WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.310 --> 00:00:03.470 As evening arrives, the week has found its rhythm, and 2 00:00:03.490 --> 00:00:05.879 you are allowed to step outside it for a while. 3 00:00:06.500 --> 00:00:10.800 Welcome to your quiet moment, deep sleep. Tonight's journey is 4 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:16.820 called The Art of Stillness. Four unhurried hours designed to 5 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:21.010 settle your body, slow your breath, and walk you gently 6 00:00:21.109 --> 00:00:27.309 through the doorway of sleep. You don't need to do anything. 7 00:00:27.609 --> 00:00:32.759 You don't need to remember anything. Just let the words arise. 8 00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:37.179 Let them pass through you like wind through a quiet room. 9 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:38.280 Begin. 10 00:00:40.899 --> 00:00:41.759 The day is finished. 11 00:00:42.659 --> 00:00:45.920 Whatever you carried through it, the meetings, the errands, the 12 00:00:45.969 --> 00:00:48.289 conversations that asked more of you than you had to give, 13 00:00:48.810 --> 00:00:52.130 you can set it all down now. Not tomorrow. Not 14 00:00:52.170 --> 00:00:52.710 in an hour. 15 00:00:53.390 --> 00:00:53.570 Now. 16 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:57.219 Picture yourself walking to the door of a room you 17 00:00:57.240 --> 00:01:00.439 have not entered in a long time. The door is old. 18 00:01:01.479 --> 00:01:02.219 The door is heavy. 19 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:09.049 It has a brass knob that is slightly cool to 20 00:01:09.079 --> 00:01:09.549 the touch. 21 00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:11.670 You put your hand. 22 00:01:11.530 --> 00:01:12.069 On the knob. 23 00:01:12.650 --> 00:01:17.629 You turn it. The door swings inward on silent inches. 24 00:01:18.909 --> 00:01:23.069 Beyond the door is the room of rest. The room 25 00:01:23.129 --> 00:01:26.859 has been waiting for you. The room has always been 26 00:01:26.900 --> 00:01:31.500 waiting for you. Even on the days you forgot it existed. 27 00:01:35.170 --> 00:01:37.730 Even on the days you told yourself you did not 28 00:01:37.790 --> 00:01:43.590 have time to enter. But tonight, you have time. Tonight, 29 00:01:43.689 --> 00:01:48.680 you are stepping through. Tonight, you are allowing yourself to enter. 30 00:01:50.040 --> 00:01:54.849 The room is large. The room is exactly the size 31 00:01:54.950 --> 00:02:00.120 it needs to be. The ceiling is high, high enough 32 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:03.379 that the air in the room has room to move. 33 00:02:07.060 --> 00:02:11.860 The floor is made of wide wooden planks, polished soft 34 00:02:12.020 --> 00:02:15.699 by years of other feet. The walls are painted a 35 00:02:15.740 --> 00:02:19.800 color that has no name, a color that lives somewhere 36 00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:24.479 between cream and pale rose. a color that holds the 37 00:02:24.539 --> 00:02:29.240 light without reflecting it back too sharply. There is a 38 00:02:29.340 --> 00:02:33.419 chair in the corner of the room, a chair with arms. 39 00:02:37.080 --> 00:02:40.849 The chair is upholstered in a fabric that is soft 40 00:02:40.969 --> 00:02:47.030 and worn and welcoming. You're not going to sit in 41 00:02:47.069 --> 00:02:50.060 the chair tonight. You are not going to need it. 42 00:02:51.330 --> 00:02:56.419 But the chair is there. Just in case. Just in 43 00:02:56.500 --> 00:03:01.199 case you change your mind. Just in case you want 44 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:09.680 somewhere to rest. That is not your bet. The chair 45 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:12.909 is a quiet promise that the room is generous with 46 00:03:12.990 --> 00:03:16.349 its comfort. There is a window in the room. Through 47 00:03:16.389 --> 00:03:20.250 the window you can see the night. The night is dark, 48 00:03:20.349 --> 00:03:23.430 but the dark is not heavy. The dark is soft. 49 00:03:24.569 --> 00:03:27.240 The dark is the kind of dark that wraps itself 50 00:03:27.340 --> 00:03:28.879 around you like a heavy blanket. 