Enchanting Pines in Big Sur

(ocean whooshing) (owl hooting) The sun sinks low over Big Sur setting the redwoods aglow. Their trunks stretching so high, they seem to hold up the sky. Above them, the first stars shimmer through the treetops steady pinpricks of light against the darkening night. Inside, the front desk offers a quiet greeting to an arriving guest while the glow of the fireplace carries softly through the room. (ocean whooshing continues) Before we settle in, let's take a moment for a brief wind down exercise. (ocean whooshing continues) For tonight's wind down you're going to use your imagination, so, get your imagination ready and let's begin. (ocean whooshing continues) So, no matter what's been going on today, (ocean whooshing continues) 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 yourself comfortable in bed. Just taking a moment to pause and be still. (ocean whooshing continues) And when you're ready, taking a big deep breath, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. (ocean whooshing continues) 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. (ocean whooshing continues) Now, imagining, (ocean whooshing continues) a steady flow of warm sunlight (ocean whooshing continues) flowing down through the body, (ocean whooshing continues) dissolving any tension, any discomfort. As it begins to fill the body, (ocean whooshing continues) starting with the toes (ocean whooshing continues) moving up through the feet (ocean whooshing continues) and the legs being filled with sunlight. (ocean whooshing continues) The qualities of warmth, space and ease as it continues to travel up through the body. (ocean whooshing continues) Up past the waist (ocean whooshing continues) to the back and the stomach. (ocean whooshing continues) It's as though it washes away any discomfort. (ocean whooshing continues) It continues up through the chest and the back, into the shoulders and down the arms, (ocean whooshing continues) all the way down, to the hands and fingers. (ocean whooshing continues) A sense of relief in the body (ocean whooshing continues) and stillness in the mind as it continues to travel up through the neck and the throat (ocean whooshing continues) into the head and face (ocean whooshing continues) all the way to the very top of the body (ocean whooshing continues) until there's nothing other than that sense of stillness remaining. And now, just gently bringing the attention back to the body. (ocean whooshing continues) Beneath the towering redwoods, the forest floor feels like another world entirely. (ocean whooshing continues) Dusk light drifts through the branches, tinting the ground with warm hues and soft stretches of shadow. (ocean whooshing continues) Groups of mushrooms rise in unexpected shapes. Some, with thin stalks, with caps like small lanterns and others, round and smooth the color of...