There's a forest waiting for you,
It's not one you've walked before,
But one your soul remembers.
The trees are tall and timeless,
Their roots tangled deep beneath the surface of things,
Holding everything in place,
And here,
In this quiet grove beneath the canopy of stars,
Your body can finally begin to rest.
You've arrived at the edge of the woods,
The path ahead isn't sharp or defined,
It's soft,
Like moss under bare feet.
The light is low,
Thick with golden twilight,
And as you take a step forward,
The noise of the day falls behind you like an old coat slipping from your shoulders.
There is no more to carry,
Not now,
Not here.
Breathe gently now,
You don't have to control it,
Let your breath move through you,
Like the wind slipping between branches,
Soft,
Effortless,
Unhurried,
And with each exhale,
Feel your body loosen its grip.
Feel your thoughts grow quieter,
Like birds returning to their nests at dusk.
In this forest,
Time moves differently,
Slower,
Everything here breathes with you,
You can almost feel the heartbeat of the earth beneath you,
Thudding softly beneath the soil.
Imagine lying down here,
Right in the middle of this sanctuary.
Beneath you is a soft cushion of leaves,
Warmed by the sun from earlier in the day.
It holds you the way a hammock does,
There's no resistance,
Just support.
Now feel a gentle warmth blooming at the top of your head,
Like the last rays of sun catching the tips of the tallest trees.
The warmth trickles slowly down your scalp,
Loosening the places where the mind holds tension.
It melts over your forehead,
Smoothing the lines there.
It drips like warm rain across your closed eyelids,
Across your cheeks,
Softening your jaw.
Let it move without effort,
Like the shadows shifting on the forest floor.
Every muscle in your face dissolves into stillness,
You feel the quiet glow of this warmth now flowing into your shoulders,
Where the weight of your day has collected.
But here,
In the arms of the forest,
That weight has nowhere to stay,
Let it slip away,
Let it fall like old bark from the trees.
The warmth slides down your arms,
Down through your elbows and wrists,
Into your hands that no longer need to grasp.
Your fingers uncurl,
Empty,
Content.
Let them rest like petals on the earth.
The forest air is rich with scent,
Damp earth,
Wildflowers,
Something sweet like cedar and sage.
With every breath,
That scent flows into your chest,
You don't have to do anything,
Just allow your lungs to open,
Like leaves to the morning light,
And as you exhale,
Feel the gentle sigh of the forest echoing back.
You breathe,
And the forest breathes with you.
Now let your attention drop to your belly,
That soft sacred place where your breath begins.
It rises and falls like a gentle hill beneath your hand,
Let it move with the rhythm of the wind.
Let it be slow,
Unforced and natural,
Like animals bedding down in tall grass.
Everything is safe now,
Everything is slowing down.
The warmth now pours into your strong legs that carry you through life.
Tonight they are allowed to be still,
There are no journeys to make,
There is no direction to go.
Feel them soften,
Spreading gently into the forest floor.
And now the warmth curls through your knees,
Your calves and your ankles,
Spilling into your feet,
Down through your soles,
Into your toes.
Let go of the last bits of effort,
Let it all pour out of you,
Into the mossy ground.
Now feel your whole body as one,
One shape,
Held by the forest,
Bathed in dusk.
You are not separate from the earth anymore,
You are part of it,
A tree amongst trees,
A breath among many,
A stillness inside a greater stillness.
Above you,
The sky is deepening into a soft indigo.
You can just make out the first stars,
Blinking awake.
There is no need to look for them,
Just feel them,
Like quiet eyes watching over you from a place beyond words.
Maybe you feel a tingling in your hands or a gentle buzzing in your chest,
That's your nervous system unwinding,
That's your body remembering how to heal itself,
Let it happen,
Let everything happen,
Exactly as it needs to.
And now,
You are being drawn downward,
Not in a heavy way,
But like a leaf floating toward the forest floor,
Suspended in a moment,
Between air and earth,
That moment before sleep,
That edge between awareness and dream.
You don't need to resist it,
Let yourself slip across that threshold.
You are already crossing,
Already fading into the soft mist of sleep,
Deeper and deeper.
Let the forest close gently around you,
Let the night keep watch.
You are protected here and now,
You are entering a peaceful and deep sleep.