51 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:34.120 You can see, if you look. 52 00:03:34.550 --> 00:03:37.550 The faintest suggestion of trees at the edge of the property. 53 00:03:37.909 --> 00:03:41.900 The trees are still. The trees are sleeping too. There 54 00:03:41.939 --> 00:03:44.939 is a clock in the room. The clock is not ticking. 55 00:03:45.219 --> 00:03:48.620 The clock is silent. Tonight, time does not need to 56 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:52.860 be measured. Tonight, time will pass on its own, without 57 00:03:53.120 --> 00:04:00.039 any help from us. There is a rug in the 58 00:04:00.099 --> 00:04:04.469 middle of the room. The rug is old. The rug 59 00:04:04.569 --> 00:04:08.629 has been walked on for many years. The colors of 60 00:04:08.729 --> 00:04:12.930 the rug have softened with time. The patterns of the 61 00:04:13.030 --> 00:04:16.870 rug have blurred with use. The rug is the kind 62 00:04:17.029 --> 00:04:21.149 of rug that has become more beautiful with age. The 63 00:04:21.209 --> 00:04:24.949 way some people become more beautiful with age. 64 00:04:28.600 --> 00:04:32.500 There is a lamp in the corner. The lamp is 65 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:37.819 not lit. The lamp has a soft fabric shade. The 66 00:04:37.860 --> 00:04:40.319 lamp is the kind of lamp that gives the kind 67 00:04:40.339 --> 00:04:42.600 of light you would want if you were reading a 68 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:49.149 book late at night. But tonight, the lamp is off. Tonight, 69 00:04:49.670 --> 00:04:52.110 the only light in the room is the light from 70 00:04:52.149 --> 00:04:52.689 the window. 71 00:04:56.230 --> 00:04:59.930 The light from the window is the light of the moon. 72 00:05:01.069 --> 00:05:06.540 The room is quiet. The room is patient. The room 73 00:05:06.620 --> 00:05:11.199 is waiting for you to settle in. You are already 74 00:05:11.300 --> 00:05:16.600 arriving at rest. You can feel it, can't you? That 75 00:05:16.699 --> 00:05:22.970 small softening behind your eyes. The way your shoulders have 76 00:05:23.269 --> 00:05:26.350 already begun to drift lower on your back. 77 00:05:29.810 --> 00:05:30.910 This slow. 78 00:05:32.069 --> 00:05:32.490 Almost. 79 00:05:33.670 --> 00:05:39.730 Imperceptible deepening of your breath. That is your body telling 80 00:05:39.750 --> 00:05:46.209 you something it has always known that rest is not 81 00:05:46.269 --> 00:05:51.110 something you earn. Rest is something you allow. 82 00:05:51.149 --> 00:05:51.889 So allow it. 83 00:05:51.889 --> 00:05:54.370 Right here, right now. 84 00:05:54.430 --> 00:05:57.610 So allow. 85 00:06:02.949 --> 00:06:08.470 Let your attention rise very gently to the top of 86 00:06:08.509 --> 00:06:14.180 your head, to the crown, to the soft place where 87 00:06:14.209 --> 00:06:15.139 the hair begins. 88 00:06:16.139 --> 00:06:20.959 That place is quiet now. That place is letting go. 89 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:26.540 Feel the muscles of your forehead, the small muscles above 90 00:06:26.579 --> 00:06:31.069 your eyebrows, the tiny muscles at the corners of your eyes. 91 00:06:32.209 --> 00:06:39.850 Feel them soften. Feel them release. They have been holding 92 00:06:39.930 --> 00:06:41.269 expressions all day. 93 00:06:41.949 --> 00:06:43.810 Surprise. Attention. 94 00:06:44.300 --> 00:06:45.560 Worry. Laughter. 95 00:06:46.300 --> 00:06:49.800 Tonight they are invited to do nothing at all. Let 96 00:06:49.819 --> 00:06:53.819 the muscles around your eyes soften. Let the small muscles 97 00:06:53.879 --> 00:06:58.579 of her temples soften. Let your jaw soften. Let the 98 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:01.519 space between your teeth widen by a fraction. 