A long day has drifted by.
You may be ready to go to bed,
Or perhaps you've woken up and are having trouble getting back to sleep.
Start with finding either a sitting or lying position on your bed,
Where you can relax.
Fluff up your pillow.
Pull up your blanket.
And make it a little bit more cozy.
A calm night is slowly rolling in.
Now you're here,
And it doesn't matter what happens anymore.
In the world around you,
There's other people who,
Just like you,
Have made themselves comfortable in their own bed,
In their own quiet.
And just like you,
They are getting ready to calm down or try to go back to sleep.
But it doesn't matter if it's hard to go to sleep tonight.
If you don't get as many hours of sleep that you wish for.
You will be fine.
You have done it before.
It can be good to remind ourselves that we actually get a decent recovery,
Even if we just rest.
So close your eyes if you haven't already.
And take a couple of deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Lower your shoulders towards your bed.
Or feel your head getting heavier against your pillow.
Take this time to let everything you've done today just trickle away.
Let that storm of thoughts about what has happened,
And what will happen,
Slow down.
Give yourself permission to put the world down for today.
Put it on your nightstand.
Notice how these things,
These thoughts and happenings,
Don't matter anymore.
Not now.
And trust that even if you let the world go for today,
It will still be here tomorrow,
But in a new and clearer light.
Right now,
There's nothing you have to do other than just being here.
In your bed.
And we'll see what happens.
I will be here with you and talk calmly for the rest of the meditation.
But you don't really have to listen to me.
Just know that I'll be here.
And if you want you can follow me,
Listen to my voice,
But let your brain relax now.
Give yourself permission to let go.
Breathe in a deliberate slow pace and focus on how the air feels at the tip of your nose every time you breathe in and out.
And breathe like this for a while.
Let the breathing return to its own rhythm,
Without having to force anything.
Now start to relax on the exhale.
Feel how your body gets heavier and heavier.
Notice how you're sinking down towards your bed every time you exhale.
How your back gets heavier and heavier.
Your legs.
Arms,
Heh.
Feel how your forehead gets smooth.
How all the lines flatten out.
Separate your upper and lower teeth.
So that they don't touch each other.
And feel your jaw relax.
How your eyes are completely still under your eyelids now.
They can rest and don't wander anymore.
Now feel how your shoulders get heavier.
Your right arm.
Left arm.
Feel how your wrists get rest for today.
And how every single finger is relaxing.
They don't need to work anymore today.
Your pinky.
Ring finger.
Middle finger.
Index finger.
And thumb.
Let a sense of safety wrap around you.
The complete safety of being in bed.
And even if it isn't your bed.
This is your place of sleep tonight.
And you are safe here.
Feel the sheets or blanket against your body.
And how it meets your body when you relax more and more.
Even your chest is starting to relax on every exhale.
Your stomach.
Feel how your back gets heavier and heavier.
It has carried you all day.
And can now finally really relax and rest.
Neither your pelvis nor your hips needs to carry you right now.
And gets heavier and heavier when you exhale.
Your right thigh gets flatter and flatter.
Your left side.
Your knees don't have to carry anything.
Your calves get fully relaxed and heavy.
Feel how even your feet get to rest now.
All the way out to your toes.
Now notice how a small warmth has started to build inside of you.
That wished for calmness that is slowly starting to radiate out through your body.
You are soon encased in this beautiful warmth.
Not the kind of uncomfortable sticky worm.
Of that loving embrace.
That tells you everything is fine.
That you're okay.
Take your whole body into your mind.
And feel how heavy it has become against your bed.
From head to fingertips.
And toes.
How you're still relaxing even now.
On every exhale you make.
How you actually have managed to let go.
You're here with yourself now.
The safest person there is.
And you let your brain and body fully relax.
That warmth has started to spread through your body.
And you're now completely embraced.
A calm and peaceful warmth.
That has spread out from your chest and heart.
To your head.
Arms and fingers.
Through your upper body.
Your legs and feet.
Keep on resting in this feeling of peace.
And breathe for a while on your own.
Where you shift your focus to how the air feels inside of you when you inhale and exhale.
I hope that you've at least started to calm down and relax now.
And keep a feeling of peace and safety inside of you.
I wish for you a really good night.
