Midnight Launderette

Hello. Thanks for joining us tonight for this visit to the midnight launderette. We're gonna help you to rinse away the worries of the day, creating the ideal conditions for a healthy, restful sleep. Each night, we like to start with a short exercise which we call a wind down. Tonight's wind down is a breathing exercise. So, when you're ready, let's begin. Just bringing the attention to the breath. Noticing where you feel it in the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm. You're nice and relaxed. We're gonna be taking a deep breath in for four, holding it for four, and then breathing out for six. So are you ready? Let's begin. In for four. Two, three, four. Hold it for four. Two, three, four. Now I'm breathing out for six. Two, three, four, five, six. In for four. Two, three, four. Holding for four. Two, three, four. Out for six. Two, three, four, five, six. In for four. Two, three, four. Holding for four. Two, three, four. Out for six. Two, three, four, five, six. In for four. Two, three, four. Holding for four. Two, three, four. Out for six. Two, three, four, five, six. Great. Now returning the breath to normal. From the dark street, the Midnight Launderette looks so inviting. There's a warm glow emanating from the storefront, and you can see people silently moving around inside, bending to take things out of the machines or put things into them, and straightening up again. You can see the colors of the clothes they're wearing, faded blue jeans that have probably been through those washing machines a thousand times, comfy sweatshirts in different shades. Clarence and Shirley are visiting the launderette this evening. It's probably safe to say they're the launderettes most dedicated customers, they've been coming here for years. How many years they wouldn't care to say exactly. They're a couple of a certain age, but what age that is, well, we can't be certain. We're no longer in our first youth is how Shirley likes to put it. Clarence and Shirley have been together for decades, but they're not married. We never wanted to make a fuss, Clarence will tell you. Tonight he's sitting on the bench, resting his legs, while Shirley peers at the time remaining display on the machine. "How long have we got left, Shirl?" He calls to her, but she doesn't hear him, she's got her hearing aid turned off so she can have a bit of peace and quiet. Clarence takes out a crumpled newspaper and peruses the headlines. He's humming an old song from the 60s under his breath. Shirley sits down next to him, pats his knee, and leans into his shoulder, now she's humming a tune too. Did I tell you the launderette has a cat? No one knows where he came from, but one night, he snuck in, probably for the same reasons as any of us, and took up residence. Strictly speaking, he doesn't...