Island Twilight in Kauai

(waves roaring) (seagulls squawking) The sun drifts lazily toward the edge of the sea, its light spilling across the water in long, shimmering ribbons of gold. (waves continue roaring) Each wave rolls in casually, meeting the shoreline and melting into the soft sun-warmed sand. (waves continue roaring) The breeze here at Poipu Beach is light with the scent of plumeria flowers and sea salt. (waves continue roaring) It stirs the palm fronds into a rustle as they sway like hula dancers greeting the sunset. (waves continue roaring) (birds chirping) Before we take a look around, let's take a moment for a brief wind-down exercise. (waves continue roaring) Tonight's wind-down is a visualization. So when you're ready, let's begin. (waves continue roaring) So just take a moment to get comfortable, (waves continue roaring) letting go of the day, (waves continue roaring) enjoying that feeling of having stopped, of having nothing left to do. (waves continue roaring) 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. (waves continue roaring) So starting down at the toes and just a sense of the muscles switching off, the feet, the arches, all those muscles switching off. (waves continue roaring) Same in the lower half of the legs, so any tension being let go of as the muscles switch off, shut down. (waves continue roaring) In the upper half of the legs, any tension melting away, being let go of. (waves continue roaring) Into the area of the hips, the pelvis, again, any muscles shutting down for the night, completely at rest. (waves continue roaring) Everything from the waist downward is heavy, at ease. (waves continue roaring) The muscles in the lower back and the stomach now switching off. (waves continue roaring) Middle of the back around the diaphragm, the upper back, and the chest. (waves continue roaring) (bird chirping) So any muscles not needed, shutting down, switching off for the night. (waves continue roaring) The shoulders switching off. (waves continue roaring) The upper half of the arms and the lower half of the arms switching off. The hands, the fingers (waves continue roaring) just switching off, (waves continue roaring) any muscles around the throat and the neck switching off. (waves continue roaring) The head, the face, the jaw, the eyes, (waves continue roaring) any last areas of tension melting away as the muscles shut down, switch off, at rest for the night. (waves continue roaring) And allowing thoughts to come and go, (waves continue roaring) allowing the mind and body the space they need to rest. (waves continue roaring) The Wailua River winds gently through the island like a green satin ribbon, unspooling beneath the sky and carrying the softened reflections of the trees and clouds above. (rain pattering) From a shaded bend in the river, a motorboat appears. It's painted a weathered white, the kind that...