Lie back for me.
Slowly.
Let your head find the pillow.
Move it a little if you need to.
You want your whole head held.
Not propped up.
Not hanging off the edge.
Try a slight tuck of the chin.
Just enough that your neck feels long.
There.
Let the pillow do the work.
Let your arms go wherever they land.
Palms whichever way feels easy.
For the next six minutes...
we're only going to visit three places.
Your jaw.
Your neck.
Your shoulders.
That's where the day likes to hide.
Think back to this afternoon.
Were you clenching your teeth?
Maybe at the laptop.
Or in traffic...
with your shoulders creeping up.
Maybe you held the phone with your ear.
For a long call.
Your body kept a record of all that.
It's still holding some of it now.
Notice it without trying to fix it.
Is your jaw tight?
Is the back of your neck stiff?
Are your shoulders up by your ears?
Whatever you notice is okay.
It's just information.
Let's start with the jaw.
Let your lips come apart.
Just a crack.
Enough for air to pass.
Now let the tongue go wide.
Lazy.
Resting against your lower teeth.
Find the hinge of your jaw.
Just in front of your ears.
Picture that little joint going soft.
Like butter left on the counter.
Breathe in through your nose...
And as you breathe out...
let the jaw sag a little more.
Your cheeks follow.
Your chin gets heavy.
Even your eyes can soften.
They don't need to look at anything.
Now the neck.
Your head weighs about ten pounds.
You carried it around all day.
Tonight you can set it down.
The screen is off.
Nobody needs you to look up.
Give the pillow all of that weight.
Feel the back of your skull sink.
Breathe in...
And breathe out...
the muscles along your neck let go.
If it feels good...
roll your head just slightly left.
Then back to the middle.
slightly right.
And back to the middle.
Smaller each time.
Until it's barely moving.
Until it's still.
Now your shoulders.
Don't push them down.
Just let them go heavy.
They've been carrying things all day.
They can set it all down.
Breathe in...
And as you breathe out...
let them melt toward the bed.
In again...
And out...
a little wider.
A little lower.
One more.
In...
And out...
shoulders spreading across the sheet.
Now notice a warmth.
Starting between your shoulder blades.
It spreads slowly down your back.
Like warm water poured from a cup.
Down past your ribs.
To the small of your back.
Your back sinks into that warmth.
Heavier with each breath.
Your jaw is soft.
Somewhere a furnace clicks on.
A low, steady hum.
Your shoulders are wide and heavy.
Breathing in...
And out...
Everything above your heart is loose.
The rest will follow.
Sleep now.
Goodnight.