← Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories
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Get Sleepy is a production of Slumber Studios and is made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and Premium members. If you'd like to listen ad free and access weekly bonus episodes, extra long stories and our entire back catalogue, you can try out Premium free for seven days by following the link in the episode notes. Now a quick word from our Sponsors this is an ad by BetterHelp, one of our sponsors. These days it feels like there's advice for everything. Cold plunges, gratitude journals, screen detoxes. But how do you know what actually works for you? With the Internet and information overload about mental health and wellness, it can be a struggle to know what actions to take these days. That's where BetterHelp comes in. Talking to a professional therapist can help you break through the noise and work out the best approach to move forward in your life. From my experience, I know a good therapist takes the time to tailor sessions to get the most out of them with you. And with an App store rating of 4.9 out of 5 based on over 1 1/2 million client reviews, BetterHelp will match you with the right therapist to get you where you want to be. Be Talk it out with BetterHelp, our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com getsleepy that's betterhelphelp.com getsleepy for 10% off your first month welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. My name is Thomas and I'm so glad you're here with us tonight. In this evening's episode, we'll explore a remote beach on the big island of Hawaii. Here, sparkling green sand flows into the teal blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. Gentle waves slap against the pristine shore and a tall cliff of lava rock rises like a moving mountain. It was written by Ivan and will be narrated by Arif. But before I hand over to Arif, we can just enjoy a moment to wind down and relax. So make yourself as cozy and comfortable as can be, embracing the opportunity to rest and letting everything slow down. Did you know that the Hawaiian greeting aloha comes from the words alo meaning presence and ha meaning breath? It has other connotations too. It can mean love, affection, peace, compassion and kindness, just to name a few. But for now, let's focus on the connection to presence. Ask yourself, am I present in the here and now? Can you sense the touch of your bed sheets against your skin and the feeling of the weight of your head pressing into your pillow? Are you aware of the space you're in. Perhaps you are tuned in to your own body, focusing on the breath as it flows in and out, or the way your muscles are relaxing more and more. Take a moment to feel your presence. You are here. Now you can surrender to your bed, knowing it will support your body no matter what, and all the while, allow the breath to anchor you to the present moment. Take a long, slow breath in through your nose. Briefly hold it at the top, then exhale slowly through pursed lips. Take another deep breath in and exhale slowly, feeling the muscles in your neck and shoulders relax. The mind may start to wander now and again while you relax into the peace of the night, but that's okay. Each time you notice that happening, bring your focus back to the present moment. Notice what you can feel, hear, even smell in the here and now as you continue to breathe deeply and steadily. I'd like you to imagine a warm and sunny place where you'll often see full rainbows across the sky. It's a wonderful landscape where a magnificent beach of sparkling green sand awaits. This is where our story begins.
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Of the four main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, the island of Hawaii is the largest. Also called the Big island, this slice of paradise has the greatest variety of landforms within its boundaries, from lush forests and lava fields to barren deserts and coastal plains. One coastal plain known for its breathtaking scenery is South Point. Located on the southernmost tip of the Big island, this windswept pasture land is a rolling expanse of green and yellow grass with a rugged coastline of lava rock in hues of honey brown and charcoal. It's home to an abandoned wind farm where massive turbines stand as relics of the past and a small agricultural scene where ginger cows roam freely about the grasslands, grazing on the vegetation. But the most famous landmark at South Pointe is not the wind farm or the rocky coastline. It's Greensand beach, also known as Papakolea by native Hawaiians. On a lovely day like this, when the sun emits a clear stream of warmth and the ocean breeze carries a hint of salt, you couldn't think of a better time to visit the beach. In fact, you are almost nearing it, having parked your rental Jeep at the lot near South Point a little while ago. You check the map in your guidebook as you make your way through the golden brown terrain, tracing your finger along the map's trail to Greensand Beach. You're wearing hiking boots and shorts, ready for a day of adventure. Your sun hat is secured around your head with a chin strap, and a canteen of cold water is clipped to your Backpack swaying with each step you take. Hiking along the coastline toward the beach, you gaze at the greenish blue tint of the Pacific Ocean and the mighty waves lapping against the bluffs. The waves create a frothy spray of seawater when they crash upon the cliff faces of jagged lava rock. Their sound is constant and calming, like the soft, deep rumbling of a waterfall. Further inland, you notice deep