Meandering Stream

Here we are standing at the bank of a mountain stream where the steady flow of water finds its way back to the ocean. On days like this, I like to come to this mountain stream to unwind. The air here is the perfect temperature, not too cold and not too hot. And there's something so soothing about the sound of the water. With no destination in mind, let's follow the path downstream and see where it takes us. Before we continue, let's begin with a little wind down. Tonight's wind down is an exercise we call noting. It helps to soothe the mind. And once you've learned it, you can even use it if you wake up in the night. We're going to be counting our breaths and then just gently noting thoughts and feelings as they arise. We're not trying to change them. We're simply labeling thinking as thinking, feeling as feeling. It may sound incredibly simple, but it can help to create distance between ourselves and the thought, ourselves and the feeling. So we don't get so involved in it. That in turn, creates a more restful state of mind. In other words, the perfect state of mind for gentle, restful sleep. So to begin with, just take a moment or two to get comfortable, make sure you're nice and cool. Just starting with some nice, big, deep breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And with the next out-breath allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm in and out, through the nose and just feeling the weight of the body pressing down in your bed. And in your own time, starting to count the breaths as they pass. One, with the rise, two, with the fall, just up to a count of 10. When you get to 10, you can stop and start again at one. And remember, anytime you get distracted, the moment you realize you're distracted my thought simply note it, thinking and return to the breath or if a feeling arises, feeling and return to the breath. That noting is very gentle, not harsh at all. Think of it like a feather just gently touching the surface of a crystal glass. I'm going to give you a few moments just to keep counting the breath and noting any thoughts and feelings that arise. That's great. Were it a few weeks earlier in summer, the water would have been warmer. But it's autumn now. Too late for swimming, you tell yourself. And anyway, you've not brought your swimsuit. But still, the water is inviting. Your body feels tempted. You feel a kind of thirst to be inside it, find yourself strangely envious of the little silver fish darting by. You take your shoes off and you dip a toe into the water, then step in further till your ankles are submerged. There is a pleasant sense of contrast between your cool feet and your warm body. You fix...