Hi friend,
Go ahead and get comfortable.
Find that sweet spot where you can let everything go and just hang out and relax.
Let go of the day that you've had and welcome a peaceful,
Restful slumber.
Before we start,
Let's go ahead and take three deep breaths,
As deep as what feels comfortable for you.
In and out,
One,
Two,
Three.
Great job.
When you're ready,
Go ahead and close your eyes and just let all of your muscles go.
Take a minute to listen to your breath.
Just feel your breath as it goes in and out.
Notice how your body responds to your breath.
As you find a gentle rhythm that feels good for you.
Maybe it's a little deeper than what you're normally used to.
Just sending lots of love and oxygen throughout your body.
Just letting it know that you are safe and it's time to unwind.
Let's begin tonight's story.
Once upon a time,
In a quaint,
Tranquil village nestled between rolling hills and whispering trees,
There lived a wise old oak tree named Elderwood.
Elderwood had watched over the village for countless generations,
Her gnarled branches reaching toward the heavens like ancient fingers of wisdom.
Each night,
As the sun dipped below the horizon and the stars began to twinkle in the night sky,
Elderwood would softly hum a melody soothing all of the weary souls of the villagers as they prepared for slumber.
Lately,
However,
Elderwood sensed a restlessness in the air,
A quiet unease that lingered just like the mist in the moonlight.
In the heart of the village,
There lived a young woman named Alara.
Alara was kind-hearted but burdened with worries,
Worries that weighed heavily on her spirit.
Night after night,
She tossed and turned in her bed,
Unable to find the peace that she so desperately sought.
One evening,
As Alara sat beneath Elderwood's comforting branches,
The old oak spoke in a voice as gentle as a summer breeze.
"'Why do you carry such heavy burdens,
Dear Alara?
' Elderwood asked.
Tears welled in Alara's eyes as she poured out her troubles to the wise tree.
She spoke of fears and uncertainties,
Of dreams unfulfilled and paths unknown.
Elderwood listened patiently,
Her ancient roots absorbing Alara's worries,
Just like nourishing rain.
"'My child,
' Elderwood murmured,
"'life is but a journey,
And every journey has its twists and turns,
But just as the river finds its way to the sea,
So too will you find your path if you listen to the whispers of your heart.
'" With those words,
Elderwood began to weave a tale.
A tale of distant lands and starlit skies,
Of dreams woven from moonbeams and wishes carried on the wind.
As the story unfolded,
Alara felt her worries begin to melt away.
She noticed a feeling of relaxation growing throughout her body,
And it brought with it a sense of peace and wonder.
Alara noticed the feeling of relaxation as it started in her toes,
And as she focused on Elderwood's voice and on the feeling,
She noticed that it began to grow and move up through her feet,
Her ankles,
And legs,
All the way up to her knees.
As she breathed in,
And out,
She noticed that the feeling of deep relaxation was moving up through her thighs,
All the way to her hips.
Taking another deep breath in,
And out,
The legs are relaxed from the tips of the toes all the way to the tops of the thighs.
The feeling of relaxation continued to grow and move,
Up through the hips,
Into the lower back and the abdomen,
Moving up through all of the muscles of the ribs,
Making space for those deep breaths in,
And out,
And filling that heart space with love.
And as she listened,
That feeling of relaxation continued to grow and move,
Up through the shoulders and down the arms,
Through the elbows down to the wrists,
Through the hands and into the fingertips,
And from the tips of the fingers to the tops of the shoulders,
The arms are relaxed.
And that warm relaxation continued to grow,
Up through the neck and the back of the head,
And around the top and down through all of the facial muscles,
Feeling the jaw and the teeth and the lips as they part slightly with relaxation.
Taking another deep breath in,
And out,
Sinking deep into relaxation.
And so under the watchful gaze of Elderwood,
Ellara drifted into a deep and restful sleep,
Her heart as light as a feather,
Her mind filled with dreams of endless possibility.
From that night on,
Whenever the cares of the world weighed heavy on her soul,
Ellara would seek solace beneath the branches of Elderwood,
And there,
In the quiet embrace of the ancient oak,
She would find the peace and comfort she so dearly craved.
For in the heart of every storm,
There lies a sanctuary of calm,
And in the branches of every tree,
There dwells a wisdom as old as time itself.
And so,
Dear listener,
May you too find solace in the gentle embrace of Elderwood,
And may your dreams be as boundless as the stars in the night sky.
Good night.
