Arctic Light
As hues of iridescent colors fill the night sky, settle into relaxing sleep with a gentle lateral eye movement exercise.
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Hi, and welcome to tonight's wind down. In this exercise, we'll be using sound and imagery to create a scene in the mind to help you relax and connect to a greater sense of ease. Here's how it works. We'll start by setting the scene, then move into a lateral eye movement exercise, moving the eyes gently back and forth. being guided by sound. At the end, you'll have some time to connect to the different sounds and build up a full picture in the mind. In doing so, we create a space for the mind to unwind and be at rest. Every once in a blue moon, the Aurora Borealis fills the Northern night sky. And tonight, lucky for us, this cosmic canvas is about to take center stage. Different hues of iridescent colors silhouette the clouds and stars. As the solar wind connects with the Earth's atmosphere, the collision of colors create the most magnificent backdrop for this magical event. As we marvel in awe at the lights display, let's prepare to wind down with some gentle eye movements and slow, deep breaths. So finding a comfortable, relaxed position. Keeping the eyes open to a soft, gentle gaze, and taking three big deep breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. On each exhale, softening and relaxing the body as much as you can. Feeling the weights of the body getting heavy and pressing down further into the surface beneath you. Your only job here is to move the eyes from left to right, following the sound of the rippling lights as they move. To help create a sense of relaxation, as the eyes move, try slowing down the rate of the breath. If at any time the breath or movement becomes uncomfortable in any way, try resting the awareness on the sounds and just noticing as the colors pass by. As you continue to relax the mind, gently extend your awareness to the world around you, connecting to the space beyond your body. A sense of wonder washes over you as you stare up at one of nature's most beautiful and spontaneous miracles. You slowly begin to notice additional details about your surroundings. The gentle crash of a distant, icy waterfall. The soft whoosh of the wind as it blows over the snowy landscape. The swirling tide of a nearby lake, its small waves breaking on the shoreline with a playful splash. A distance satellite sails across the sky above, flashing a beacon of green and red lights. It glides through the stratosphere in a quick, smooth arc, moving without friction or drag. Down by the water, a mother doe emerges from the nearby treeline and ambles across the icy ground, followed by her two fawns. Their footsteps crunch softly in the snow as she shepherds them to the water's edge. Leading by example, the doe guides her fawns to drink from the crystal clear lake. They drink quietly for a few moments before...
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A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.
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