99 00:07:05.240 --> 00:07:08.790 Let your tongue rest gently against the roof of your 100 00:07:08.829 --> 00:07:13.230 mouth or curse softly at its bottom, which if held 101 00:07:13.290 --> 00:07:17.620 feels more natural. Either way, the muscles of your face 102 00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:22.399 are learning to release. Now, let your attention drift to 103 00:07:22.459 --> 00:07:25.399 the back of your head, to the place where your 104 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:29.470 head meets the pillow. Feel the weight of your head 105 00:07:29.589 --> 00:07:30.170 being held. 106 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:39.439 Feel the pillow receiving you. Feel the give. Feel the support. 107 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:44.209 Your head does not need to do anything tonight except rest. 108 00:07:45.810 --> 00:07:49.829 Let your attention come to your neck, to the muscles 109 00:07:49.930 --> 00:07:55.060 along the sides of your throat, to the small muscles 110 00:07:55.129 --> 00:07:57.860 at the base of your skull. Feel them lengthen. 111 00:08:00.980 --> 00:08:02.100 Feel them soften. 112 00:08:05.769 --> 00:08:09.120 They have been holding your head up all day. Tonight 113 00:08:09.180 --> 00:08:14.279 they're a lot to rest. Let your shoulders drop. Let 114 00:08:14.339 --> 00:08:18.060 them drop toward the wet. Let them settle. Feel the 115 00:08:18.139 --> 00:08:22.399 weight of them sinking. Feel the way the wet accepts them. 116 00:08:22.579 --> 00:08:26.790 Feel the slow release of tension you may not have 117 00:08:26.889 --> 00:08:32.379 known was there. Now, your arms.... 118 00:08:35.799 --> 00:08:40.820 Let your upper arms feel heavy. Let your elbows feel soft. 119 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:45.980 Let your forearms rest. Let your wrists be still. Let 120 00:08:46.019 --> 00:08:50.299 your hands open. Let your fingers curl softly, not gripping, 121 00:08:50.600 --> 00:08:56.139 not reaching, just resting. The hands have done so much today. 122 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:00.340 Tonight they can do nothing. Let your attention return to 123 00:09:00.379 --> 00:09:07.769 your chest. Feel your chest rise. Fear your chest fall. 124 00:09:09.169 --> 00:09:11.169 Feel the rhythm of your breathing. 125 00:09:12.450 --> 00:09:17.399 Do not change the rhythm. Just notice it. Notice how 126 00:09:17.460 --> 00:09:21.340 the breath comes in. Notice how the breath goes out. 127 00:09:22.340 --> 00:09:27.960 Notice the small pause between. That pause is where peace lives. 128 00:09:29.539 --> 00:09:33.659 Feel your heart beating inside your chest. Feel it doing 129 00:09:33.740 --> 00:09:41.929 its work. Feel it steady. Feel it sure. You do 130 00:09:41.990 --> 00:09:45.830 not need to do anything about your heart. Your heart 131 00:09:45.970 --> 00:09:49.750 knows what to do. Your heart has been beating since. 132 00:09:49.669 --> 00:09:50.909 Before you were born. 133 00:09:51.070 --> 00:09:54.289 It will beat long after this moment has passed. 134 00:09:54.620 --> 00:09:55.179 Trust it. 135 00:09:55.759 --> 00:09:59.200 Trust it to keep going while you rest. Let your 136 00:09:59.240 --> 00:10:03.940 attentions sink to your belly. Let your belly soften. Let 137 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:11.779 it rise with the in-breath. Let it fall with the out-breath. 138 00:10:12.919 --> 00:10:16.220 Feel the weight of your belly. Feel the warmth of 139 00:10:16.259 --> 00:10:20.080 your belly. The belly is the soft center of you. 140 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:23.750 The belly is where you hold your feelings. Let it 141 00:10:23.779 --> 00:10:27.210 be soft tonight. Let it be safe. Feel your hips. 142 00:10:28.610 --> 00:10:32.110 Feel your hips heavy on the bed. Feel the bones 143 00:10:32.190 --> 00:10:39.470 of your pelvis resting into the mattress. Feel the lower 144 00:10:39.529 --> 00:10:43.419 back settling. Feel the small of your back lengthening. 145 00:10:43.500 --> 00:10:44.519 Now your legs. 146 00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:48.220 Let your thighs feel heavy. Let your knees soften. Let 147 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:52.070 your calves release. Let your ankles be still. Let your 148 00:10:52.110 --> 00:10:56.129 feet open. Let your toes uncurl. The toes have been. 149 00:10:56.029 --> 00:10:57.330 Gripping all day. 150 00:10:57.470 --> 00:10:59.830 Gripping shoes. Gripping floors. 