Let's settle in so we can

wind down from the day.

You can find a comfortable posture

which could be sitting or lying down.

And if it feels okay to do so,

you can invite your eyes to close.

We'll start by taking

a deep breath together.

In through the nose.

Out through the mouth.

Inviting the jaw to soften.

Letting the shoulders be at ease.

As well as the hands on the belly.

As your body starts to settle

in, your breath can come

back to its natural rhythm.

I'm sure there was plenty

of doing going on today.

But right now, there's

nothing you need to do.

There's nothing you need to fix.

No problems you need to solve.

You've allocated this time for yourself.

See if you can give yourself the

permission to really just be here.

The breath can be an anchor

point for your awareness.

As the mind wanders off, caught

up in the agitation of the day

or anticipating the agitation of

tomorrow, you can invite it back.

This very simple practice of noticing

the mind, noticing what it's doing,

inviting it back to the present moment.

As you start to attune yourself to the

present, you may notice that you still

feel some lingering momentum from the day.

We're doing a lot throughout the day.

A lot of things we need to think about,

different emotions were experiencing,

different things we need to do and

complete, and that can stir up a lot

of energy in the body that continues

to linger with us even when we're

not doing those things anymore.

So see if you can feel any part of

the day or just the momentum of the

day still in your mind and your body.

From me, it's often this feeling

of rushing into the next moment.

Even though I'm still and don't need

to get anywhere, it's like, my body

is so used to going to the next thing.

And so the first thing we can do

with this is just relax into it.

Even if the body doesn't want to be

relaxed or the mind doesn't want to

be relaxed, we can create a relaxed

awareness around this experience.

A simple way to do that is to first

relax as much of the body as you can.

And then become aware of the

momentum in your body, the

agitation that might still be there.

You can even say, "I see you tension.

I see you agitation.

It's okay.

We're here now.

You don't have to get anywhere.

You don't need to fix anything.

We're safe.

And it's okay for us to let go."

As we continue to help release some

of this extra tension, we'll take

some deep breaths which can help

to move this energy in the body.

So let's start by breathing

deeply through the nose.

And then out through the mouth.

Good.

Let's do that again.

And this time on the exhale,

just let it be a total release.

So it might sound like this.

Almost get some auditory

sound going there.

So we'll try this out.

In through the nose.

And release.

Let's do a few more and I'll

give you some space and silence

to do this at your own pace.

Breathing in as deep as you can,

and then just letting it out.

With each exhale, a big release.

You can even let out a sigh if you'd like.

Sometimes that releasing of sound

can help release some of that

energy stuck in the body, or at

least just get it moving around.

So try that out for a bit.

As some of this tension starts to

move throughout the body, you may

notice that the hands get a little

tingly or the feet, or it's almost

like you need to shake something out.

So if you'd like to do that, you can.

You just take your hands, shake them.

The feet or the legs.

Maybe just wiggling the thighs a bit.

Adding a little bit of movement.

It's not all about stillness.

Stillness is helpful in the meditation,

but movement can also help release energy.

So just shaking the body a little

bit, even subtle movements.

And then taking one more deep breath.

And slowly this time on the exhale.

Good.

Let's settle in now for the next

minute, just feeling the body breathing.

Having let go of some of the energy

and momentum of the day, we're

giving ourselves permission to

drop in, to be here, to release so

that we can start fresh tomorrow.

As thoughts drift back to the day or

into tomorrow, just guide the mind back.

Just this breath.

Just this moment.

Let's take one more deep breath

together before we close.

In through the nose.

Out through the mouth.

And if you feel ready, you can

reorient yourself back into the space.

Eventually allowing

the eyes to open again.

Great job.

As you continue to unwind before

sleep, see if you can take this time

to be grounded, to be present and to

be at ease in your mind and your body.

Enjoy the rest of your

evening and take care.