Grand Canyon Dreams

(no audio) It is early evening here at Grand Canyon National Park. (no audio) Fading daylight stretches across the vast landscape from the towering columns of stone to the deep, winding valleys below. Here at Havasupai Gardens, along the bright Angel Trail, the air feels cooler with clusters of cottonwood trees providing much needed shade for the local wildlife. (no audio) A narrow stream of water snakes through the dry landscape, tumbling over a bed of smooth and shiny stones. Tall reeds of grass sway in the gentle wind. Canyon tree frogs croak eagerly as they emerge to greet the approaching night. So, as we settle in for tonight's journey, let's begin our evening with a short wind down exercise. (no audio) 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 are going to be counting our breaths and then just gently noting thoughts and feelings as they arise. We're not trying to change them. We're 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're 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 the nose and 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're 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. (no audio) (no audio) (no audio) (no audio) (no audio) That's great. (no audio) Shortly beyond the pines on the south rim lies an open field dotted with rabbit brush, broom-like. Some stand only a few feet tall while others stretch twice as high. Their slender leaves are long and feathery soft. They pack together in dense patches closest to the road, where splashes of melted snow quench their thirst....