Beachcomber

Here we are where the ocean meets the land. Our lovely beach, sheltered by the cliffs. During the day, families come here to enjoy the sun and play in the water. And in the evening, sometimes you might see couples walking hand in hand. But this evening, we're the only people here. We have the beach to ourselves. The sun is setting and the ocean turning gradually from gold to pink. Let's take a stroll and get to know this special place a little better. Before we start exploring, I think it's always helpful to do a little wind-down exercise. Tonight's wind-down is a visualization. So when you're ready, let's begin. So just lying flat on your back, just feeling the weight of the body against the bed and taking a big, deep breath. Breathing in through the nose, and out through the mouth. As you breathe out, just leaving the day behind. And just feeling the weight of the body sinking in to the bed beneath you. Noticing how the body feels, noticing any areas of tension. And we're just going to bring our attention to each part of the body. And as we do, just imagining that the muscles are switching off, shutting down for the night, just ensuring that the body is at ease and at rest. So just starting down at the toes, imagining those muscles just switching off now and in the feet, the arches, the heels, the ankles, just switching off. The lower half of the legs, just switching off. Upper half of the legs, the hips, pelvis, just switching off any tension. Just disappearing as the muscles relax. The stomach and the lower back, any muscles just switching off. The middle of the back, diaphragm just switching off any muscles that don't need to be used. The chest and the upper back. Again, just imagining those muscles switching off for the night. The muscles in the shoulders now, the upper arms, just switching off. Forearms switching off. The hands, the fingers, and the thumbs, switching off. Any muscles in the neck, throat, again just releasing as they switch off. Any muscles in the head, the face, behind the mouth, the nose, the eyes, just switching off for the night. So the entire body at ease, at rest. Just feeling the weight of the body pressing down into the bed. Allowing thoughts to come and go. Now you're nice and relaxed. Let's go down the steps, these old concrete steps, solid concrete with a solid wooden rail, down to where they meet the sand of the beach. The sun is setting out in the ocean, and the shadows are growing longer. It's dusk, here, on the western edge of the world. It's the perfect evening for a walk on the beach. The waves are washing in, gently washing over the beach, and then flowing back out again. It's like a giant breath, breathing gently in and breathing out again. The sand is gray and...