Inner Peace MeditationsGuided meditations with Steven Webb Join Weekly Calm

Meditation 13 · 11 January 2023 · 7:53

Relaxing after a Busy Day

You have not stopped all day. This is the wind down, before the evening properly starts.

Subject: Sleep & Bedtime, Anxiety & Stress

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Inner Peace Meditations · Meditation 13

Length7:53
SubjectSleep & Bedtime
Best timeThe moment you get in, before the evening starts
PositionSitting or lying down
StyleA scan down the body, then somewhere calm. Music underneath

You have not stopped all day. This is the wind down, before the evening properly starts.

About 9 minutes with Steven Webb's calm voice. Perfect for the evening.

We start at the top of your head and work down to your toes, asking each part whether it is holding anything. Then you picture somewhere calm, a beach or a meadow, and you stay there a while. Thoughts still turn up. Give them a nod and let them carry on their merry way.

Treat me to a coffee, keep the podcast free, and get my Weekly Calm every Sunday. It is all on stevenwebb.uk

Thank you for sitting with me.

Steven

Who this is for

You have not stopped all day and you are about to walk into an evening without ever having put the day down.

This is the gap between the two. Nine minutes, and it is meant for that specific moment rather than bedtime.

What happens in this meditation

Nothing is asked of your breath. You notice it, and that is all.

Then an invitation to let go, rather than an instruction. Arms, torso, legs, feet. Then the face, the cheeks and around the eyes, which is where most of a busy day ends up. When those let go it feels like they say thank you, I have been waiting for that.

Then a scan from the top of your head down to your toes, asking each part one question. Is anything being held here? If it is, you breathe out and let it fade.

Then somewhere calm. A beach, a hilltop, a meadow. Whichever one is yours. And you stay there.

How to get the most from it

Nine minutes, and the timing is the point. Do it when you get in rather than at midnight, and the whole evening is different.

Thoughts about tomorrow will turn up. You are told exactly what to do with them: give them a nod and let them carry on their merry way.

You do not have to come out of it briskly. Take as long as you like before opening your eyes.

Questions people ask

How is this different from the sleep meditations?

It is not trying to put you under. This one recharges you for the evening you still have in front of you, which is why it is short and why it ends with you awake.

What if my mind is still racing about work?

Then the scan is doing the heavy lifting rather than the picture at the end. The body letting go is what eventually persuades the head, not the other way round.

Where should my peaceful place be?

Anywhere real that you know. It works better than somewhere invented, because your body already remembers what it was like to stand there.

Read along

The transcript

It follows the audio. Press any line to jump there.

evening · stress · body-scan · breath

Read the transcript

Just while you're making yourself comfortable and getting settled in, I just want to tell you about another podcast I

have. It's called Stillness in the Storms Podcast.

And it's a podcast that helps you to get a little inner peace when you need it most and you

probably have it least. And it's just a scene in life from a different perspective. And

I'm also choosing not to have any sponsors for either of these podcasts. So if you would like to treat

me to a coffee, you can head over to StevenWebb.uk or if you'd like to download the five simple practices

for inner peace, also head over to StevenWebb.uk. You are awesome. Settle in and enjoy the

meditation. I won't disturb you after the meditation.

This meditation will help you to prepare for the evening and relax after a really busy day.

If you find this meditation peaceful and you find it helpful, I do do another podcast called Stillness in the

Storms where it's more of a talk about how we can see life differently and find a little more peace

in our world, especially when we don't have it and we need it most.

Stillness in the Storms podcast.

So let's find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. And when you're ready, just close your eyes and

take a few gentle breaths.

Remember, you don't have to do anything with your breath. You just breathe and allow your body to do it.

You know how to breathe. Your body's been breathing for many years without you getting involved. You don't have to

change the way you breathe. Just allow your body to do what it does naturally. Just become aware. I'm

breathing in. And

I'm breathing out.

And Just allow your body to relax. Allow your arms to relax and your torso. The same as your

legs and your feet. Just the same as your breath. Your body knows how to relax. It does it many

times when we're not really trying to focus ourselves.

Just invite them to do so and they will do it perfectly happy without you getting involved.

And also allow your face and your muscles around your cheeks and your eyes to relax. And feel the sense

of relief in all these muscles when they do relax. It's almost like they say back to you, thank you.

I've

been waiting for that.

And as you inhale, imagine you're breathing in calm and peace.

And as you exhale, visualize any stress or tension flowing out of your body.

So breathing in calm and peace. And breathing out any stress or tension.

And you'll notice your body just naturally relaxes.

Now bring your attention to your body. Starting at the top of your head and working slowly through down to

your toes. And as you focus on each body part, try to release any tension or tightness you may be

feeling or find as you go

we do this just by bringing our attention to that part.

And asking the question, is there any stress or tension there? And if there is, we breathe in calm and

we breathe out, imagining that stress or tension just fading and disappearing.

And Just slowly work down through your body,

moving down through your legs until

you finally finish at your toes.

And as you continue to breathe deeply, imagine yourself in a peaceful place.

This could be a beach, mountaintop or a meadow.

Whatever place you find more peace and calm,

imagine the sights and the sounds, the sensations of this place.

With each breath breathing in calm, imagine yourself sinking deeper and deeper into this relaxation as you

focus on the present moment.

Let go of any thoughts or worries that just crop up in your mind. It may be worries of the

future or thoughts of the past. Just give a gentle smile and nod to them. And then allow them to

carry on their merry way.

Just be here right now in this peaceful place.

There's nowhere you need to be.

You have thoughts, but you're not those thoughts.

You have feelings, but you're not those feelings.

You just sat relaxing. Just been aware of this moment. Aware

of the thoughts and Aware of the feelings. And realising you don't have to do anything with them.

Have a thought. You can have a feeling. You can have anything arise and you don't have to do anything

with it.

And you can take as much time as you need to relax and recharge. And

when you're ready, just slowly, gently open your eyes and you'll feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

And you're ready with a feeling of positiveness and gratitude for this moment in your body,

this moment with calm quietness.

The joy that these moments give us.

Especially after a really busy day when we haven't had so much time to think and stop and slow down.

And you can take this calm feeling into the evening.

Wishing you a wonderful evening and Thank you.

If you want to know more about me, I'm Steven Webb and you can go over to my website StevenWebb.uk

You

can treat me to a coffee or you can listen to my podcast, Stillness in the Storms, as well as

download the five simple practices for inner peace. Thank

you and have a wonderful evening.

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