Hello my name is April and welcome to this very special meditation practice.
One of my favorite bedtime relaxation practices is progressive relaxation meditation.
Taking you down through the body asking you to just settle your awareness just for a short light period of time to relax each part of the body all the way from your toes up to the top of your head.
So that's what we're going to do today.
So I'm going to stay seated but I would ask that you maybe enjoy this in bed.
Get yourself all set up with your blankets and a low light or the light turned off.
Your pillows tucked underneath you.
Maybe a pillow or something tucked underneath your knees so your lower back feels really comfortable.
Taking your arms out to the side resting them letting them wiggle around a little bit and softly letting them sit wherever they may.
And just getting yourself super comfortable and ready to go to sleep.
So if you do fall asleep in this meditation that's absolutely wonderful and fine and if you don't that's okay too.
Your body will at least be settled and ready to head toward that bedtime routine.
So gently letting your eyes become very soft or your gaze soft or letting your eyes close if that's appropriate for you here.
I'm just noticing your breath at the start here.
Maybe a lot has been going on through your day.
Your breath feels very shallow,
A little bit tight and tense.
Maybe you've been thinking about your day or what's going to happen tomorrow.
And start to smooth that breath out just a little bit.
Letting that inhale and exhale be soft and smooth and organic.
Maybe it would help to inhale a few times through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
So inhale deeply,
Exhale through your mouth.
Let that tension release.
Inhale through your nose.
Sigh through your mouth.
And let your breath come back to whatever it was.
And as you feel yourself beginning to relax notice that your breath on the exhale may extend just a little bit longer.
Not forcing it,
Just letting it soften and get a little bit more extended on the exhale.
So inhaling and softly exhaling.
Almost like the tide coming in.
A wave coming in and that wave going out.
Soft and soothing.
Now gently bring your awareness to your feet.
Maybe wiggling your toes or circling your ankles or wiggling your ankle side to side.
And just relax your feet.
Allow them to be soft.
Notice your ankles.
And breathe into that space letting your ankles be soft and resting on the floor or the bed beneath you.
Feel the back of your calves,
Lower legs resting on the surface below you being supported.
And the back of your thighs softening to the bed or the surface below you becoming heavy,
Releasing all the tension of the legs.
And then feel the weight of your pelvis,
Your hips.
Bring this space some softness.
Make it feel relaxed.
Breathing into it,
Letting it get super heavy.
Filling the ground.
Rise up to support your hips.
Let your awareness move to your navel and your lower back.
You've probably held a lot of tension here even if you didn't know it.
Allow the space to soften and release.
Bring your awareness to the center of your chest and your mid-back.
Feel the chest open as the shoulders drift away.
Let the mid-back soften and smooth itself down to the lower back.
Feel the support beneath you.
Bring your awareness to the upper chest and the upper back,
The shoulder blades and shoulders.
Let the shoulders soften down towards your feet and soften open toward the surface beneath you.
With each inhale and each exhale becomes a little bit more spacious,
More relaxed.
Bring your awareness to your upper arms.
Let them soften toward the bed or the floor,
Becoming heavy.
Letting gravity just support them.
Move your awareness to the lower arms and the wrists.
Soften a space.
We've been working really hard through the day.
It's done so much for us.
So much activity.
Allow the space to be quiet and still,
The lower arms resting on the surface beneath.
Bring the awareness to your hands and your fingers.
Maybe wiggling your fingers just a little bit and then letting them become soft and relaxed.
Let the weight of the hand be supported by the surface beneath you.
Here feel the weight of the back of your head sinking into the pillow.
The tension in your neck softening,
Knowing that it can let go and release fully as it's supported beneath it.
Maybe turning your head softly side to side just a little bit and letting it settle wherever it may.
Then feeling all the way from the top of the head to the neck,
To the shoulders,
The arms and the hands,
The chest and back and abdomen,
Hips,
Legs,
Ankles,
Feet and toes.
This sense of stillness,
Of quiet,
Of peace.
Feel the weight of the body wherever it may be touching the surface beneath you.
Sense the surface beneath you rising up to support and comfort and care for your body.
Allowing your breath to move through your body,
Softly,
Gently putting it to sleep.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe and protected and may you be at peace.
Rest well.