151 00:10:59.990 --> 00:11:01.350 Gripping uncertainty. 152 00:11:05.149 --> 00:11:09.850 Tonight, the toes are free. Feel your whole body now. 153 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:14.409 Feel it from the crown of your head to the 154 00:11:14.529 --> 00:11:20.090 soles of your feet. Feel it heavy. Feel it warm. 155 00:11:21.029 --> 00:11:26.409 Feel it held. The body is doing its work. The 156 00:11:26.470 --> 00:11:32.080 body knows how to rest. The body is resting right now. 157 00:11:32.940 --> 00:11:35.620 You are resting right now. 158 00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:41.779 You find yourself in a garden. 159 00:11:42.860 --> 00:11:45.919 The garden is not a place you have been before, 160 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:51.559 though it feels familiar. The garden has the quality of 161 00:11:51.659 --> 00:11:55.000 a place you might have dreamed as a child. 162 00:11:56.179 --> 00:11:59.919 Soft-edged, gentle, lit by a. 163 00:11:59.980 --> 00:12:03.299 Light that has no visible source. 164 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:09.250 There is a path in the garden The path is 165 00:12:09.350 --> 00:12:12.289 made of small, smooth stones. 166 00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:22.360 The stones are cool underfoot. The path winds gently between 167 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:26.440 beds of plants you cannot quite name. The plants are 168 00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:30.330 not exotic. The plants are the kind of plants you 169 00:12:30.419 --> 00:12:36.149 might find in any quiet garden. Leafy, soft, varied in 170 00:12:36.190 --> 00:12:40.929 their greens. You walk the path slowly. You do not 171 00:12:41.090 --> 00:12:50.659 have to reach any destination. You're walking because walking feels good. 172 00:12:51.940 --> 00:12:56.009 The stones massage the soles of your feet. The air 173 00:12:56.230 --> 00:13:00.470 is warm. The air smells of green things, a worth 174 00:13:00.649 --> 00:13:02.230 of leaf, of flower. 175 00:13:02.750 --> 00:13:04.730 Not strongly, just gently. 176 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:07.700 The way a garden smells at the end of a 177 00:13:07.759 --> 00:13:12.279 long day. There is water nearby. You can hear it. 178 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:20.399 The sound is small. The sound is soft. It is 179 00:13:20.460 --> 00:13:25.139 the sound of water moving over stones. It is the 180 00:13:25.179 --> 00:13:29.620 sound of a stream you cannot see. The sound follows 181 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:49.809 you as you walk. The sound keeps you company. There 182 00:13:49.950 --> 00:13:52.840 is a low wall at the garden's edge where you 183 00:13:52.860 --> 00:13:55.399 could sit and look out over the rest. 184 00:13:55.200 --> 00:13:55.980 Of the garden. 185 00:13:56.639 --> 00:14:00.059 You do not need to sit, but the garden offers 186 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:05.100 these places. The garden is generous with its rest. The 187 00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:08.580 light in the garden does not change. The light is 188 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:09.500 always the same. 189 00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:16.899 The light is the light of late afternoon on a 190 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:21.970 summer day that never ends. Soft, golden, warm on the skin. 191 00:14:22.490 --> 00:14:26.750 There are no shadows. There are no hard edges. The 192 00:14:26.789 --> 00:14:31.029 garden is lit from everywhere and nowhere. You pass a 193 00:14:31.049 --> 00:14:34.279 bed of white flowers. The flowers nod as. 194 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:35.200 You walk past. 195 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:38.659 You pass a trellis covered in climbing roses. 196 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:47.919 The roses are pale pink. The roses smell of honey. 197 00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:52.860 You pass a small pond where a single heron stands. 