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Hi, I'm Jessica Porter, and welcome back to Sleep Magic, a podcast where I help you to find the magic of your own mind, helping you to sleep better and live better. So, it's so nice to be here.
Thanks, everybody, for all the reviews we've been getting and the suggestions. I heard recently from a woman named Farah in Kuwait who wrestles with insomnia, and Sleep Magic has been helping. I also heard from a woman named Mathilde in France. She's a mother of two, and Sleep Magic has helped her get through some pretty serious stress recently.
Someone asked for an episode, an episode based on falling asleep in a boring class, which I thought was great because we've all been there. So maybe that will come up in the future.
And thank you to everyone who's left reviews and comments. Thank you to anyone who's in a position to subscribe to this podcast. It really helps and keeps it alive. So I love hearing from you. Please reach out in any way that works for you. And thank you. Thank you. Before we get started, let's hear a quick word from our sponsors who make this free content possible. All right. Tonight, Practicing Presence.
I have recently been hanging out with an aging family member. And because of where he's at in his life, he has an entirely new set of needs. He has changed. He's gone from a robust and vital leading man to playing a quieter, softer, slower role in his life. And as I watch this person become more vulnerable, I recognize that what is required of me, more than anything, is presence. Just presence.
presence, breathing, being grounded, comfortable, relaxed, staying in my own body, not freaking out, just letting him be. And when I practice presence, time seems to slow down. All the pursuits of my ego dissolve. Moments are quiet and yet full. My judgment falls away and humility seeps in.
I think one of the greatest gifts we can give anyone in our lives is our presence. We often think we have to do something or to say something, but really we just need to be. When we're present, we respond in the moment instead of bouncing around in our own thoughts and concerns. When we're present, we listen and intuit. And when we're present, the universe can do its magic through us.
And although the situation that I'm in can bring up sadness in me and a sense of powerlessness, there's also a beauty in it. And I'm realizing yet again that relaxation is my dearest friend. And practicing presence is just for aging family members. We naturally get still and present with a newborn baby. And it's good to practice it with our children and our friends and our lovers.
I encourage you to see what treasures you find in practicing presence with customers or clients, even your competitors. I practice presence when I cook, when I do hypnosis, and even when I get up on stage to do stand-up, or at least after the first minute. And it's always the right choice, and a surprisingly powerful one. So tonight, we let go of the noise and practice presence.
So get yourself into a safe and comfortable position and let's begin. Just allow your eyes to close easily and gently and bring your awareness to your breathing, allowing your breath to be normal and natural. I'm sure you've had a full day. I presume there were moments in your day when you felt present, when you slowed down or just observed. Maybe when you relaxed.
Let's just be present now for your eyelids. I'd like you to bring your awareness up into your eyelids and just be present with your eyelids. I know that sounds a little weird, but just bring your presence to your eyelids. Really be in them just for a moment. Good. And your attention doesn't have to be hard or laser focused. It's a soft,
presence. And now I'd like you to imagine that your eyelids are so relaxed that they simply will not open. And now test your eyelids to make sure they won't open by wiggling your eyebrows. Just give them a little tug while your eyelids remain closed. Great. Now let's bring your awareness into your brain. I know we're not really familiar with our own brains. It's not like we've even seen them in our lifetimes.
But we can sense all the activity in our heads. There's a lot of energy inside our heads. So just imagine your brain right now. Imagine all the activity, the energy, the lightning storms of neural activity. Just be present for that. Be present for your brain. What an amazing thing your brain is.
What an amazing thing. And as you go deeper and deeper, that presence becomes relaxation. It sort of shifts into relaxation. You go deeper and deeper and there's always more relaxation. There's always more letting go. And this sense of presence is feeling softer now. Softer. Softer.
And because you're listening to this recording before you go to sleep, if at any point you start letting go and drifting and my words begin to sound just like words without meaning, that's good. That's good. Now bring your awareness to your face. Really become present to your own face. What a funny thing a face is.
