So beginning by taking a moment to

get really comfortable in your bed.

Beginning to settle your

body and let go of tension.

And just breathe slowly in.

And out.

And just continuing to breathe like that.

Deep, slow breaths.

As you let go of the day and relax

here into this present moment.

That's it.

And if you care to, if you

haven't already done so, you can

invite your eyes to close now.

Letting your breath return to its

natural pace now, and just tuning in

to the coziness of your sleep space.

Feeling the soft bed beneath you.

The warmth of the covers.

And the texture of the sheets.

And as the body continues to

breathe, with each exhale, letting

your muscles relax even more.

Consciously letting the

shoulders drop back and down

into a more relaxed position.

Loosening the hands.

They've done their work for the day.

Relaxing the jaw.

Letting your whole body let go of any

effort, any holding, and just sink

into the bed knowing that the bed is

more than able to take your weight.

Softening, settling, letting go.

And feeling your belly gently rising

and falling in its own natural rhythm.

So there's no need to control

the breath in any way.

Just letting the body breathe.

And gently gathering your focus

around the movement and sensation

of the breath in the belly.

Just allowing the whole body to be

rocked and cradled by the slow and

rhythmic movement of the natural

breath as it expands on the in-breath.

And subsides on the out-breath.

Just letting go of the day.

There's nothing more you need to

figure out or plan or think about.

Letting your attention be right

here and now in the simplicity of

feeling the breath in the body.

Letting everything else go for awhile.

Just focusing on this breath, this moment.

The breath is something we so easily take

for granted, but isn't it a miracle that

right now the body is breathing for you.

And in this moment also knowing

that the heart is beating for you.

Your body is digesting food.

Your ears are hearing these words.

What a miracle it is to have a body

that's taking care of all these

complex and interconnected functions.

And all the while, planets are

spinning, the food is growing in

the fields, the sun is shining.

The planet is maintaining its axis.

And a million other conditions are

supporting you in this moment to be alive.

And it's all happening

effortlessly, easefully.

It's all taking care of itself.

So you can just rest here, held in

the steady, supportive embrace of

the life within and all around you.

It's all taking care of

itself, so you can relax.

There's nothing more you need to do today.

And you may feel a natural sense of

gratitude arising for this time to relax

and be supported by the flow of life.

And now we're going to begin

to be attentive to all that's

pleasant or enjoyable in your

present moment experience.

So, this is not about positive thinking.

It's about feeling into your

direct experience of this moment.

So just keeping your attention

grounded in your senses and

in your immediate experience.

Just noticing what's here in this

present moment that's pleasant.

So maybe for instance, you notice that

your body is warm and that's pleasant.

Or, maybe your belly is

soft and that's pleasant.

Maybe there's pleasant sounds all around.

So beginning now to scan through

your experience and taking some

time to dwell in and focus on what's

here that's pleasant and enjoyable.

So as you do this, try staying

with each pleasant experience

for at least a few breaths before

gently moving on to the next thing.

So as you do this, just being

attentive to both the very subtle,

pleasant experiences, as well as

some of the more obvious ones.

You know, you might think that there's

nothing much that's here that's

pleasant in your experience initially.

But as you drop deeper into your

exploration of what's here, you can

become more and more attuned to the

delicate dimensions of your experience.

You might discover that there's

more pleasant dimensions to your

overall experience than you realized.

So what else can you notice?

Perhaps the soft touch

of fabric against skin.

Or the soft touch of

eyelids against each other.

Or maybe there's an absence

of hunger and that's pleasant.

So just keep on scanning your

experience for what's here

that's pleasant or enjoyable.

Luxuriating in, appreciate all

that's here that's pleasant.

Just noticing and enjoying and

appreciating pleasant experiences.

Resting within it while also staying open

to its fleeting and ever changing nature.

If you're finding it difficult to

find anything pleasant, there's no

need to worry or judge yourself.

Just bringing a kind and accepting

awareness to whatever's happening for you.

And you might like to just

feel your breath instead.

You're doing great.

But just knowing that at any time,

you're welcome to drift off into sleep.

You can just let go of following

any sort of instruction and

just go into your own space.

Just going off into your

own space of deep rest.

We can have such a strong tendency to

overlook what we already have in search

of something different or something more.

But here and now, allowing yourself

to bathe in a sense of appreciation

for what's already here to be enjoyed.

So see if you can bring this

appreciative awareness into

this moment, into this breath.

And allowing a sense of gratitude

to flow through your experience.

So maybe a soft flow of

your breathing feels good.

Or maybe the soft touch of your

eyelids gently resting against

each other feels pleasant.

And with each breath you take,

the body can relax even more.

And the mind can let go.

So knowing that it's

completely safe to do so.

It's safe to let go and just feel what's

arising in this moment that's pleasurable.

Moment by moment.

Sensing into the goodness of this moment.

The softness of the bed.

The softness behind the eyes.

Perhaps a lingering sense of gratitude.

And just gently feeling into what

it's like to be here, safe, relaxed,

and with the rhythm of the natural

breath moving within you and the

support of life all around you.

Just relaxing into this

very gentle, soft awareness.

There's no agenda.

Nothing you need to fix.

Nothing you need to figure out.

Just appreciating what's here.

Allowing life to be just as it is,

letting it be and letting go into rest.

And if you'd like to spend more time just

resting in silence after this ends, you

can continue to dwell in this relaxed,

appreciative, and soft awareness.

Letting each breath take

you deeper into rest.

I wish you deep rest and pleasant dreams.

Thank you for your practice and take care.