Watching the clock You again?
can stop now.
Turn it away, if you For want.
the next six minutes...
you don't have to try to sleep.
You only have to breathe.
If your mind is loud tonight...
that's okay.
We'll go slow anyway.
Let your head sink into the pillow.
Cool on one side.
Warm where you've been If lying.
you want to shift once...
go Find ahead.
the spot that feels right.
This bed has been waiting all It's day.
your turn now.
Notice the The blanket.
weight of it on your legs...
your belly...
your chest.
Here's the strange thing about sleep.
The harder you chase it...
the further it walks away.
So tonight, we won't chase it.
We'll just get slow.
And let sleep find you.
The day left a list behind.
Mail piled on the counter.
Maybe a bill you forgot.
You don't need it right now.
Picture it sliding off the bed...
landing softly on the floor.
It'll still be there in the morning.
You can pick it up then.
If you even want to.
That conversation you keep replaying...
the better line you thought of later...
let it go over the edge too.
It's done.
Nobody else is thinking about it.
If another thought shows up...
that's fine.
Let it slide off with the rest.
Now your shoulders.
Let them settle down and back.
Let your jaw loosen.
Your back teeth don't need to touch.
Let your hands go heavy.
Palms open.
Fingers curled however they like.
Now we'll slow the breath together.
In for four...
and out for six.
If six feels long, make it five.
Your body gets a vote.
The long breath out matters most.
It tells your body the day is over.
Breathe in through your nose...
two...
three...
four.
And out, slowly...
two...
three...
four...
five...
six.
Again.
In...
two...
three...
four.
And out...
a little longer...
five...
six.
In...
filling the belly, not the shoulders.
Out...
like warm air leaving a room.
One more round.
In...
And out...
all the way to the bottom.
Let the mattress take your weight.
Your heels.
The backs of your legs.
Your hips.
Your shoulder blades.
The back of your head.
You aren't holding any of it up.
The bed has it now.
Your feet are warm under the blanket.
Soften the space between your eyebrows.
Let your eyes rest heavy.
Let your cheeks go slack.
It's dark.
No one can see your face.
Your tongue rests low in your mouth.
Your lips part a little, if they want.
Your belly rises...
and falls.
You can stop counting now.
Let the breath find its own pace.
Maybe the pauses are getting longer.
Let them.
Still awake?
That's okay.
Resting like this and still the counts.
blanket, Just the crickets outside...
rising and falling.
Your arms are heavy now...
and the blanket is warm.
Nobody's asking anything of you.
Not tonight.
Breathing in...
And letting go...
Everything is quiet.
The morning can wait.
The house is still.
Your breath is slow.
Sleep now.
Goodnight.