Prepare for deep sleep.
This is your time,
Your space.
The days,
Anxieties and responsibilities are behind you,
Let them go and simply be.
Please get yourself comfortable and take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Bring the intention of easing into deep sleep to your heart,
And as your eyelids become heavy,
Allow them to rest down.
With each breath,
You sink deeper and deeper into peace and serenity,
Your muscles loosening and softening with each breath.
Your thoughts simply flow away,
There is nothing to distract you,
This is your time.
Be present in this moment,
With each breath you ease closer to sleep.
You are invited to walk with me through a magical Japanese Zen garden.
Imagine you are stepping through a weathered wooden gate of a Zen garden.
The late afternoon light slants through the tall red pine trees,
Painting elongated shadows and in the lingering warmth of the day,
The shimmering light mingles with the earthy scent of sun-baked stones and blooming flowers.
The soft crunch of gravel beneath your shoes marks your entrance into a world shaped by serenity.
Before you stretches a meandering path bordered by rippled sand,
Catching the light like molten gold,
And the hushed blanket of the garden,
Filled only with the melodious song of the Japanese nightingale and the vibrating hum of insects,
Leads you into a meditative labyrinth of nature's wonders.
The garden opens up slowly revealing its treasures one step at a time.
On your left,
A weathered stone lantern sits cradled on a garden of moths,
Its surface dappled with the emerald lichen.
On your right,
A small pond,
Its surface teased by the delicate whisper of the breeze,
Reflects the sky's growing amber tones and the crimson tips of maple leaves dangling above.
A trio of koi swim lazily,
Their colors gold,
Ivory and flame,
Scales glistening and flashing like precious gems.
As you venture further,
The air grows sweeter,
Carrying the faint aroma of wisteria and honeysuckle.
You pause for a moment under a bamboo archway,
Its slender stalks leaning inward as though bowing in quiet reverence.
The filtered sunlight plays across your face and you hear nearby bamboo chimes whispering through the air as if they are conversing with nature's spirits,
And you exhale fully for the first time all day.
Moving on,
You come to a wooden bridge arched over a trickling stream,
Its balustrade polished smooth by time and countless hands.
The stream babbles over mossy rocks,
Its voice musical and light.
Fallen petals from a nearby Sakura cherry tree float on the water's surface,
Spinning lazily in the gentle current.
The sound of the stream harmonized with the faint rustling of leaves is a symphony conducted by the evening breeze.
The earthy scent of damp wood and moss ground you in the tranquility of the present.
Continuing on,
As the sun dips lower,
Its warm light now suffused with orange and deep gold,
A cluster of Sakura trees come into view,
Their branches laden with late-season blossoms.
The petals glow like embers in the fading light,
Drifting down to carpet the ground in a delicate blush.
You kneel to pick up a single petal,
Its softness akin to the brush of a whispered memory.
As you release it,
You watch as it joins its companions in their tranquil descent,
A fleeting reminder of life's ephemerality.
The path grows narrower,
Bordered by shrubs of Azaleas that seem to burn with magneta and coral hues under the setting sun's touch,
Radiant against the muted greens and grays of the garden.
You enter a secluded grove,
Where a solitary stone bench sits beneath a maple tree.
The crimson leaves glow as if lit from within,
And their edges flutter in the gentle breeze.
You sit,
The cool stone grounding you further,
As now the world around you seems to exhale.
You close your eyes and inhale deeply,
The mingling scents of cedarwood,
Fresh moss and distant jasmine,
Along with the faint sound of trickling water fill your senses.
In your mind's eye,
The garden sights paint themselves anew,
Each detail sharper and more vivid than reality.
Becoming aware of your surroundings once more,
You notice a stone basin nestled in the grove.
Water drips rhythmically from a bamboo spout into the basin,
The sound resonating like the tick of a cosmic clock,
A soothing cadence as though marking time in the stillness.
From a place of utter peace,
You raise yourself up and follow the path,
Climbing gently yet steadily upwards.
At the top,
The garden's heart unfolds.
A semicircular clearing bathed in the amber glow of the fading light reveals a stone pagoda,
Its silhouette softened by a halo of warm light.
Jasmine embraces the pagoda surrounding it with a heady scent,
The sweetness of which you can almost taste on your tongue.
You are drawn into the clearing as though beckoned by an invisible hand,
And you feel as though you have entered the garden's soul.
The stillness here is profound,
Layered with a quiet energy that seems to hum through the air.
You close your eyes once again,
Allowing the sounds and scents to envelop you.
Time seems to dissolve,
Leaving only the now.
As you sit down on a mossy cushion,
Soft and velvet-like,
You cross your legs and lean back against the trunk of a slender maple tree.
Your thoughts slow down,
The chatter of the day dissolving into the tranquil stillness of the moment.
And as you allow yourself to sink deeper into your earthy,
Mossy cushion,
It feels as though you are becoming one with the garden itself.
Its energy flows through you,
Blending your spirit.
As twilight falls and the first stars begin to shimmer faintly against the indigo sky,
There you stay,
Immersed in peace,
Listening to the garden whispering its secret wisdom and a promise of tranquility,
Renewal and connection.
The outside world is far away.
Your spirit is infused in peace.
Relax.
Each breath taking you deeper into sleep,
Into serenity.
Relax.
You are bathed in a warm amber glow,
Like molten gold.
May your dreams be filled with the colours,
Sights and the sounds of the Japanese Zen garden,
And may you awaken with vibrant energy and a renewed joy for life.
