Sandy Cove

Sandy Cove Cottage is a charming stone house nestled on a grassy slope above a secluded beach. The woodlands stretch up over the hills behind it. The view from the picture window, which looks out over the bay perfectly encapsulates the phrase getting away from it all. From here, you can see the calm sea and a peaceful bay where the gulls call and the waves lap the shore in contemplation. The scene is a living reminder that there is a world outside the hustle and bustle of daily life. Everything here, the sea, the open sky, the beach has a gentleness about it. And we have all the time in the world to drink it in. Before we begin, I think it's nice to start with a little wind-down. Tonight's exercise is a really simple breathing exercise. So when you're ready, let's begin. So first, get comfortable in your bed. 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 four, two, three, four. Hold it for four, two, three, four. Now 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. As you drove down the winding hill through the forest to get to the cottage, a feeling of peace descended amid the soothing green light of the trees and the scent of wild garlic. Occasionally, an overgrown bush or stray bow would brush against the sides of your car with a pleasant somehow encouraging rustle, as if to say, "Nearly there". And in the background, beyond the sound of the car's engine and its tires crunching as they rolled over the stony ground, if you listened closely, maybe just maybe, you could hear the sounds of the secretive, rarely-seen creatures dwelling in this magical verdant environment. The patter of a fox's paws, a call of an owl, the squeak of a mouse. Maybe if you listened really hard, you'd have heard a faint faint whisper of a distant wave arriving in the bay treating and then returning. And then you emerge from the woods into the crisp seaside air and found Sandy Cove Cottage waiting for you, and beyond it the ever so tranquil sea. There's a mild chill on the breeze, perfectly comfortable in the front room of the cottage where a fire is crackling softly in the grate and there's a cushioned window...