Slow Train

There's something about taking a slow train across the country that is so deeply satisfying. There's plenty of time to get to your destination and the train although it is not an express, shows no signs of delay. Maybe it's that on a train you're doing a great deal without doing much. Just by sitting in one place, your primary purpose out of simply getting from A to B is being fulfilled for you. That means you're free to relax, enjoy the passing scenery without any sense that there's something else that requires your attention. That list of to-dos is just going to have to wait. But now everything that could be done has been done. And now all that's left is the pure enjoyment of the land unrolling around you like a never ending tapestry. To get us in the mood for this journey, it's always nice to begin with a little wind down. The night'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 in the night. we are going to be counting our breaths and then just gently noting thoughts and feelings as they arise. And I'm trying to change them. We're simply labeling thinking as thinking, feeling as feeling. It may sound incredibly simple, but he can help to create distance between ourselves and the thought, 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 state of mind, the gentle restful sleep. So to begin with, just take a moment or two to get comfortable. Make sure you're nice and cool. You're starting with some nice, 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, and just 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, anytime you get distracted, the moment you realize you're distracted by thought, simply note it, thinking, and return to the breath or if a feeling arises, feeling and return to the breath. And noting is very gentle, not harsh at all. Think of it like a feather just gently touching the surface of a crystal glass. I'm going to give you a few moments just to keep counting the breath and noting any thoughts and feelings that arise. That's great. In the valley below the train tracks, you see a sunny bustling city. Buildings rise into the sky like the jagged edge of a key. Gray highways thread throughout the city. From this distance,...