So when you're ready,
Let's begin by getting comfortable in bed.
Maybe turning your pillow to the other side so it's nice and cool on your cheek.
Making small adjustments and movements so you can become more comfortable in your bed.
And just allow yourself to really settle into a position where you can truly feel held by the bed beneath you.
Your body becoming heavy as your muscles soften and the weight of your body sinks and melts into the bed beneath you.
And you notice now that your breath has become slow and steady,
Completely effortless.
You may notice a soft brush of the exhale across your upper lip as you breathe out.
And how the belly slightly expands as you breathe in,
Keeping your breath and allowing it to be slow and steady,
Completely effortless.
And now you begin to bring your awareness to your body.
You feel the whole body resting here in bed.
And you feel the whole front of your body,
The back of your body.
And you notice the right side of the body and how it's resting.
And the left side of the body and how it's resting.
Now you feel your legs becoming long and heavy.
Notice the right leg and the left leg.
Just feel both legs resting together.
And then you notice your arms,
Your right arm,
Heavy and soft.
Your left arm,
Heavy and soft.
Both arms resting together.
And now your left arm,
Heavy and soft.
Both arms resting together.
And now you notice the neck and throat,
Letting them be open and soft.
And noticing the face,
The top of the head,
And the back of the head.
Inhaling,
Filling your body with breath.
Exhaling into complete surrender.
Inhaling,
Filling your body with breath.
And exhaling into complete surrender.
One more time.
Inhaling,
Filling your body with breath.
And exhaling into complete surrender.
Now bring your awareness to your feet.
Imagine that your feet are firmly planted in the ground on a small walkway in the forest.
It's late afternoon,
Just beginning to move into evening.
The walkway that you're standing on is lined with large rocks to show the path.
The light is soft and golden,
Filtering through the trees and long,
Sparkling beams.
And on either side of you,
There's tall pine trees and maples,
Their branches stretching upward,
A few swaying in the breeze.
And all you hear is the sound of nature around you.
No traffic,
No noise from the human world.
Just the sounds of the forest around you and the feeling of leaving everything behind.
You don't need to check your phone.
You don't have a desire to be anywhere else.
You're just exactly where you need to be.
And you begin to walk down the path.
The sound of gravel crunching under your feet as you walk follows you.
The trees feel bigger and closer here.
Denser.
Quiet.
And then ahead of you,
You see it.
A small cabin tucked into the woods.
It's a simple,
Modern,
Square,
Almost like more of a tiny house than a cabin.
It looks so cute and warm.
And then soft light glowing from the inside invites you closer.
And so you walk closer.
And you take a deep breath in.
You can smell the woods around you.
Pine needles,
Earth.
A little bit of smoke maybe from a nearby fire pit.
Bird calls.
The occasional rustle of leaves.
And that quiet stillness of nature beginning to settle into evening.
And you walk towards the cabin.
And you see now there's a small wooden path leading to the door.
There's a tiny porch outside.
You take the few steps up to the porch.
There's a couple of chairs on one side.
They have thick cushions and a folded blanket resting neatly on one of them.
And just beyond that,
You see the fire pit.
A few logs already stacked,
Waiting.
But first you step inside the cabin.
And immediately everything feels good.
The air inside is the perfect temperature.
The space inside is simple but you can tell it was intentionally designed.
Light wood.
A small kitchenette along one wall.
A table with a bench.
And then you see the bed.
Perfectly positioned in front of a massive window.
Floor to ceiling.
Looking straight out into the forest.
And you pause for a moment.
Taking it all in.
The trees outside.
The light beginning to fade.
That cozy little feeling of being inside of this cabin.
And you let life be simple and slow.
You set your things down.
You just move through the space.
Noticing how everything looks and feels.
You run your hand over the countertop.
You adjust one of the pillows on the bench.
You look out that massive window once again.
And as the light begins to fade,
It's almost twilight.
You decide to go back outside.
The air is a little cooler now,
But it's still comfortable.
So you decide to grab one of the blankets from the porch and wrap it around your shoulders.
It feels so warm and grounding.
You walk over to the fire pit and sit down in one of the wooden chairs.
You take your time lighting a fire.
Striking the match.
Watching that small flame catch.
And as you watch that small flame begin to build into something more steady.
The fire begins to crackle.
Warmth spreading outward.
You hold your hands out towards it and feel the heat gently touching your skin.
And after a moment,
You look at the small table that's next to you.
And on it is a box.
And inside that box,
You find a s'mores kit.
Graham crackers.
Chocolate.
Marshmallows.
And so you take a marshmallow onto a stick.
Hold it over the fire.
Turning it slowly.
Watching it change.
As you turn it.
And at first,
The marshmallow begins to soften.
And then it becomes a little bit golden.
And then slightly toasted.
You just allow yourself to be here.
There's no rush.
Just the fire crackling.
And as the evening settles in.
You take your marshmallow.
And you construct your s'more.
And you take a bite.
And it's perfect.
It reminds you of special evenings in the summer.
Or maybe camp when you were a kid.
It just feels so simple but magical.
Overhead,
The sky continues to darken.
Shifting from blue to deeper tones.
Dark purples.
And eventually,
Into an inky black sky.
The trees have become silhouettes now.
Tall and still against the dim light.
A few stars begin to appear overhead.
Faint at first.
Then clearer.
A few more.
And a few more.
Until a beautiful night sky is opening up above you.
The fire continues to glow.
And you sit here for a little while longer.
Wrapped in the blanket.
Watching the flames.
Letting your mind slow down.
And eventually you stand up.
Your body is ready to move inside.
And so you step back into the cabin.
The soft light of a lantern on the table lights up the space.
And you get ready for bed.
Letting each movement as you do feel simple and easy.
Noticing the texture of your pajamas as you put them on.
And then you get into bed.
The bed is so soft.
The pillows are fluffy and full.
The blankets are smooth and cool at first.
But begin to warm with your body as you settle in.
The comforter is like a big cloud.
And you begin to feel the warmth of your body.
And you adjust just a little bit.
Until you become still.
And in front of you that large window stretches across your entire view.
And outside you can see the forest at night.
The sky above is darker.
Filled with so many stars.
And inside everything is still.
It's warm and safe.
The bed holds you.
The forest all around you.
You just take a big deep breath in.
And a long breath out.
And you feel your body becoming heavier.
Sinking into the mattress.
Muscles softening.
Jaw releasing.
Shoulders dropping.
And outside the night continues.
You can hear an owl off in the distance.
And you just rest.
Magical forest.
Quiet night.
Your breath continues to slow.
Body softens.
And your mind becomes quiet.
And as you lie there watching the trees and the stars.
Being held and resting in this peaceful space.
You begin to drift.
Slowly.
Effortlessly.
Deeper and deeper.
Falling into sleep.
