Sorry (7:36)
You're just playing just a game. So give them a tug. Okay, stop testing. But now that we've done that little game, we've entered Into a deeper, bigger, wider room in your mind where things come really easily. So as your head becomes nice and heavy on the bed and you feel that your head is like a bowling ball on the bed, it's easy to allow that heaviness to take over as you imagine that mist of relaxation. Let's imagine a mist of relaxation beginning from your eyelids where they're heavy and relaxed. Let's imagine that relaxation moving back inside your head. Imagine that mist taking over every single cell of your brain. Just imagine it. Good. And now imagine that the muscles of your face are becoming soft and heavy and relaxed as your face lets go of the day. Your face is off duty. Good. And this wonderful relaxation is moving down now, this lovely warm mist. It's moving down now down your neck, into your chest. And your shoulders are letting go, softening, releasing. And your shoulders haven't just carried physical things today, they've carried emotional things, responsibility, burdens. Maybe you carry someone else's responsibilities on your shoulder or think you do. So as your shoulders are relaxing, let's allow those responsibilities to fall away, falling to the floor. And you can pick any or all of those responsibilities up in the morning. But for right now, you are free. And your only responsibility is to yourself. And let that feel delicious. To take this time for yourself, to give to yourself and to receive this wonderful soft relaxation. Let it in. Half the world is relaxing right now. Half the world is letting go. And it's not some indulgence or vacation. It's in our DNA to let go. To drift and float and dream. As you allow yourself to go deeper and deeper. And your arms are feeling nice and heavy on the bed. As your arms are getting heavier and heavier, you feel the relaxation move down into your hands, your fingers, as you bring your awareness now to any sounds going on around you, sounds from within your environment. Maybe there's someone else in the room or in another room nearby, noises from the street, an air conditioner. Just relax and allow all those sounds to move through you. Just open to them and let them take you even deeper and deeper as the sound of my voice is also moving through you. You. And taking you deeper. Good. As that warm mist of relaxation, it's move down through your neck, into your chest, down deep into your belly. And your whole torso is filling with this wonderful soft, warm mist. Everything relaxing, everything softening. Any muscles in your belly that you may hold unconsciously during the day have let go. And your breath is sinking deeper into your body as the relaxation moves down your legs. Now your legs are feeling Nice and heavy. Heavy like they're made of marble. Because the day is done and you are letting go. Imagine it's a summer afternoon and you are standing at a ferry terminal waiting to take a ferry. You smell the salty scent of the Pacific lingering in the cool air. It mixes with the faint aroma of fresh coffee from a nearby cafe. Seagulls drift lazily overhead, their calls echoing across the water. You close your eyes and just listen to their sounds. You hear the rising sound of people talking. The ferry is pulling into the harbor and the passengers are arranging themselves to disembark. The ferry is 50 yards away, but the surface of the water carries the sounds of the people so effortlessly as if they were 10ft from you. You open your eyes and see its white hull gleaming as the ferry approaches terminal. It moves slowly into its slip and heavy ropes are thrown. As the passengers get off, happy and relaxed from their voyage. You exhale. The ferry empties itself and you step aboard. Finding a quiet place near a railing. You lean over a bit, looking down at the water. It has a greenish blue hue. Other passengers board with you, finding their places, settling into relaxation. Everyone is here to experience the beauty of nature. The fairy hums beneath your feet and then gently pulls away from the dock. And as the shore retreats into the distance, you are letting go, floating, drifting, your body finding its new balance on the water. As you begin to glide across the vast expanse of the Salish Sea. The water ripples softly the afternoon light. And in the distance you see tree covered islands rising like emeralds from the sea. You take a nice deep breath of the fresh clean air as you take yourself deeper and deeper. As you turn around, the mountains of Vancouver island stand in the background behind you, veiled in a thin mist. A sense of calm moves through you as the fairy moves steadily forward, each wave lapping rhythmically against the hull. You are drifting and floating and dream. A bald eagle soars effortlessly overhead, circling above the water. It dives with silent precision, breaking the surface of the water with its talons, producing a fish from the sea in its grip. Quite amazing as it rises again into the sky, holding its dinner. As the ferry continues to move away from the coast, you look out into the sky. It is a perfect blue and feels endless. You feel the expansiveness of the sky stretching in every direction. And your inner being begins to expand, relaxing into the environment, connecting with all living things. This space that exists in you, exists in everything. And here, floating on this calm afternoon, you are one with the environment. It you find a bench on the deck and sit down. You close your eyes to meditate, taking yourself deeper and even deeper into the space inside of you. You feel the gentle movement of the fairy as it glides quietly through the water. And as you go deeper and deeper, your whole being relaxes. After a long while, you