What an interesting thing. It's like your sign, your brand, your most recognizable quality, the code that identifies you, your image. And as your awareness comes up into your forehead now, just be present for this moment, present for your forehead. And as you remain present for your forehead, it begins to relax.
and you take yourself deeper and deeper. Everything letting go, releasing. As your awareness moves down to your cheekbones now, just be present for your cheekbones. You can feel like you're with them or in them or observing them, but you're bringing your presence, your consciousness to your cheekbones just for a moment. As you bring your awareness now
to your nose and simply be present in your nose for your nose with your nose just be in your nose what a funny thing a nose is so strange and yet so vital doing its job silently and gracefully now bring your awareness down into your lips just be present in your lips
Feel the tingle of presence in your lips. Amazing what they do. Speaking, eating, expressing, kissing. Really be in your lips. Now bring your awareness into your tongue. How often do you actually pay attention to your tongue? Bring your presence into your tongue and now allow it to relax. Presence
softens into relaxation and relaxation softens into presence as you bring your awareness down to your throat. Your throat activated every time you speak managing your expression in the world modulating your intensity. Your throat is one of your portals to the world working on behalf of
of your spirit and your heart and your mind handling vibration. Be present in your throat as you go deeper and deeper, your whole body relaxing, being, letting go. As you bring your awareness to your upper back, notice your upper back. If you're lying on your back, feel its connection to the bed. Bring your presence
to your upper back. If any tension has built up in your upper back today, just be present for it. Thank your back for holding this energy for you. It's relaxing. It's letting go. The day is over. Your upper back is on vacation. As your awareness moves down to your mid-back and lower back, really be present in your lower back.
During the day it does so much moving and twisting and holding. Just be present for this moment in your lower back. Notice how this presence softens into relaxation and relaxation softens into presence. As you bring your awareness down into your buttocks, just be present in your buttocks.
How weird to let yourself be present for your buttocks. And yet here you are, as you relax, taking yourself deeper and deeper. Letting go. Good. Now bring your awareness up again, and this time to your right shoulder. Your right shoulder has carried more than things today. It's carried emotion and expectation and pressure.
Your shoulder has responded in some tiny way to every thought and every feeling that you've had. It's been a silent partner in your day. So just be present for your right shoulder. Whatever that means, just be present. And being present is getting easier and easier. And now that you're present, your shoulder is beginning to relax.
and let go as you go deeper and deeper. As you bring your awareness down your arm, just be present for your arm, your right arm. Just being present. Just being present. As your arm relaxes and your awareness moves down into your hand, just be present with your hand. What an amazing thing a hand is. Just be present.
your fingers feeling heavy, your whole hand letting go. Your body is your home. It's nice to just be in it, to be present with yourself and your own experience as a human. It feels good to be present, to really be in your body. It feels good to be alive as you go deeper
and deeper and any sounds that are going on around you. Let them take you deeper and even deeper. Be present for the sounds as they move through you and disappear. As you bring your awareness now into your left shoulder. Just be in your left shoulder. Just be present for your left shoulder. It too has been reacting and responding
all day and now you're simply present with it. Your left shoulder has been with you your entire life. It comes with you everywhere and now you're being present in it and with it and for it as it relaxes, letting go, softening and your awareness moves down into your arm, your left arm as you become present
present for your left arm. Just let it be. Just let it be. As your awareness moves down into your hand, your left hand, notice how it feels to really be present in your left hand. As you go deeper and deeper, and presence softens into relaxation, and relaxation softens into presence. Every finger feeling
Full. Present. Now bring your awareness to your chest and if it applies to you, bring your awareness to your breasts. Really be present in your breasts. Allow them to simply now bring your awareness deep inside into your heart. Really be present to your own heart. What is your heart feeling tonight? What does it need?
What does it want? Just be present for your own heart. Just be present, your own heart, as it softens and relaxes. And let's go. Allow this feeling of presence to move down, down deeper into your torso, to your solar plexus, right where your ribs come together, the center of your chest. Just be present.
to your solar plexus. Just be present, present, present. As your awareness moves down to just below your belly button, down into your gut. This is another brain inside of you, full of neurons, feeling things. Be present for this energy inside of you. Be present. What does it want? What does it feel? Just be present.
Be present as you relax, going deeper and deeper as you bring your awareness down to your root chakra at the bottom of your torso. As you sense the energy around your genitals and perineum, just be present to that energy. Just be present to what it may be holding or wanting. And as you are present,
You relax. Presence softens into relaxation. And relaxation softens into presence. As your awareness moves down your right leg, really be present for your right leg. And as you are present, it relaxes. Your awareness moving down now to your right foot and toes. Be present for your right foot as you go deeper.
and deeper as you bring your awareness now to your left leg. Just be present for your left leg. Just be present. And down now into your left foot and toes. Just be present. Just be present. Notice how good it feels to be present. By being present in my body, I'm present for others. By being present in my body, I'm present for others.
I'm present for my life. I'm present for my life. As I drift and float and dream.