trenches in the soil where shuttles have carved out a path for tourists to venture down to the beach. These trenches are 7ft wide by 6ft deep, with tire tracks still visible in the dirt. According to your guidebook, they aren't supposed to be there as travel by vehicle is restricted in South Point. But the three mile hike to Greensand beach can be strenuous and some visitors would rather pay for a shuttle ride than hike the whole way. You prefer an invigorating trek to the beach, enjoying the beautiful scenery as you go. And you want to protect this landscape, leaving no trace of your visit behind. At this time of day, slightly before noon, you don't expect to cross paths with many tourists. It's a weekday too, which means there's a good chance you'll have the entire beach all to yourself, just how you like it. After several more minutes of hiking along the coastline, you finally reach the rim of an eroded cinder cone that leads down to Greensand Beach. Standing near the edge of the cone, you can hardly believe your eyes as you take in the surroundings. Greensand beach is mesmerizing. The shoreline is fronted by crystallized sand in hues of jade and olive green. The water flowing into this crescent shaped bay is a brilliant turquoise with seafoam billowing against the cliffs on either side of the beach. You stand near the edge of the cone and look down at the steep slope. The way down to the beach is through a jerry rigged path of switchbacks, wooden steps and a metallic ladder clinging to one side of the rocky slope. This is where you begin your descent, but not before tightening your shoestrings and taking a deep breath as if to say, I've got this. As you descend, you make sure to grip the handrails of each step and ladder you come across. You lean into the rock wall along the way to give yourself some extra balance. In no time, you reach the bottom of the cone where Greensand beach welcomes you. Not a single person is here, which makes it feel like your own private paradise. Staring down at the sand, you're transfixed by its sheer beauty and can't help but think you've entered some kind of dreamland. How many others get to spend a relaxing day at a beach made of green sand? Not many, you think to yourself, has this natural wonder is only one of four green sand beaches in the world. The other three are located in Guam, Norway, and the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. You kneel down and sit on your heels. Then you grab a mound of sand and hold it in your cup. TABLE HANDS the wind shaves off the top of the mound, lifting green sand particles into the air. You gaze at it, considering how it came to be. The sand gets its rich hue from olivine crystals. Olivine is formed by lava that contains minerals rich in magnesium and iron. After it cools down, the crystals separate from the molten lava and settle into the Earth's crust just below the surface. At this shallow depth, olivine can be extracted rather easily, making it one of the most common minerals found on the planet. It's almost as common as feldspar, a rock forming mineral used to make ceramics like plates and bowls. While feldspar varies in shades of gray, olivine is vivid green. Just now, as a white cloud passes overhead, the sun's rays hit olivine grains in the sand and the effect is dazzling. The entire shore sparkles like glitter, creating a kaleidoscope of green as you look at it from different angles. Although olivine is a common mineral found near the Earth's surface, the gemstone it produces is far less so. Known as peridot, this shiny gem is found deeper in the Earth's crust, ranging from 20 to 50 miles beneath the surface. It's the birthstone for August, often confused with its green cousin, the emerald. In Hawaiian mythology, Pele, the volcano goddess who sported a flower crown above her long blue black hair, formed peridot crystals from her teacher. Because of this, many native Hawaiians consider peridot to be sacred. They believe the gemstone brings good fortune to anyone who wears it. You smile at the thought of this and let the sand particles escape from your hands, sifting between your fingers like flour through a sieve. You rise and dust the sand from your hands and knees. Then you start a slow turn, taking in the breathtaking scenery. Second by second, you notice how steep the volcanic tuff rises beyond the back shore. It wears a brighter shade of green, like freshly mown grass. You scan the hill's crest slowly from left to right until it becomes a rocky headland jutting out to sea. This is the iconic cliff face of Greensand Beach. It's marked by narrow bands of igneous rock, eroded by the constant pounding of the waves over thousands of years. The cliff is so tall that when viewed from above, it would make the waves below seem more like mere ripples than roaring breakers. Yet from your vantage point now, the view of the cliff is completely different. You marvel at its sheer immensity. It stands there like a silent sentinel, keeping watch over the Half Moon Bay as waves lap gently against it. You shift your gaze toward the shimmering turquoise waters of Greensand Beach. You inhale slowly, smiling again as a cool ocean breeze caresses your face and neck. As you exhale, you feel overcome with a sense of tranquility. The beauty of the natural world fills you with a deep appreciation for it. Everything about this enchanting place feels like a gift. The vast blue ocean, the giant gray bluffs, the sunshine that warms your skin, the sparkling green crystals in the sand. Few places in the world have captivated you like this one. It all seems so perfect. You walk along the wet sand toward the waterline. When