198 00:15:07.830 --> 00:15:19.470 You cannot see the bird. The song repeats. The song 199 00:15:19.529 --> 00:15:21.649 is simple. The song is enough. 200 00:15:22.830 --> 00:15:23.570 You walk on. 201 00:15:24.210 --> 00:15:27.850 The path curves. The path leads you deeper into the garden. 202 00:15:28.809 --> 00:15:31.889 But the garden does not feel smaller as you go deeper. 203 00:15:32.590 --> 00:15:37.149 The garden feels larger. The garden seems to expand as 204 00:15:37.210 --> 00:15:40.809 you move through it. The way a dream expands as 205 00:15:40.850 --> 00:15:49.240 you move through it. The garden has no edges. The 206 00:15:49.269 --> 00:15:54.100 garden has no end. There is always more garden. There 207 00:15:54.200 --> 00:15:58.259 is always more quiet. You come to a clearing in 208 00:15:58.279 --> 00:16:01.139 the center of the garden. In the clearing there is 209 00:16:01.179 --> 00:16:05.039 a circle of grass. The grass is soft. The grass 210 00:16:05.100 --> 00:16:07.759 is the green of new growth. In the center of 211 00:16:07.820 --> 00:16:11.600 the circle, there is a single tree. The tree is old. 212 00:16:16.309 --> 00:16:20.470 The tree is large. The tree's branches spread wide, making 213 00:16:20.490 --> 00:16:23.610 a canopy of leaves that filters the light into dappled 214 00:16:23.710 --> 00:16:28.919 patterns on the grass. You sit beneath the tree. You 215 00:16:28.980 --> 00:16:34.279 lean against the trunk. The trunk is solid. The trunk 216 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:35.720 is warm. 217 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:36.120 From the sun. 218 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:41.950 You feel held by the tree. You feel held by 219 00:16:41.990 --> 00:16:45.830 the garden. You feel held by the moment. 220 00:16:50.509 --> 00:16:54.110 In the garden, nothing is asked of you. Nothing is 221 00:16:54.269 --> 00:16:57.129 needed from you. Nothing is waiting for you. 222 00:16:57.250 --> 00:16:59.200 You can stay here as long as you like. 223 00:16:59.980 --> 00:17:02.860 The garden does not track the time. The garden does 224 00:17:02.919 --> 00:17:07.240 not keep count. The garden simply holds you the way 225 00:17:07.299 --> 00:17:11.130 the tree holds the birds that nest in its branches. 226 00:17:11.710 --> 00:17:13.990 The dream softens. 227 00:17:13.569 --> 00:17:14.349 At the edges. 228 00:17:19.250 --> 00:17:24.779 The garden becomes less distinct. The path, the bench, the heron, 229 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:29.799 the tree, they fade gently. into a wash of green 230 00:17:30.019 --> 00:17:34.799 and gold and warmth. The garden does not disappear. The 231 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:39.450 garden becomes a feeling. The garden becomes a sense of 232 00:17:39.710 --> 00:17:44.109 being held. The garden becomes the peace you carry with 233 00:17:44.170 --> 00:17:45.130 you as you sleep. 234 00:17:49.930 --> 00:17:55.150 Now, let your breathing find its own rhythm. A rhythm 235 00:17:55.339 --> 00:17:59.099 that is a little slower than your waking rhythm. A 236 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:02.660 rhythm that is a little deeper, breathe in through your nose. 237 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:07.160 Feel the air as it enters. Cool at the nostrils, 238 00:18:07.180 --> 00:18:10.089 cool in the throat, cool in the chest. 239 00:18:19.890 --> 00:18:23.960 Let the breath leave without effort. Let the breath leave 240 00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:29.049 the way a leaf leaves a branch. Not pulled, not pulled, 241 00:18:29.990 --> 00:18:39.839 just released. Breathe in, count to four. One, two, three, four. 242 00:18:40.779 --> 00:18:42.920 Breathe out, count to six. 243 00:18:44.180 --> 00:18:54.410 One, two, three, four, five, six. The out breath is 244 00:18:54.450 --> 00:18:57.799 longer than the in breath. The out-breath is the one 245 00:18:57.839 --> 00:18:58.640 that calms. 246 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:05.779 The out-breath is the one that tells the body it 247 00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:09.759 is safe. The out-breath is the one that invites sleep. 