Rest Amongst the Redwoods

As the sun begins to set here at Redwood National Park, the forest takes on a magical golden hue. Amongst the world's tallest living trees, some rising to lofty heights of 350 feet in the air. You're all done setting up your campsite for the night. The gentle rustling of the tree branches creates a soothing soundtrack for a night below the stars. This far away from the city lights, they shine like beacons against the inky black sky. The nighttime air is crisp and cool, scented with damp earth and the fragrance of fallen leaves and pine needles. Take a deep breath as you already find yourself feeling calmed by the purity of the fresh air. You can only find this far out in the wilderness. So as we settle in for tonight's journey, let's begin our evening with a short wind down exercise. 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 during the night. We're going to be counting our breaths and then 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 and 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 conditions for gentle restful sleep. So to begin, take a moment or two to get comfortable. Make sure you're nice and cool. And starting with some 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, feeling the weight of the body pressing down into 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, any time you get distracted, the moment you realize you're distracted by a thought, simply note it thinking and return to the breath. Or if a feeling arises, note it as feeling and return to the breath. Noting is very gentle, not harsh at all. Think of it like a feather, gently touching the surface of a crystal glass. I'm going to give you a few moments to keep counting the breath and noting any thoughts and feelings that arise. That's great. High above the fog, and even the tallest of redwood trees, the view from the Redwood Creek Overlook is not to be missed. Especially on an evening such as this, when the sun has left a parting gift for the mountains and the valleys. A special orange and purple radiance...