Hi.
You made it to bed.
Your body got here first.
Your mind is still somewhere else.
Maybe several places at once.
That's all right.
We'll start with the body.
It's the easy part.
Lie on your back, or your side.
Whatever you'd pick on a normal night.
Let the bed take your weight.
First your heels.
Then your hips.
Then your ribs.
Then your
head.
Feel how the mattress presses back.
Just enough.
It knows how to hold you.
Let your eyes close.
For the next six minutes...
you only need to notice one small thing.
We'll get there.
There's no hurry.
First, let's not fight the busy mind.
Let it run for a moment.
What's it doing right now?
Planning tomorrow's lunch?
Rewriting an email?
Wondering if you locked door?
the back
Humming half a song from the car?
Let it do all of that.
You don't need to stop it.
Just listen, like a neighbor through a wall.
A busy mind isn't a broken mind.
It's a mind that worked hard today.
It's like a dog...
still pacing after a long walk.
Circling before it lies down.
Give it one more lap.
Then offer it something simple to hold.
Not a problem to solve.
Not a list.
Something small and plain.
Take a slow breath in.
And let it out through your mouth.
Soft and long.
Now find the rim of your nostrils.
That little doorway.
Where the air slips in.
Breathe in through your nose.
Notice the air as it It's enters.
a little cool.
Maybe cooler on one side.
Now breathe out.
The air leaving is warmer.
A cool draft in.
A warm draft out.
That's the whole Breathe show.
in...
cool at the nostrils.
Breathe out...
warm and slow.
Leave the breath the way it is.
Just feel where it brushes the skin.
In a moment, your mind will wander.
That's fine.
It's supposed to.
When you notice it's gone...
maybe to a meeting...
maybe to something you forgot to just buy...
come back to the nose.
No scolding.
Like turning a page back.
In...
a faint tickle.
Out...
softer, warmer.
Every time you come back...
you're doing it right.
Coming back is the whole practice.
Out...
In...
Maybe you've drifted ten times already.
That's ten returns.
Some people like a word with it.
In...
Out...
"cool."
"warm."
Say the words inside, if Drop they help.
them if they don't.
Notice how small this A is.
tiny patch of skin.
A little moving air.
The rest of your mind can go quiet...
because this is all it needs to hold.
small draft in.
small draft out.
Your mind is slowing down.
The laps are getting shorter.
The rain is far off now.
Barely there.
Just the small cool touch...
at the tip of the nose.
If thoughts still pass by...
let them pass.
They can go on without you.
Your hands are loose.
Your forehead is smooth.
The dog has stopped pacing.
It's curled up now.
Nose tucked under its tail.
In...
Out...
Even the watching can stop now.
Let the breath go on its own.
Still body.
Still mind.
Everything is quiet.
Goodnight.