248 00:19:10.599 --> 00:19:25.089 Breathe in. Two, three, four. Breathe out. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. 249 00:19:26.420 --> 00:19:30.660 Let the out-breath stretch. Let it stretch by one count 250 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:35.339 each time, not forcing, just allowing. Just letting the body 251 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:37.049 find its own slow tide. 252 00:19:41.670 --> 00:19:42.250 Breathe in. 253 00:19:43.970 --> 00:19:49.329 Breathe out. Let the space between breaths grow. Let the 254 00:19:49.369 --> 00:19:53.019 pause at the top of the in-breath linger. Let the 255 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:57.140 pause at the bottom of the out-breath linger. In the pause, 256 00:19:57.359 --> 00:20:00.960 there is stillness. In the stillness, there is rest. 257 00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:02.720 Breathe in. 258 00:20:03.740 --> 00:20:04.279 Breathe out. 259 00:20:05.420 --> 00:20:09.369 The breath is doing the work now. The breath does 260 00:20:09.450 --> 00:20:17.740 not need your help. The breath knows the way to sleep. 261 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:25.250 The breath has known since you were born. Trust the breath. 262 00:20:26.529 --> 00:20:31.309 Follow the breath. Let the breath carry you. 263 00:20:31.329 --> 00:20:39.960 You are in a library. The library is very old. 264 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:44.789 The library is very large. The library has the quality 265 00:20:44.809 --> 00:20:47.190 of a place that has always been here. 266 00:21:01.079 --> 00:21:04.509 The shelves are made of dark wood, polished smooth by 267 00:21:04.569 --> 00:21:08.210 years of hands reaching for books. The shelves are filled 268 00:21:08.250 --> 00:21:12.789 with books. The books are bound in leather, browned, green, 269 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:17.940 Deep red, soft blue. Some of the books are very small. 270 00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:21.500 Some of the books are very large. Some of the 271 00:21:21.559 --> 00:21:29.900 books lie flat. Most of the books stand upright, their 272 00:21:29.940 --> 00:21:34.799 spines facing outward, their titles written in gold. The library 273 00:21:34.859 --> 00:21:35.440 is quiet. 274 00:21:36.259 --> 00:21:37.160 The library is. 275 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:39.609 The kind of quiet that is filled with the presence 276 00:21:39.660 --> 00:21:42.710 of all the stories that have ever been told. The 277 00:21:42.750 --> 00:21:51.700 quiet hums. The quiet has a texture. The quiet is 278 00:21:51.799 --> 00:21:55.329 the texture of centuries of words held. 279 00:21:55.089 --> 00:21:55.990 In one place. 280 00:21:57.289 --> 00:22:01.730 There is a smell in the library. The smell of paper. 281 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:03.359 The smell of leather. 282 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:17.869 That means care. That means bugs have lived here for 283 00:22:17.900 --> 00:22:25.230 a long time. The light in the library comes from 284 00:22:25.289 --> 00:22:30.450 lamps set on long wooden tables. The lamps have green 285 00:22:30.650 --> 00:22:36.220 glass shades. The light they give is warm. The light 286 00:22:36.339 --> 00:22:40.269 is gentle on the eyes. The light is the kind 287 00:22:40.309 --> 00:22:43.150 of light you want when you are reading late into 288 00:22:43.190 --> 00:22:46.910 the night. You walk between the shelves. 289 00:22:51.490 --> 00:22:55.069 Your footsteps are quiet on the thick carpet that covers 290 00:22:55.130 --> 00:23:00.250 the floor. The carpet is patterned in deep reds and blues. 291 00:23:00.730 --> 00:23:03.990 The carpet is old. The carpet is soft. 292 00:23:04.910 --> 00:23:07.269 Your feet sink slightly. 293 00:23:06.710 --> 00:23:10.210 Into it as you walk. You reach up and pull 294 00:23:10.269 --> 00:23:11.309 a book from a shelf. 