Hello,
Thanks for joining me,
Clara,
On this guided visualisation for sleep based on the wild river delta of the Camargue region in France.
Before we begin,
Please find a place where you feel comfortable.
Close your eyes.
Relax all the muscles in your face.
Focus on your forehead until it feels free of tension.
Allow the tightness to melt away from your eyes.
Drop your shoulders as low as possible to relieve any stress from your neck.
Relax your upper and lower arms.
Then move down to your fingers.
Relax your chest and fill your lungs with air.
Release.
Then move down and finish at your ankles and feet.
The Camargue province is the largest river delta in Europe.
These tidal marshes and salt ponds are home to more than 400 species of birds.
And it's one of the few places in Europe where the greater flamingo lives.
Wild Camargue horses also roam free here.
They've lived in this vast marshland for thousands of years and are considered one of the oldest breeds of horses in the world.
The Camargue horses are always grey.
However,
They're born with a coat that's black or dark brown in colour and as they grow,
Their coat becomes more and more intermingled with white hairs until it's entirely white.
You find yourself drifting in a vast,
Shallow lagoon.
Your kayak moves lazily along with the current,
Passing tall marsh grass and clumps of reeds.
The fresh breeze blowing in from the Mediterranean Sea invigorates your spirits and sweeps the low clouds overhead,
Creating shifting inky patchwork patterns on the water's surface around you.
On the horizon,
The edges of the landscape vanish and you can't tell where the land ends or where the sky begins.
The nearby shoreline teems with birds,
Curlews,
Ducks.
Hibis and herons feed in the shallow water,
Lapping up against the mud flats.
A disturbance on the horizon catches your attention so you turn the canoe around to look.
In the distance,
An apparition of white horses appears,
Galloping towards you,
Stampeding in spirited,
Wild abandon,
Hooves kicking the water up into a veil of foam and spray.
When the horses see you in your canoe,
They turn away and veer back into the marsh,
Tossing their heads and bucking sideways,
Scattering the shorebirds.
The air trembles from their hoofbeats.
Then,
The tranquility from before returns and the birds on the shoreline go back to foraging for food in the mud flats.
After a while,
You notice a lighthouse in the distance.
You begin paddling towards it and within no time,
You beach the canoe and begin walking towards the lighthouse.
The trail to the lighthouse is made from crushed oyster shells,
Sea lavender,
Tamarisk,
And wild thyme are tangled together,
Growing wild in the hedges on either side of the track,
While the middle of the road is overgrown with thick grass and dandelions.
When you reach the lighthouse,
There's no one around but the door is wide open so you go inside and climb up a spiral staircase.
On the first level is a round white room without any corners.
The space is empty except for a sheepskin covered chair in front of an open window.
Next to the chair is an old guitar with broken strings.
You walk over to the window and look out at the view.
A sublime lagoon.
The surreal way the water mirrors the sky.
The sound of the birds.
The fresh scent of the sea,
Mixed with wild lavender wafting in on the breeze.
It takes your brain a few minutes to register what you see next.
A vivid flash of colour.
A flock of flamingos with outstretched necks fly past the window.
Within moments,
The hurling,
Noisy,
Pink wave of flamboyance disappears and the peacefulness of the place returns.
When you sit down on the sheepskin covered chair,
You notice it's warm from the afternoon sunlight.
The activity from earlier.
The fresh sea air.
The time of day.
And the marsh's peacefulness combine to form an elixir that makes you feel comfortably relaxed.
You close your eyes and listen to the soothing sounds of the marsh outside the window.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
The sound of the birds chirping.
