Soak up Acadia’s Ocean Sounds

It is early evening here at Acadia National Park. High tide inches forward and recedes back at a slow even pace. A flock of girls along the coast descend from the sky and return to shore. Following the path of the setting sun, the landscape is warm beneath the final rays of daylight in the bordering forest, peeper frogs and bright orange salamanders emerge to greet the approaching night beyond them. The towering peaks of Cadillac Mountain stand in perfect stillness. Watching down on the rest of the landscape below the air, throughout the park is still and serene. A perfect setting for a night of rest and letting go. So as we prepare for tonight's journey, let's begin our evening with a brief 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 just gently noting thoughts and feelings as they arise. We are not trying to change them with we are 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, just take a moment or two to get comfortable. Make sure you are nice and cool. Just 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 your nose, feeling the weight of the body pressing you 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 are distracted by 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, 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. For over a century, Acadia has drawn in visitors wishing to connect with the vast natural world. When boats began flocking to Mount Desert Island, Mariners needed guidance finding their way along the Rocky Coast, lighthouses were erected on small islands scattered through the bay. A series of beacons drawing ships through the night. On the southwestern corner of the main island is the white brick bass harbor head. Lighthouse nestled atop the rugged cliffs towering pines pepper...