hear a child. We're here, she says. You open your eyes. Salt Spring island appears on the horizon, its rolling hills and towering Douglas firs bathed in golden light. The ferry slows as it approaches Fulford harbor, the dock coming into view lined with sailboats bobbing gently in the tide. The fairy steers into its slip slowly and carefully. Ropes are tossed. You walk off the metal gangway, and as you reach the island, your feet meet solid ground. You look around. There are trees everywhere. Huge fir trees, luscious maples. You hear the squawk of seagulls and feel the warmth of the western sun on your skin. It feels safe and calm and private here. As you begin to sense the spirit of Salt Spring and its unhurried rhythm, you begin to wander. The air is crisp and clean, carrying the scent of damp moss and sun warmed pine. A narrow path winds through a forest of ancient fir and arbutus trees, their branches twisting gracefully toward the sky. The arbutus bark peels in soft curls, revealing smooth amber wood beneath as the tree sheds old layers, letting go. Just as you are letting go, the sun cuts through the branches, creating shards of golden light. A BlackBerry bush offers up big, plump berries. You pluck one and pop it into your mouth. It's sweet and slightly tart, bursting with purple juice. You follow the trail to a hidden cove where the ocean stretches and endlessly before you. The tide is gentle, rolling in with a rhythmic hush, smoothing the pebbles along the shore. You slip off your shoes, letting your feet sink into the cool sand. As the energy of the earth rises up to meet you. You notice a single great blue heron standing motion the water's edge, watching, waiting, perfectly at peace. Just as you are at peace. You close your eyes and breathe in the island's stillness. With every inhale, you draw in its purity. And with every exhale, you release anything that no longer serves you. All tension has dissolved. You are as steady and as present as the land beneath your feet and as vast and open as the sky above. You get back onto the trail and walk until you come to a small road. A bus comes along and the sign over its windshield says Ganges. It slows down and stops and its door opens. You step up onto the bus and the driver says, welcome. She is A friendly local who knows most of her passengers names, and you smile. You find a seat and settle in. And as the bus moves forward, there is a softness to the ride, a pace that feels deliberate, like the island itself refuses to be rushed. The bus is climbing gently through cedar and fur lined roads. The air is clean, golden and soft in the late afternoon. The arbutus trees lean toward the road, in places twisted and elegant. You notice small homes tucked into the woods, some with handmade signs, another with a string of prayer flags. Out in front of one small cabin, chickens peck the roadside. A carved wooden gate marks an artist's studio. As the bus climbs and winds up the road, fields open up and you see horses grazing, then rows of lavender growing in neat, vibrant lines. Over there is a weathered barn, its red paint peeling. You pass a handwritten sign at the end of a driveway offering eggs, honey and bread for sale. When the land dips away, you catch a sudden glimpse of the ocean, a silvery flash between. You think you see the small cove you explored earlier sparkling in the distance. As you approach the village of Ganges, you see more signs of small town life. There's a school, a farmstand, a roadside cafe. The road is curving downward now and the trees are thinning out. You see people on bikes, an artist carrying his easel, and someone walking with a basket of greens. As you descend into the town, the first thing you see is the harbor. It is an inlet dotted with sailboats, fishing vessels and colorful houseboats bobbing gently in the tide. The bus stops and you get out. You wave to the bus driver, thank you, and she smiles back. The scent of salt air and cedar drifts on the breeze. Seagulls wheel overhead as the sun begins to set. There's a lovely wide boardwalk along the water's edge and it's inviting you to stroll. You walk leisurely, happily, among the locals and other visitors, all tuning into the same peaceful rhythm of the island. Kayakers slip silently across the glassy water and you spot the head of a seal peeking above the surface. Just for a moment, curious and playful, you hear live music being played. It's coming from a cozy cafe. A young man is strumming his guitar and singing folk songs. You take a seat. This is the Treehouse Cafe, built around a big plum tree growing through the middle of it. As the evening descends, fairy lights begin to twinkle and more people are gathering to listen. The music is soothing and beautiful and everyone is swaying back and forth, aligning with the singer. You sip hot chocolate and enjoy the atmosphere. You take a nice deep breath and take yourself deeper and even deeper. The little concert is coming to an end and everyone applauds. It feels so nice to share an experience with others. You leave the cafe and look up into the sky. There are so many stars more than you would ever see in the city. The sky is dazzling. You relax and expand and take it all in. You are part of a vast celestial neighborhood in an even greater universe as you relax going deeper and deeper. Just beyond the boardwalk nestled in the trees is a small wooden cabin. You step inside and are greeted by a cozy warm bed and a window looking out over the water. Outside. The wind moves through the trees and carries with it the faint sounds of the waves and the calls of night birds. You lie down and close your eyes as you listen to the rhythm of the waves, the breath of the forest and the heartbeat of the earth itself as you drift and flow and dream.
