Gentle Nightfall: A Calming Meditation to Release Your Day

The average person has over sixty thousand thoughts each day. In our last time together, we practiced releasing the day. Tonight, we can quiet those thousands of thoughts by inviting in a gentle light. So let’s begin. Find a comfortable position for rest. Allowing your body to feel heavy… supported… by the surface beneath you.

Simply notice your breath. No need to change it. Just feeling the gentle rise… and fall… of your chest. In… and out. Now… bring your awareness to the very top of your head. And imagine a soft, warm light beginning to form there. Like the first gentle light of dawn. Warm… peaceful… and kind.

Allow this light to begin sinking softly downwards… into your scalp. Melting away any tension it finds. Let it flow over your forehead… smoothing it out. Releasing the day. The light continues down… softening the tiny muscles around your eyes. Allowing your jaw to release.

Perhaps your lips part slightly. There is nothing to hold on to here. Now feel this warmth as it pours down into your neck… and your shoulders. This is a place we often carry so much. Let the light dissolve it. Feel your shoulders grow heavy… and soft… sinking down. The warmth flows from your shoulders down through your arms.

Past your elbows… into your forearms… your hands… and all the way to the tips of your fingers. Your arms feel heavy… and completely at rest. Now, bring your awareness to your chest and your upper back. The light fills this space. Creating a feeling of openness… and ease.

Each breath is a little deeper now… a little slower. The light continues its journey downward… into your belly… and your lower back. Any tightness… any holding… just melts away in this gentle warmth. Allowing your center to become soft… and relaxed. Feel the light as it pools in your hips… and your pelvis.

Releasing any stored tension from your day of moving… sitting… and being. A feeling of deep, grounded peace settles here. And now… the light flows all the way down through your legs. Over your thighs… your knees… your shins and calves. All the way down into your ankles… your feet… and to the very tips of your toes.

Your entire body is now filled with this soft, warm, healing light. From the top of your head… to the tips of your toes. You are floating in a gentle ocean of peace. There is nothing left to do. Nowhere else to be. Simply rest here. Held by this light. Allowing the gentle waves of your breath to carry you into a deep… and peaceful sleep.

Rest now. You are safe. You are at peace.