Himalayan Mist

The sun is setting on the Himalayas. Our mountain cottage is nestled in a garden, and the rain draws the aromas from its plants and soil. In the corner of the property, a small bonfire smokes under the drizzle, damp, but not extinguished. This is the perfect time for a visit, and the cottage's porch is the perfect place to view the brilliant colors of the Himalayan sunset. Curling vines wrap around the cottage. And from the porch swing, you can see the garden gates and surrounding landscape. This is a wonderful place to relax before bed. There is just so much to see, but before I show it all to you, let's take a moment for a short wind-down exercise. Tonight's wind-down is a visualization. When you're ready, let's begin. 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. 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. So starting down at the toes and feeling a sense of the muscles switching off. The feet, the arches, all those muscles switching off. Same in the lower half of the legs. Notice 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 are now switching off. 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. 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 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. And allowing thoughts to come and go. Allowing the mind and body the space they need to rest. The tea estate is contoured along the hillside. Elegantly trimmed tea trees seeming to gently cascade down and then curve upwards again. The trees are trimmed into bushes at waist height. It's like wading in a sea of bright, lime-colored leaves. There are paths made for people to pick the leaves, although no one is at work today. The hills belong just to you right now. The company of nature is all yours. Something rustles amidst the leaves in the near distance. There's a large shape moving through the tea bushes, ambling slowly, and then magnificently the shape...