Winding down for sleep

Winding down for sleep. This track is for bed. Listen to it lying down, somewhere you can safely fall asleep. If you drift off before it ends, that is the point. There is nothing to finish and nothing to remember.

Get comfortable. Adjust the pillow. Pull the sheet up. Let the phone be face down, or out of reach.

Let your eyes close.

Take a slow breath in through the nose.

And a long breath out through the mouth, like a sigh.

Again. In.

And out, letting the body sink a little further into the bed.

Now let the breath go back to normal. You do not have to breathe in any special way. The body knows how to breathe while you sleep. Let it start now.

We are going to move through the body slowly, from the top of the head down to the feet. There is nothing you need to do with each part except notice it, and let it be heavy.

Start with the top of the head. The scalp. Let it soften.

The forehead. Let it be smooth and wide. No frown. Nothing held.

The eyes. Let them be heavy behind the lids. Let them stop looking at anything.

The cheeks and the jaw. Let the jaw unclench. Let the teeth part slightly. Let the tongue rest.

The neck and the throat. Let the head be fully held by the pillow. You do not have to hold it up any more.

The shoulders. Let them drop away from the ears and sink into the mattress.

The arms. The upper arms, the elbows, the forearms. Heavy.

The hands. The palms. Each finger. Let them be warm and still.

Now the chest. Rising and falling, gently, on its own. Let it be slow.

The back. All of it, from the shoulder blades down to the base of the spine, resting on the bed. Let the bed take the weight.

The belly. Soft. Rising and falling with the breath.

The hips. Let them be heavy.

The thighs. Let them roll slightly outward and rest.

The knees. The calves.

The ankles. The feet. The heels resting on the sheet. The toes.

The whole body now, from the head to the feet, lying still, held by the bed. Heavy and warm.

If thoughts come, about tomorrow, about today, about anything, let them pass by like someone walking past a window. You do not have to get up and follow them. They can wait until morning.

Breathe. Slow. Easy.

Nothing to do.

Heavy. Warm. Still.

Let go a little more.

Rest now.