So as you prepare for this sleep meditation, just making sure you're in a comfortable sleeping posture so that you can drift off during the meditation or shortly after it ends. And if it feels okay to do so, you can invite the eyes to gently close. And we'll start by taking a deep breath together. In through the nose. And then slowly out through the mouth.

And just feeling the body, relax with the exhale. So I'm sure there was plenty going on today. Things that needed your attention, problems that needed to be solved, but you're here now. And because you're here, there's really no place else you need to be, or can be. And anything that's unresolved from today, you can pick it up tomorrow.

So see if you can give yourself the permission to just be here and to let go and to trust that you really can let go of your work today. Even if it didn't go exactly as you wanted it to, it's okay. We're all human. We do the best we can. And then, you know, we try again tomorrow.

So right now there's no more work to do. So you get to just rest. So noticing the thoughts that might be moving through your mind - any worries, fears, judgments. And you can just watch them moving through like clouds passing through the sky and notice how everything else in you can be relaxed. Even if you're watching an agitating thought, you can be relaxed.

And that's what we will continue to cultivate in this sleep meditation, relaxing as much of our bodies and minds as we can. So I'm going to guide you through a body relaxation exercise. Moving through each of the body parts, inviting them to soften and to turn off the metaphorical batteries of the body. The body did its work today and the mind did its work today, and now you get to rest and replenish. So let's begin by tuning into the head.

So just noticing what it's like to bring your awareness here. And tuning into the sensations at the top of the head. The sensations at the sides of your head. And the back of the head, maybe where it's resting against the pillow. And also noticing sensations in your face.

So the face works so much throughout the day, putting on all kinds of different expressions. Sometimes making an extra effort to look a certain way, even if we don't feel that way. It chews food, sneezes, blinks. It's such a hard working part of the body. But right now, we give it the invitation to rest.

We appreciate it. And we know that it's done its work for today. And so see if you can communicate this to their face and all the muscles in the face and the head that it's okay to relax, it's okay to let go. So feeling the forehead soften. And the eyebrows.

The eyes. The cheeks. The mouth. The lips. And the ears.

And the jaw. And the whole scalp. All that tension and all of that working just melting, softening and releasing. And then sliding that warm, relaxed awareness down through the neck, down through the throat, through the back of the neck and noticing if there's any tension there. And saying to it, it's okay to let go.

We're safe and there's nothing we need to do right now. So the body knows how to take care of you while it's sleeping. So we're just letting all of these parts of us that tend to be engaged in daily life be more at ease. Just reminding them that the day is over. And as we come down through the shoulder.

Aahh, shoulders, this place where we tend to hold a lot of tension in the shoulders. Just what would it be like for the shoulders not to have to do anything at all, to finally get a break? And just feeling the shoulders soften, feeling that coziness of the shoulders maybe against your pillow, against your mattress. Just letting the shoulders know it's okay to relax, it's okay to turn off for the evening. You can even imagine these parts of the body just powering down. And as we slide awareness down through the arms now, just feeling the biceps and the triceps, the forearms and the hands.

And as you bring awareness to each part of the arm, just feel those areas softening. Bringing awareness to these parts of the arms, it's as if your awareness is communicating, I see you. Thank you. It's okay to rest. And the body hears that permission and powers down for the evening.

Relaxing more deeply into the bed beneath you. And then bringing awareness around to the chest region and notice what it's like to tune in here. This is another area we tend to hold some tension. And seeing if it's possible to soften. To bring some ease to this part of the body.

And you might even start to become aware of the gentle beating of your heart. And just feeling the beating of your heart and inviting the chest to soften and relax. And then letting awareness drop down into the belly region, so you might be come more attuned to the feeling of your body breathing here. And just sensing the softness of your belly as it rises and falls with each inhale and each exhale, like a baby breathing, free, soft and connected to the rest of the body. Just feeling the breath moving freely.

And if you notice there's any sense of gripping or holding still in the belly region, just let your awareness invite it to soften. And then bringing awareness around to the back region, the whole plane of the back. So the upper back, the mid back and the lower back. And as you continue to breathe, you might feel the breath moving into the back, just gently pressing and expanding the back with each inhale and exhale. And seeing if it's possible to soften any tension here that might be remaining.

The back is another area of the body that really does tend to accumulate a lot of tension. So let's just take a moment to appreciate the back for doing the best it can. And with this gentle and compassionate awareness, just inviting it to soften. Letting it know it doesn't need to work anymore, at least for now. And imagining the back, powering down.

And then just letting awareness travel down into the pelvic region. And breathing into this area of the body., And inviting it to be at ease to let go. Reminding it that you're safe right now and just feeling the entire pelvic region relaxing a little more deeply, beginning to release into sleep. And then just letting awareness travel down into the thighs, into the hamstrings and the quadriceps. Noticing what this area of the body feels like right now.

And as you observe this region of the body with a soft and kindly awareness, just let that awareness communicate an appreciation. And then an invitation to release, to relax and let go. And remember at any point in this meditation, it's okay to drift off. It's okay to let my voice fade into the background. So we'll continue down through the legs and down into the knees now.

And the knees that do so much work, just bending and flexing. So just feeling the knees. Take a moment to appreciate the knees. Give them some love. And they too long for rest.

They long for rest and sometimes they need to hear it from you that it's okay to let go. So that's how we communicate to the knees just by saying mentally to them, yeah, thank you. Your work is done. It's okay to relax. And feeling the knees rest more deeply and power down.

And then sliding awareness down to the calves and the shins. And inviting them to relax, soften and let go. And then finally moving awareness into the feet. Noticing how they're feeling right now. They may be tucked into the covers all the way at the other side of the bed, cozy and warm.

And with your awareness here, just having a sense of giving the feet a bit of appreciation. And inviting them to soften, and to relax, and to power down for the evening. And so now that we've moved through the whole body, just notice what it's like to feel the body as a whole resting in your sleep space, under the covers, your head against the pillow. And just giving the whole physical body a moment of gratitude and appreciation for the ways it did its best to show up for you today. And even though sometimes we might get frustrated with the body, it's still here for you, it's still taking care of you, it's trying its best.

And so we give the whole physical body this time of appreciation and we also give it the permission to relax, to let go and fall asleep. So maybe taking a soothing, slow breath that fills the body and permeates throughout all the different parts of the body. Just filling you with warmth and goodness. And with each exhale, feeling that any remaining tension is released. And as we transition from this meditation, just remember that you can replay it or revisit it at any point in time.

So it was great to be here with you. I wish you a night of deep sleep and pleasant dreams. And thank you for your practice and take care.