295 00:23:12.150 --> 00:23:16.230 The book is small. The book is bound in soft 296 00:23:16.369 --> 00:23:23.690 brown leather. The title on the spine is in gold, 297 00:23:23.750 --> 00:23:26.569 but you cannot read the language. You open the book. 298 00:23:27.009 --> 00:23:30.410 The pages are thin. The pages are creamy. The pages 299 00:23:30.470 --> 00:23:33.029 are filled with words in a script that you don't know. 300 00:23:33.650 --> 00:23:47.220 But you don't need to know the words. You put 301 00:23:47.259 --> 00:23:51.240 the book back. You pull another. This one is larger. 302 00:23:52.259 --> 00:23:56.420 This one is bound and green. The pages are heavier. 303 00:23:57.180 --> 00:24:01.440 The pages are edged in gold. You open it to 304 00:24:01.500 --> 00:24:07.200 a random page. There is an illustration. A woodcut of 305 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:11.960 a tree. Of a figure walking beneath the tree. Of 306 00:24:12.009 --> 00:24:20.789 a sky full of stars. The illustration is simple. The 307 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:26.309 illustration is beautiful. You look at it for a long time. 308 00:24:27.289 --> 00:24:30.809 You do not read the words. You do not need to. 309 00:24:31.289 --> 00:24:35.769 You put the book back. You walk on. There are 310 00:24:36.009 --> 00:24:41.319 reading desks in the library. Long wooden desks with green 311 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:47.759 shaded lamps. There are soft chairs beside some of the desks. 312 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:49.700 The chairs are leather. 313 00:24:54.470 --> 00:24:58.109 The chairs are worn soft by years of readers sitting 314 00:24:58.150 --> 00:25:01.390 in them. The chairs hold the shape of the people 315 00:25:01.450 --> 00:25:05.250 who have rested here. You sit in one of the chairs. 316 00:25:05.849 --> 00:25:09.670 The chair receives you. The chair has been waiting for you. 317 00:25:10.349 --> 00:25:13.789 The leather is cool at first, then warms to your body. 318 00:25:14.589 --> 00:25:16.779 On the desk in front of you, there is an 319 00:25:16.930 --> 00:25:17.470 open book. 320 00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:23.859 You do not remember opening it. 321 00:25:24.980 --> 00:25:27.640 The book is open to a page with no words, 322 00:25:28.539 --> 00:25:29.400 only an image. 323 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:33.940 The image is of a window. Through the window, you 324 00:25:33.980 --> 00:25:37.589 can see a garden. That garden is the garden you 325 00:25:37.809 --> 00:25:42.529 were in earlier. The garden is the same garden. The 326 00:25:42.569 --> 00:25:46.109 garden will always be the same garden no matter where 327 00:25:46.170 --> 00:25:47.250 you find yourself. 328 00:25:51.710 --> 00:25:55.420 You look at the image for a long time. The 329 00:25:55.500 --> 00:26:01.670 image does not change. The image is enough. In the library, 330 00:26:02.509 --> 00:26:06.029 there is no rush. There is nowhere you need to be. 331 00:26:07.049 --> 00:26:10.259 There is no one waiting for you. There are only 332 00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:18.339 the books. There are only the shelves. There are only 333 00:26:18.400 --> 00:26:22.069 the soft green lamps and the worn leather chairs and 334 00:26:22.109 --> 00:26:25.279 the thick carpet. and the centuries of stories held in 335 00:26:25.319 --> 00:26:28.920 the wood and the paper. You close your eyes. The 336 00:26:28.960 --> 00:26:31.940 library is still there. You can feel it around you. 337 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:35.980 The shelves, the books, the soft home of all the 338 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:44.190 words ever written, held quietly in this one place. The 339 00:26:44.250 --> 00:26:49.210 library softens, the shelves fade, the lamps dim, the chair 340 00:26:49.289 --> 00:26:55.420 dissolves into the feeling of being held. The dream becomes 341 00:26:55.529 --> 00:26:59.190 the sense of being in a place that is vast 342 00:26:59.430 --> 00:27:01.650 and quiet and kind. 343 00:27:06.490 --> 00:27:09.190 Now let your mind find a number, any number. 344 00:27:09.609 --> 00:27:11.329 Let it be 20. 345 00:27:11.329 --> 00:27:11.890 Breathing. 