Hello everyone.
Thank you so much for joining me for this practice.
Today we'll be working with a practice that will really help you settle in for the night,
Help you settle into sleep and get a good night's sleep.
What we're working with is really scanning through the body and very carefully and slowly and mindfully shutting down and giving our bodies and our minds permission to settle into deep restful healing sleep.
So for this practice,
Settling in to your bed or lying down in a soft space,
Maybe gathering cushions or pillows or blankets to support your knees,
The back of your head.
Cover your body up because we tend to get cooler as we settle into a more restful state.
Taking some nice deep inhales through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
And maybe just one more of those inhaling through your nose and exhaling out through your mouth with a sigh.
Letting the energy of the day go.
Letting your body settle into wherever you're lying down.
And gently ask yourself,
Is there anything I can do,
Any supports I can place or any covers or pillows or blankets I can add that would make me 10% more comfortable?
Maybe it's something as simple as shifting your body a quarter of an inch to the left or to the right.
We're tucking your shoulders underneath.
We're adding a pillow somewhere.
Take the time to add that extra support to make yourself super cozy and comfortable and relaxed.
And as you settle into your restness,
Allow your gaze to soften,
Your eyelids to get heavy and maybe your eyes even close here.
And softly become aware of your breath,
The rise and fall of your chest and belly.
And the feel of the air moving at the very tip of your nose.
Maybe cool on your inhale and warmer on your exhale.
Feel wherever your breath is moving through your body.
Expansion of your side body,
Your ribs,
Maybe the separating of your collarbones and shoulder blades.
Maybe even feeling your breath into the surface beneath you.
Letting your breath naturally and organically,
Maybe get a little bit slower and softer.
No effort here,
No forcing.
And softly bring your awareness to the heels of your feet.
Feel where they're touching the surface beneath.
Become aware of the arch of your feet,
The balls of your feet,
The heels,
The tops of your feet,
Your ankles and every single one of your 10 toes.
Really sensing here anything,
Maybe the fabric of the covers on top or the air brushing against them.
And just like each night you go through your house and you turn the lights off,
Softly switch off this area of your body,
Giving your feet permission to rest.
Softly bring your awareness to your lower legs,
Your calves,
Your shins,
The inside and outside of your lower legs,
The fronts and backs of your knees,
Your thighs,
Inner and outer thighs,
Front and back.
And here again,
Softly switching off,
Giving this area of your body permission to sleep.
And softly bring your awareness to your hips — the back of your hips,
The outer edges of your hips,
The front of your pelvis,
The space right around your navel,
Your belly and your lower back.
Becoming fully aware of the weight of this area of your body sinking into the support beneath you.
Here again,
Softly switching off,
Giving these areas of your body permission to relax and release.
Softly bring your awareness to your mid-back,
Your side waist and side bodies,
Left and right sides of your chest,
Your shoulder blades and your collarbones.
And become aware of wherever the weight is settling into the surface beneath,
Sensing these spaces.
And here again,
Softly switching off,
Giving these areas of your body permission to restore and heal.
Softly become aware of your shoulders,
Front and back,
Your upper arms,
Inner and outer,
Front and back,
The inside and outsides of your elbows,
Your forearms,
Front and back,
Inside and out.
Become aware of all the sensations in these spaces,
Maybe the fabric of a blanket or your clothing.
And here again,
Switching off,
Giving these areas of your body permission to heal.
Softly bring your awareness to your wrists,
The palms of your hands,
The backs of your hands and all 10 of your fingers from the base to the tips.
Becoming aware of each finger one by one and all the sensations here.
And here again,
Switching off,
Giving these areas of your body permission to fully soften.
Softly bring your awareness to the hollow of your throat,
The left and right sides of your neck and the back of your neck,
Your chin,
Your jaw,
Your lips,
Your tongue,
Your cheeks,
Your ears,
The tip of your nose,
Your eyes,
Your eyelids,
Your temples,
Your forehead,
The top of your head,
The back of your head,
Your entire head.
Become aware of the weight of your head resting on a pillow or the surface beneath you.
Here again,
Switching off,
Giving these areas permission to relax.
To become aware of your entire body from the very top of your head down to the bottoms of your feet,
The tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes,
Front and back,
Left and right,
Top and bottom.
Here again,
Just switching off,
Giving yourself permission to sleep deeply,
To rest,
To relax,
To heal and restore.
Sleep well.
Namaste.
