A cabin in the woods.
A mindfulness sleep story.
Clara wakes up early before sunrise and enjoys the quiet of the morning.
She feels her belly rise and fall with her breathing and focuses on her breathing for a moment.
Feeling how relaxed and deep she breathes.
Breathing in and out.
She has gone to stay for a weekend at a friend's log cabin in the bush,
Which is what they call the forest in New Zealand.
She gets up slowly and puts the kettle on the gas stove in the quaint little kitchen.
The fire in the log burner is still gleaming and she puts on some small pieces of wood to start it burning.
The kettle begins to whistle and she takes a lovely cup decorated with a red heart from the shell.
The soothing aroma escapes the box of chai tea as she opens it.
She takes the tea bag and slowly pours the steaming water into the cup before adding milk and honey.
She stirs the cup slowly,
Letting the honey dissolve.
She puts more wood on the fire and sits on a comfortable soft chair beside it,
Enjoying the warmth on this brisk autumn day.
She likes looking at the dancing colourful flames.
It is lovely to feel the warm tea in her hands.
It warms her when she slowly sips her favourite tea.
She takes a few deep breaths,
Relaxing in this chair,
Enjoying the warmth.
Having this cabin to herself for the weekend is such a joy.
Now it is time to put on some warm clothes.
She puts on her warm hat,
Scarf and jacket before she heads out to see the sunrise at the top of the hill behind the cabin.
Outside she adjusts to the temperature as she takes a slow conscious breath.
She feels the cool air flowing into her nose and filling her lungs.
The beam of light from her torch shows her the small fleeting misty clouds of her warm breath as she exhales slowly through her mouth.
It is so still,
There is no wind and she starts walking into the bush.
She likes the sounds of the tui bird that signals the beginning of a new day.
It is always the first bird to call.
Soon as the track steepens,
She can feel her heart beating in her chest.
As the track levels again,
She suddenly sees a deer running across the path before her.
Clara stands still,
Breathing slowly.
The deer stops,
Turns her head and looks at her with a gentle curiosity.
It is a very special moment and Clara feels more aware of the sound of her breath and her pulse as she tries to remain still and quiet.
After a while,
The deer runs on and disappears into the bush again.
It is the first deer Clara has seen in years and she feels the joy of this gentle encounter.
She walks on until she comes to a little river and she stands on the bridge over the river for a while,
Watching the colourful leaves floating slowly down the river.
Then she notices she is getting hungry and decides to return to the log cabin for breakfast.
After a warm cinnamon porridge for breakfast,
She sits with a hot cup of tea in the plush seat before the fire,
Reflecting on her morning walk.
It was beautiful to see a deer on her first walk and she knew that she would have a lovely,
Relaxing weekend here in the woods.
This is the end of this little story and I hope you enjoyed it.
And now,
Continue to breathe in deeply and out slowly.
Relaxing more and more.
Breathing in and out.
Breathing in and out.
Good night,
My friend.
I wish you a restful night's sleep and that you feel rested and refreshed in the morning.
Now,
Rest assured that you are okay and will be okay.
I send you kind wishes.
Good night.
