Good evening,
This is your time,
Time to slow down,
To soften into stillness,
To gently return to yourself.
As you settle in,
Allow your body to rest,
Feel your head supported,
Your spine unwinding,
Your breath softening.
There is nothing to do now,
Nowhere to be but here,
With each breath out,
Let go a little more.
Picture a quiet path winding through tall grass,
Lit by the golden light of evening.
You are walking barefoot,
The ground is soft and warm beneath you,
And the scent of lavender drifts in the air.
In the distance,
Nestled between gentle hills,
Lies a hidden valley,
The valley of stillness.
You've been here before,
Some part of you remembers,
It's a place outside of time,
A place where your thoughts soften,
Your heart rests,
And your breath leads you home.
You begin walking down the path,
With each step,
Tension slips away,
Your shoulders drop,
Your jaw relaxes,
Your hands unclench.
You walk slowly,
Like there's nowhere else in the world to be.
Soon,
The path opens into a meadow,
Tall grass is swayed gently around you,
The air is cool and still.
You lie down in the grass,
The earth beneath you is warm and steady,
It holds you with quiet strength.
Here,
You notice your breath again,
Not trying to change it,
Just noticing.
Inhale,
Soft and full.
Exhale,
Even softer.
Let your breath rock you gently.
With every exhale,
Imagine releasing something you no longer need.
Thought,
Tension,
Expectation,
Thought,
Let them melt into the earth.
Not far from where you lie,
You hear a stream,
You rise and follow the sound,
A small clear stream winds gently through the valley,
Its surface glimmers in the moonlight,
You kneel beside it dipping your fingers into the water,
It's cool,
Not cold,
Refreshing,
Light,
Alive.
You sit beside the stream and begin to watch it flow,
Each ripple carries something away,
Old stories,
Restless thoughts,
Worries that aren't yours to hold.
You feel lighter with every moment,
Here the past can be rinsed away,
There is only now and now is peaceful.
Across the stream,
You notice a small wooden cottage,
Its windows are lit with soft amber light.
You walk towards it,
The door is open,
Waiting.
Inside,
Everything feels familiar,
There's a fire flickering quietly,
A chair with a soft woven blanket,
A kettle warming on the stove,
And in one corner a lantern glows with a soft golden pulse.
You wrap yourself in the blanket and sit,
The lantern's light seems to breathe and rhythm with you,
It's as though it knows your breath,
Your heart,
Your tiredness.
It's here to keep watch while you rest.
This room is your sanctuary,
You don't need to speak,
You don't need to explain,
You are simply safe and welcome.
The light from the lantern begins to dim,
Not fully,
Just enough to soften the room into a haze.
Your eyes grow heavier,
Your breath grows longer,
Even your thoughts begin to quiet.
The chair holds you,
The blanket warms you,
Sleep approaches like a gentle tide,
Slow and steady.
You are in the valley of stillness now,
Held by the earth,
Soothed by water,
Warmed by light.
You are safe,
You are loved,
You are home.
Let sleep come,
Let it take you softly,
Let it carry you the rest of the way.
