Sleep Body Scan for Survivors

Sleep

Hi there. My name's Dana, and this is a short body scan and breath session that you can use to help support sleep. So preferably, you're going to practice this lying down. Comfortable, safe, cozy. If you have an eye covering and you feel safe enough to cover your eyes, cover your eyes. And then I want you to listen to my voice. I'm going to cue you through a body scan that's very simple, and I just want you to hear your breath. So we'll start with the cadence of the breath. We're going to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Inhale through the nose Now, I want you to take long, deep breaths in and long, deep breaths out. And I want you to start at your feet, and I want you to notice your feet. Breathe into your feet and just notice your feet. Let them feel heavy. Let them feel anchored. And travel up to the calves and the knees. Breathe into the calves and the knees. And let them feel heavy. Breathe into the calves and the knees and let them relax. Breathe into the thighs and into the hips and let them feel heavy. Breathe into the thighs and into the hips and let them rest. Breathe into the belly. Let it rise and fall. Breathe into the belly and let it relax. Breathe into the ribcage and let it feel heavy. Breathe into the ribcage and let it rest. Breathe into the shoulders and the upper arms and let them feel heavy. and let them rest. Breathe into the elbows, the forearms, the wrists, and the hands, Wiggle the fingers if you need to. Breathe into the elbows, the forearms, the wrists, and the hands and let them rest. Breathe into the throat, and the chin, and the jaw. Then let them rest. Breathe into the space under the eyes, the eyes, behind the eyes, the top of the head. And let them all rest. Now take a big, deep breath in from feet to the very top of the head and say or even think, "Right now, I am safe enough to rest." Feel supported by whatever it is that you're lying on. When you exhale, think in your mind's eye, "Right now, I am safe enough to rest." Then take that inhale and exhale with that mantra, "Right now, I am safe to rest" as many times as you need to, filling up all the way from the feet to the fingertips to the very top of the head. Do this as many times as you need to. And I hope you have a wonderful sleep. Thank you so much.