you reach it, you notice that each wave is dotted with tiny air bubbles. The bubbles travel with the waves, moving in and out of sight as they lap against your feet. The water is so transparent it lets you see. The olive sand beneath looks so inviting that you decide to take a swim. You drop the backpack from your shoulders, kick off your shoes, and strip down to your bathing suit. Then you walk slowly into the water. It feels wonderfully refreshing against your skin. The waves are gentle today. They curl softly, licking at your legs and streaming water through your splayed fingers. As you wade deeper, you relax and let the ebb and flow of the ocean carry you in its embrace. You lie back, floating for a moment with the blue sky above you. The undulating rhythm of the waves mimics a waterbed, rocking you gently from side to side. Gazing at the sky, you see only one wispy cloud above you, drifting slowly westward. You follow its lazy movement with your eyes until a flock of seagulls flies in front of it. The birds are cawing as they dart in and out of the cloud's shadow. You smile, feeling a childlike joy at their antics. It occurs to you that moments like this are meant to be savored and held dear to your heart. And that's exactly what you intend to do. After floating a while, you swim back to shore and rise from the water. You walk back toward your clothes, still lying in a pile where you left them. When you reach your backpack, you pick it up and remove a towel from inside. After drying yourself off, you spread the towel out on a patch of dry sand away from the water to keep it from getting wet. Then you sit on it with your legs crossed and reach for your journal inside your backpack. In your most recent journal entry, you had written down three Hawaiian words. Each one bears a special meaning in your life. Right now, you turn to this page in your journal, take a pen from your backpack, and circle the first word at the top of the page. Then you say it out loud. Pono. Like aloha, pono is a polysemous expression, meaning it may be interpreted in a variety of ways. In Hawaii, when something is pono, it means it is righteous, just, or hopeful. By living pono, as native Hawaiians say, you aspire to live harmoniously with others, yourself and the world at large. Next, you circle the second word on the page, Ikaika. Ikaika means strength, but it can also mean powerful and mighty, like the waves of the ocean. Or it can signify strength of character. By living ikaika, you aspire to be strong in every sense of the word. Last, you circle the third word you wrote down on the page. Aina. Aina means land, a place where your roots run deep and wild. In this sense, aina is a spiritual notion. It evokes a connection to something bigger than yourself. When combined with the most well known Hawaiian word, it becomes aloha, aina, which means love of the land. Looking around, it's hard not to love this land. You think to yourself. You love the rolling waves, the crystalline sand, the dark volcanic rocks that rose up through the earth thousands of years ago. You love this beach. You feel lucky to be here. After closing your journal, you lie flat on your back, close your eyes and let the sound of the surface fill your ears. You're grateful for the wonders of the natural world preserved in this special place. You think of Pele, the volcano goddess of legend, and picture her dancing on a verdant mountaintop surrounded by a deep blue ocean. You imagine that she smiles at you from behind a pair of hazel eyes. Her flower crown, or haku, is a thick headband of orchid and hibiscus flowers in shades of red and pink. Her floral necklace, otherwise known as a lei, is made of white plumeria flowers blushing in orange and yellow. Her brown skin glistens in the sun, and her blue black hair falls in thick, loose curls down her back. Pele is performing a sacred hula dance, whirling in slow circles with graceful arms raised above her head. Her hips sway in time with the beat of your heart as she dances, causing her grass skirt to sway with her. Your slow heartbeat is the drum that underscores her spellbinding performance. Pele's ceremonial dance has a magical effect on the land. The more she turns and sways her body, the more the earth around her comes alive with new flower blooms in all colors of Hawaii's endless rainbow. Coconut palms, birds of paradise and plumeria trees blossom in her wake. And curtains of ivy sprout from the mountain's flank, dipping into the sea. In your mind's eye, you watch from a great distance as Pele's verdant mountain rises from the ocean floor. It touches the clouds, turning them from chalk white to to emerald green. Then tiny peridot crystals rain down from the clouds like specks of dust, blanketing the beach where you lay in a thick, cushiony bed of green sand. As the warmth of the afternoon sun spreads over you, your mind drifts to a special place of its own, bringing with it a deep sense of peace and tranquility that comforts you. In this special place, time stands still. All that exists is the beauty of the moment. This is what it means to savor something special, to hold it like a treasure in your heart. You rest here, perfectly content. After all, this is why you came to Greensand beach, to relax and enjoy all of the natural beauty it has to offer. Soon the steady rhythm of the ocean waves lulls you into a deep, restful sleep. You dream of green gemstones sprinkled like sugar in the sand. Sea foam draped over black lava rock in a perfect half moon bay in the island of Hawaii, a paradise of the Pacific that you will never forget.
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Sa it.