now.
A whole body awareness.
And as I draw the practice to a close,
Allowing the mind and body to drift into sleep perhaps.
Maybe shifting position.
Or if there's still a lot of tension held in the body,
You might choose to repeat this practice again.
