Welcome,
I'm Teresa and I'm so glad you're here.
If you are joining me,
There's a good chance your body is ready for rest,
Even if your mind isn't quite there yet.
Or,
Perhaps your mind is tired,
But your body still feels alert,
Activated,
Or quietly busy.
Both of these are very human experiences.
Rest is not always something we can simply decide to do.
For many nervous systems,
Especially those that have learned to stay aware,
To anticipate,
To care deeply,
Rest can take a little time to arrive.
So tonight,
There's nothing you need to force.
We're not trying to make sleep happen.
We're simply creating the conditions where rest is allowed to find you.
Let's begin by noticing the body.
Not changing it,
Just noticing.
The weight of you,
Where you are,
Here in this moment.
The surface beneath you,
Holding you,
Without asking anything in return.
You don't have to hold yourself up right now.
Let the body be supported.
Gently bring your attention to your breath.
No need to deepen it.
No need to control it.
Just noticing the rhythm that is already there.
The inhale arriving.
The exhale leaving.
If it feels natural,
You might let the exhale be just slightly longer.
Not by effort,
Just by allowing.
The nervous system often softens on the exhale.
During the day,
Your body may spend a lot of time in motion,
Responding,
Thinking,
Tracking,
Holding.
This is the sympathetic system doing its work,
Helping you navigate the world.
But your body is also designed for something else,
For slowing,
For restoring,
For returning.
And that shift doesn't happen through pressure.
It happens through safety.
So instead of trying to make yourself relax,
See if you can begin to offer signals of safety to the body,
Small ones,
Quiet ones,
Enough to be believable.
You might start with the jaw.
Notice if there is any holding there.
And imagine the jaw softening just a few percent.
Not fully,
Just a little.
Then the space around the eyes.
Let the eyes rest now,
As though they no longer need to take anything in.
Let the tongue drop gently in the mouth,
Let the forehead smooth,
Let the shoulders be heavy without needing to pull them down.
Now bring awareness to the chest.
Many people carry quiet effort here.
See if the breath can move through the chest without being managed.
And if it feels okay,
You might place a hand there,
Just to offer contact,
Not to change anything.
Just to let the body feel there is something steady here.
You don't need to relax all at once.
The nervous system doesn't work that way.
It softens in layers.
Moments of letting go,
Followed by moments of holding again.
That is normal.
You're not doing it wrong.
If the mind is still active,
That's okay too.
The mind often takes longer to settle.
Instead of trying to quiet it,
Let it be in the background,
Like distant sound,
While your attention stays here with the body.
Now,
Imagine the body being gently met from underneath.
As though the surface beneath you is rising slightly to hold you more fully.
You don't have to sink.
You don't have to drop.
You're just being held a little more.
Take a slow breath in,
And let the exhale be soft.
There is nothing you need to solve tonight.
Nothing you need to figure out before you can rest.
The body does not require resolution in order to restore.
It only needs moments like this.
Moments of being allowed to soften.
If there is any part of you still holding tension,
You might quietly say,
You don't have to stay on right now.
Not forcing it off,
Just offering the possibility.
Let the belly soften,
Even a small amount.
Let the hips feel heavy.
Let the legs be supported.
Let the feet rest.
Now,
Imagine your system shifting slightly from doing into being.
From alertness into something slower.
Like that feeling just before sleep arrives.
That edge where nothing is required.
Stay here.
If sleep comes,
You're welcome to drift.
If it doesn't,
You're still resting.
Both are valuable.
Both support your body.
Take one more gentle breath and let the exhale carry you a little deeper into the surface beneath you.
You don't need to try anymore tonight.
Rest is already beginning in the smallest ways.
Good night.