346 00:27:12.750 --> 00:27:15.950 And as you breathe out, say the number to yourself slowly. 347 00:27:15.950 --> 00:27:17.829 20. 348 00:27:17.829 --> 00:27:18.369 Breathing. 349 00:27:19.210 --> 00:27:20.710 Breathe out. 350 00:27:20.710 --> 00:27:21.609 19. 351 00:27:21.609 --> 00:27:25.700 Let the number carry you down. Each breath, a number lower. 352 00:27:26.460 --> 00:27:28.880 Each breath, a step closer to rest. 353 00:27:30.059 --> 00:27:30.569 Eighteen. 354 00:27:31.349 --> 00:27:32.049 Seventeen. 355 00:27:33.380 --> 00:27:33.960 Sixteen. 356 00:27:38.690 --> 00:27:42.029 Do not think about the numbers. Just let them pass. 357 00:27:42.430 --> 00:27:44.809 Let them be the rhythm of your breath. Let them 358 00:27:44.849 --> 00:27:46.269 be the path down into sleep. 359 00:27:46.589 --> 00:27:48.289 Fifteen. Fourteen. 360 00:27:48.809 --> 00:27:52.829 Thirteen. If your mind wanders, that is all right. The 361 00:27:52.869 --> 00:27:57.700 mind wanders. The mind is allowed to wander. When you 362 00:27:57.759 --> 00:28:01.839 notice it has wandered, just return to the number. Return gently. 363 00:28:06.579 --> 00:28:11.769 Return without judgment. The number will be waiting for you. 12, 11, 10. 364 00:28:11.769 --> 00:28:15.190 Each breath takes you deeper. Each number takes you lower. 365 00:28:15.650 --> 00:28:18.309 The body is heavy now. The body is warm. The 366 00:28:18.329 --> 00:28:21.009 body is being held by the bed, by the blankets, 367 00:28:21.269 --> 00:28:25.660 by the night. 9, 8, 7. The numbers grow softer. 368 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:27.460 The numbers grow farther apart. 369 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:33.880 There is more space between them now. 370 00:28:34.720 --> 00:28:35.960 There is more silence. 371 00:28:37.319 --> 00:28:37.700 Six. 372 00:28:38.700 --> 00:28:39.140 Five. 373 00:28:40.099 --> 00:28:40.420 Four. 374 00:28:41.160 --> 00:28:44.950 You may lose the numbers. That is all right. If 375 00:28:45.009 --> 00:28:49.230 the numbers fade, just let them fade. The breath is 376 00:28:49.269 --> 00:28:53.730 still there. The body is still there. The sleep is 377 00:28:53.769 --> 00:28:57.720 still there. waiting for you at the bottom of the count. 378 00:28:58.490 --> 00:29:01.210 Three, two, one. 379 00:29:06.089 --> 00:29:08.509 And now, there are no numbers. 380 00:29:09.890 --> 00:29:16.170 There is only breath. There is only the rise and 381 00:29:16.319 --> 00:29:20.970 fall of the chest. There is only the. 382 00:29:20.970 --> 00:29:25.680 Slow tide of the body letting go. 383 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:31.700 You are in a house. 384 00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:36.849 The house is not yours, though it feels like it 385 00:29:36.890 --> 00:29:40.539 could be. The house has the quality of a house 386 00:29:40.599 --> 00:29:44.339 from a story you read as a child, or a 387 00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:49.069 house from a dream you had once and forgot. The 388 00:29:49.130 --> 00:29:54.569 house is large. The house is empty of other people, 389 00:29:55.069 --> 00:29:56.230 but not empty. 390 00:30:01.809 --> 00:30:04.690 The house feels inhabited by the memory of everyone who 391 00:30:04.730 --> 00:30:08.960 has ever lived here. The floors remember feet. The walls 392 00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:13.599 remember voices. The windows remember light. You are in a hallway. 393 00:30:14.180 --> 00:30:17.160 The hallway is long. The hallway is lit by a 394 00:30:17.220 --> 00:30:20.359 single window at the far end. The light from the 395 00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:23.380 window falls in a long rectangle on the wooden floor. 396 00:30:28.079 --> 00:30:32.559 The light is the light of. Late afternoon. 397 00:30:33.900 --> 00:30:35.059 The light is golden. 398 00:30:36.299 --> 00:30:39.400 There are doors along the hallway. Some of the doors 399 00:30:39.500 --> 00:30:43.099 are open. Some of the doors are closed. You do 400 00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:46.589 not need to open the closed ones. You do not 401 00:30:46.690 --> 00:30:49.910