Silent Retreat

It is a cool October evening here at Landes forest in the southwest corner of France. The sun has just completed its shining across the horizon and the sky has taken on a deep purplish hue. Looking up from the forest's edge, it almost feels as if one has been transported into a painting. At ground level, the subtle perfume of grass mingles with the scent of tree moss and wet earth. Somehow here, so that smells almost sweet, inviting us to rest, relax, and unwind. As we prepare for a calming evening beneath the stars, let's settle in with a brief wind down exercise. Tonight's wind down is a visualization. So when you're ready, let's begin. So just take a moment to get comfortable, letting go of the day. Enjoying that feeling of having stopped, of having nothing left to do. We are going to focus the attention of the mind on the different parts of the body, watching as the muscles in the body switch off for the night, leaving the body feeling rested and leaving the mind more at ease. So starting down at the toes and feeling a sense of the muscles switching off, the feet, the arches, all those muscles switching off. Same in the lower half of the legs. Notice any tension being let go of as the muscles switch off, shut down. In the upper half of the legs, any tension melting away, being let go of. Into the area of the hips, the pelvis, again, any muscles shutting down for the night. Completely addressed. Everything from the waist downward is heavy, at ease. The muscles in the lower back and the stomach are now switching off. Middle of the back around the diaphragm, the upper back, and the chest. So any muscles not needed shutting down, switching off for the night. The shoulders switching off. The upper half of the arms and the lower half of the arms switching off. The hands, fingers just switching off. Any muscles around the throat and the neck switching off. The head, the face, the jaw, the eyes, any last areas of tension melting away as the muscles shut down, switch off. At rest for the night and allowing thoughts to come and go, allowing the mind and body the space they need to rest. Even at night, the forest is a feast for the eyes. The moon hangs high above with a silvery glow, illuminating a carpet of orange leaves, that rest atop the forest floor. With winter rapidly approaching, the trees have begun their annual cycle of shedding. Casting aside their autumn foliage, to conserve energy for the upcoming season of hibernation. This is the time of year when the forest feels the most still. It is a pleasure to be among these oaks and pines. One almost feels weightless in this enchanted forest. A white sheet of fog covers the overgrown grass, sprinkling each individual blade with a gentle mist. Nearby, halfway up...