Vietnam by Moonlight

(door creaks) (rain whooshing and pattering) On a quiet cobblestone street in Hanoi, a bookseller opens his doors to welcome visitors for the evening. Inside, gold-leafed books of poems line the shelves. A small shrine sits near the checkout counter, lit by a single flickering candle. The book seller's daughter sits in a large velvet chair in the corner reading a volume of poetry, the pages rustling softly as she turns them. Before we venture out tonight, let's take a beat for a brief wind-down exercise. For tonight's wind-down, you're going to use your imagination. So get your imagination ready, and let's begin. So, no matter what's been going on today, whether it's been a busy day or a calm one, this is an opportunity to put everything down. To let go of any inner chatter and find a place of rest in both the body and the mind. So first, get comfortable in your bed, just taking a moment to pause and be still. And when you're ready, take in a big deep breath, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And as you breathe out, allowing the body to sink down into your bed, feeling the weight of the body, allowing thoughts to come and go. Now imagining a steady flow of warm sunlight flowing down through the body, dissolving any tension, any discomfort as it begins to fill the body, starting with the toes, moving up through the feet and the legs, being filled with sunlight. (rain whooshing and pattering continues) The qualities of warmth, space, and ease as it continues to travel up through the body. Up past the waist, to the back and the stomach. It's as though it washes away any discomfort. It continues up through the chest and the back, into the shoulders and down the arms, all the way down to the hands and fingers. A sense of relief in the body and stillness in the mind as it continues to travel up through the neck and the throat, into the head and the face, all the way to the very top of the body. Until there's nothing other than that sense of stillness remaining. And now, just gently bringing the attention back to the body. (rain whooshing and pattering continues) In Hanoi, a woman is reading on a rooftop, hidden among the lush tops of banyan trees, her book open in front of her. Above her head, upturned umbrellas of all colors form a makeshift roof. It's autumn and the last of the sunlight flickers through the red and orange leaves, loosening from the branches and drifting down to the street below. Power lines crisscross from roof to roof, while Kiem Lake sits like a jewel in the center of the city. At the edge of the lake, three schoolgirls are laughing and posing, taking photos of one another. They're wearing ao dai, a traditional dress with a tunic-like bodice and a long, flowing skirt. As they walk,...