Peaceful Yosemite

It is early spring, here in Yosemite National Park. The air feels particularly crisp at this time of year, with the frost of winter melting away and making room for a new season of growth. Thin panes of ice float lazily on the surface of Mirror Lake, slowly thawing away as fresh snow melt flows in from the Tenaya Creek. The woodland air is sweet and inviting. It's easy to feel at home in this space, especially now as the sun dips below the horizon and nightfall approaches. So as we settle in, let's begin our evening with a short wind down exercise. Tonight's exercise is a really simple breathing exercise. So when you're ready, let's begin. So first, get yourself comfortable. Now just bringing the attention to the breath, just noticing where you feel it, in the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm. You're nice and relaxed. We're going to 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 4, 2, 3, 4. Hold it for 4, 2, 3, 4. Now breathing out for 6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. In for 4, 2, 3, 4. Holding for 4, 2, 3, 4. Out for 6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. In for 4, 2, 3, 4. Holding for 4, 2, 3, 4. Out for 6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. In for 4, 2, 3, 4. Holding for 4, 2, 3, 4. Out for 6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Great. Now returning the breath to normal. Down the valley from El Capitan is Half Dome. On Half Dome, a climber is halfway up the rock face in the bird zone. The valley pans out below her, dazzling and endless. Her gear clinks as she climbs. And she feels as though she is floating above the ground. But she's anchored safely to the rock. Periodically, she powders her hands using the chalk bag looped around her waist. Reaching up, she grabs a rock hold. Then another. And another. Lizards scurry sideways on the granite around her. As she climbs, she looks for divots and cracks in the rock where she can grip or affix climbing gear. Placing and clipping into the gear, she ladders up the rock steadily. She clips her rope into her carabiner, then moves up steadily, flowing with the rock. The wind whistles gently. A golden eagle appears alongside her, its feathers catching brilliantly in the sunlight. She watches its strong, shimmery wings as it hovers for a moment, then flies off. The clean face of Half Dome shines in the light. When she glances down, she sees a bridge far below. She can just make out a family gathering to take a photo with Half Dome in the background. Like the rivers and the valley and the birds soaring below her, she too is a part of this landscape. In the high country of Yosemite, in summer,...