Let's settle in so we can

wind down from the day.

You can start by finding a

comfortable posture, which

could be sitting or lying down.

If it feels okay to do so,

you can close your eyes.

And we'll take one deep breath together.

In through the nose.

Out slowly through the mouth.

Inviting the jaw to soften.

Letting the shoulders be at ease.

As well as the hands and the belly.

As you start to settle in, the breath

can come back to its natural rhythm.

And see if you can connect to a sense

of being grounded in this moment.

Maybe where your body makes contact

with the surface beneath you.

Or just the groundedness of being

a little more present and not so

caught up in the momentum of the day.

And the chaotic thoughts

often moving through the mind.

Throughout our day, we accumulate

a lot of tension in the body.

Sometimes where aware of it and other

times it's building up in the background.

So in this meditation, we're going

to practice releasing some of that

tension so that we can move into the

rest of our evening with a little

more ease, groundedness and presence.

Start by bringing your

awareness to your head.

Particularly the muscles in the face.

Throughout our interactions we make

different facial expressions or

what we try to put on our best face.

Maybe we try to look happy when

we're not happy or we're just

responding to people in conversation.

So notice how your face feels right now.

And what would it be like to

give it permission to relax.

To not have to do anything.

And to not have to put on a

particular mask or expression.

As you notice some of the muscles in the

face soften, come to a place of ease,

see if you can also feel a corresponding

sense of release and also calm.

As you slide your awareness down

now through the neck and the

shoulders, to areas of the body

that do tend to accumulate a lot

of tension throughout the day.

Inviting them to soften.

Down through the arms, biceps,

the triceps, forearms, and hands.

If you're sitting down, you can

let the arms hang alongside you

so that the heaviness of the

arms lets the shoulders drop and

there's no holding on or gripping.

Just complete letting go.

All of this is to help the mind recognize

that, hey, you already did the day.

There's nothing you need to do right now.

It's okay to transition.

As the body starts to settle in and

relax, the mind can settle in and relax.

So let's bring that

awareness now to the torso.

Starting, maybe, with the chest.

A lot of the times when we're stressed,

the breath can get caught in the

chest region, short and shallow.

So notice if that's

still going on for you.

And you're welcome to try and

sync the breath a little deeper.

Sometimes that just happens as we relax.

We feel the breath more in the belly,

so you can bring your awareness there,

rising and falling of the abdomen.

And with every exhale, feeling the

body sink in a little more deeply.

Every exhale.

Just letting go.

Bringing your awareness

around to the back region.

The upper back tends to hold a lot

of tension close to the shoulders.

Maybe from sitting at a desk,

the shoulders round over.

So see if you can breathe

in to the upper back.

And on that exhale, let it relax as

you slide your awareness down the

mid back and into the lower back.

Letting go of any judgment of the body,

including if there's pain or discomfort.

We can meet our body with

kind, compassionate awareness.

It's tough enough being a body.

It doesn't need your

judgment and critique.

It tends to make us more stressed as well.

So can we be in our bodies with a sense of

love, compassion, curiosity, and respect.

Body is processing a lot of information

throughout the day, and it's often

taking on the emotions, the energy

of other people, our environment.

So just breathe into the body for a

moment with a sense of appreciation.

And exhale any tension.

Letting the body know you care about it,

and you're here to help give it a break.

As you slide your awareness

down to the pelvic region.

Noticing any clenching.

Softening all the muscles

in the pelvic region.

Down to the thighs.

Another area with larger muscles.

The hamstrings, the quadriceps.

And for standing, his

muscles are often engaged.

So giving them the opportunity,

the invitation to relax.

Down through the knees.

Calves and shins.

And then the feet.

The precious feet, helping us walk.

A lot of nerve endings in

the bottom of the feet.

You might try wiggling your toes

just to feel your feet a little more.

Feel the surface beneath them.

And we'll zoom out so that we're

attuned to the entire body as a whole.

And let's take one really

deep breath into the body.

Breathing in.

And then on the exhale, letting

go of and lingering tension.

Let's do that one more time.

In through the nose, filling

up every part of the body.

And release on an exhale.

Great job.

If you feel ready, you can

start to reorient yourself

back to the space around you.

Eventually inviting the eyes to open.

As you continue to unwind before

sleep, see if you can take this

time to be a little more grounded

in your body to be more present

and to be at ease in your mind.

Enjoy the rest of your

evening and take care.