Enchanting Pines in Big Sur

(crickets chirping) (owl hooting) (crickets chirping) As dusk settles over the rolling hills of Big Sur, the forest begins to change its tune. The chatter of birds shifts into the steady rise of crickets, and now and then, the low call of an owl. From the lodge, the faint crackle of a fire joins in on the evening sounds folding into the forest as though the resort itself were listening to the night. Before we explore, let's take a moment for a brief wind down exercise. Tonight's wind down is a visualization. So, when you're ready, let's begin. (crickets chirping) So, just take a moment to get comfortable, letting go of the day. Enjoying that feeling of having stopped, of having nothing left to do. (crickets chirping) We're going to focus the attention of the mind on the different parts of the body, watching as the muscles in the body switch off for the night, leaving the body feeling rested and leaving the mind more at ease. (wind blowing) So, starting down at the toes and just a sense of the muscles switching off. The feet, the arches, all those muscles switching off. Same in the lower half of the legs. So any tension being let go of as the muscles switch off, shut down. In the upper half of the legs, any tension melting away, being let go of. Into the area of the hips, the pelvis, again, any muscles shutting down for the night, completely at rest. Everything from the waist downward is heavy, at ease. The muscles in the lower back and the stomach now switching off. (wind blowing) Middle of the back, around the diaphragm, the upper back and the chest. So, any muscles not needed, shutting down, switching off for the night. The shoulders switching off. (crickets chirping) The upper half of the arms and the lower half of the arms switching off. The hands, fingers, just switching off. Any muscles around the throat and the neck, switching off. The head, the face, the jaw, the eyes, any last areas of tension melting away as the muscles shut down, switch off, at rest for the night. (wind blowing) And allowing thoughts to come and go. Allowing the mind and body the space they need to rest. (wind blowing) The redwood trees gather the last of the day's light and scatter it in soft fragments across the forest floor. Their bark, ridged and furrowed, seems to hold the warmth of the sunset itself. Colored like faint orange embers. At their base, the ground is thick with fallen needles and is springy underfoot. Tiny umbrella-shaped mushrooms lean together at the edges of tree roots, delicate and pale against the dark earth. Ferns curl in slow arcs, their fronds catching droplets of moisture that shimmer briefly before slipping into the soil. Redwood trees are ancient timekeepers. Their lifespans reach beyond 1000 years. In that stretch of time, they shelter whole communities. Songbirds weave their nests in hidden hollows....