Thank you for your efforts in making it to night four.
We'll build on last week's practice.
We'll do some breathing,
Some progressive muscle relaxation for a little longer tonight.
And we'll add in these rapid visuals that help divert the mind away from rumination and overthinking patterns.
So taking a few moments to get comfortable,
Practicing lying down,
Preferably in your bed.
And connecting with your belly breath.
Using these deeper belly breaths to tell your nervous system you're safe.
Let's send lots of safety signals to our nervous system to prepare us for a high quality night's sleep.
Then moving into our deeper breathing ratio,
Three second inhale,
Five second exhale.
One more round of this breathing ratio and then allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
During our progressive muscle relaxation,
You'll take a big inhale.
You'll contract muscles in a certain area,
Holding for ten seconds tonight and then exhaling and relaxing.
I'll guide you through those areas now.
We start at the forehead,
The eyes.
Squeezing the eyes closed,
Taking that inhale.
Holding them tightly closed.
Exhale.
Relax,
Release,
Find ease.
Now do the tongue and jaw together,
Remembering not to grind your teeth in any way.
Pushing the tongue up against the roof of the mouth,
Pushing the jaw closed.
Inhale,
Hold,
Ten,
Nine,
Eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale,
Let go,
Relax,
Find ease.
Moving down to your shoulders.
We'll raise the shoulders up to the ears as if we're carrying loads of tension.
Big inhale,
Holding,
Squeezing,
Ten,
Nine,
Eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale,
Let go,
Relax,
Find ease.
Moving to your hands,
Making tight fists with your hands,
Squeezing.
Big inhale,
Hold for ten,
Nine,
Eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Letting go,
Exhaling,
Find ease.
Now we move to the belly,
Taking your big inhale and contracting your abdominals.
Holding,
Ten,
Nine,
Eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Letting go,
Exhaling,
Relax,
Find ease.
Now to your bum cheeks.
Taking that big inhale,
Squeezing your bum cheeks together,
Squeezing,
Squeezing,
Ten,
Nine,
Eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Letting go,
Exhaling,
Relax,
Find ease.
Now pointing your toes towards your knees,
Shins and hamstrings becoming active.
Keep pointing,
Big inhale,
Hold,
Ten,
Nine,
Eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Letting go,
Exhaling,
Relax,
Find ease.
Now pointing the toes in the opposite direction,
Away from your knees.
Your quads and your calves will become tightened.
Keep pointing,
Big inhale,
Holding,
Holding,
Ten,
Nine,
Eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Letting go,
Exhaling,
Relax,
Find ease.
And finally pushing your heels into the bed,
Pushing,
Pushing,
Feel your deep core engaging,
Big inhale,
Hold,
Hold,
Ten,
Nine,
Eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Letting go,
Exhaling,
Relax,
Find ease.
Now we'll move to our rapid visualizations.
Beginning with a wave breaking on the beach,
A dense forest,
A still lake,
Sunrise on the ocean,
An eagle flying high in the sky,
A full moon.
Children playing,
A snow-capped mountain,
A field covered in snow,
A dog chasing a ball.
The sunset,
A flock of birds,
The wind moving the trees,
And the starry night sky.
And moving your awareness back to your body now,
Simply observing the breath without changing it in any way.
Giving yourself permission to have a peaceful night's sleep.
And that brings our practice to a close.
