Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Ambling through the Redwoods

Episode Date: August 30, 2023

Narrator: Arif Hodzic 🇺🇸 Writer: Frankie Regalia ✍️ Sound design: forest ambience, birdsong 🌲🐦  Includes mentions of: Car, Walking, Animals, Science & Nature. Welcome back, sleepyheads. Tonight, we’ll be exploring a several thousand-year-old forest steeped in ancient wisdom and secrets. 😴 Watch, listen and comment on this episode on the Get Sleepy YouTube channel. And hit subscribe while you're there! Enjoy various playlists of our stories and meditations on our Slumber Studios Spotify profile. Support our Sponsors Check out the great products and deals from Get Sleepy sponsors: getsleepy.com/sponsors/ Support Us   - Get Sleepy’s Premium Feed: https://getsleepy.com/support/.  - Get Sleepy Merchandise: https://getsleepy.com/store.  - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/get-sleepy/id1487513861.  Connect  Stay up to date on all podcast news and even vote on upcoming episodes!  - Website: https://getsleepy.com/.  - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getsleepypod/.  - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getsleepypod/.  - Twitter: https://twitter.com/getsleepypod.  Get Sleepy FAQs Have a query for us or need help with something? You might find your answer here: Get Sleepy FAQs About Get Sleepy  Get Sleepy is the #1 story-telling podcast designed to help you get a great night’s rest. By combining sleep meditation with a relaxing bedtime story, each episode will guide you gently towards sleep.    Get Sleepy Premium Get instant access to ad-free episodes, as well as the Thursday night bonus episode by subscribing to our premium feed. It's easy! Sign up in two taps!  Get Sleepy Premium feed includes:  Monday and Wednesday night episodes (with zero ads). The exclusive Thursday night bonus episode. Access to the entire back catalog (also ad-free). Exclusive sleep meditation episodes. Discounts on merchadise. We’ll love you forever. Get your 7-day free trial: https://getsleepy.com/support.    Thank you so much for listening!  Feedback? Let us know your thoughts! https://getsleepy.com/contact-us/.   That’s all for now. Sweet dreams ❤️ 😴 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey friends, for the best Get Sleepy experience, be sure to check out our supporters feed Get Sleepy Premium for our free listening weekly bonus episodes and access to our entire catalogue. Now, a quick word from our sponsors who make the free version of this show possible. Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. My name is Thomas, thanks so much for tuning in. This evening we'll be exploring a forest that is several thousands of years old, steeped in ancient wisdom and secrets. This story was written by Frankie and will be read by a reef.

We love being able to bring you brand new, original stories and meditations every single week of the year. Just by being here, you're helping us make that happen. But to cover production costs and keep all this amazing content coming your way, we rely on the kind support of our Get Sleepy premium subscribers. So, if you're enjoying the show and would like to hear even more episodes, or completely add free, we'd love for you to try and get Sleepy Premium for yourself. In return for being a cherished supporter, you'll have access to our entire back catalog, which is just about to hit 600 episodes. It's all out free, and you also receive a new and exclusive bonus episode every single

Thursday. Tomorrow night I'll be guiding a sweet story, in which you can imagine yourself working in a charming little cafe in London. When you sign up to Premium, the first 7 days are free, giving you time to make sure you're happy. So why not give Premium a try this week? For more information on all our Premium plans, visit getsleepy.com slash support, or just follow the link in the show notes. I hope to speak to you there tomorrow night.

Now then, take a moment to just check in with yourself before we begin our story. Notice how you're feeling. Are you tired or still quiet awake? Is there anything playing on your body? Does it feel tense or relaxed? Whatever you notice, try not to label these things as good or bad. There's no need to try and resist any of it, either. Just accept whatever it is you are feeling right now. to ease into the peace and calm of the night. Whether you're a fair way off of feeling ready to drift off to sleep, or you're already floating along that soothing border between wakefulness and sleep.

There's no right or wrong. This is your experience and you can embrace where you're at. Here and now. Our stories are designed to accompany you for as long as you need. So you can follow along and visualize the be a backdrop that you barely pay attention to while you drift off into a cozy night's sleep. So, allow your breathing to become steady and calm, using it as your anchor to deeper relaxation. And as you consciously breathe softly and steadily, imagine the sounds of a peaceful forest surrounding you. Birds sing gently high above. Morning dew drips from green leaves, and a soft breeze blows through. The forest is alive and happy all around you.

This is where our story begins. You are driving down an empty two-lane highway that runs through the ancient Redwood Forest of Northern California. The day is bright and sunny, with spots of cold and sunshine littering the road, like the spots on a cheetah's back. The road curves smoothly around the massive trees of the forest. You pass very few cars. Their passengers, like you, are on this drive for enjoyment. Free from the pressure to be somewhere at a specific time and just appreciating the journey.

The trees you pass are larger than any others you've ever seen. Their mighty trunks have no branches for the first ten feet up from the ground. They are brown with a reddish tint, criss-crossed by large strips of bark. Out of the corner of your eye, they look like the weathered faces of elders. The branches are covered in emerald green needles, creating a glittering coat that the trees wear all the way up to their tops. Some are over 150 feet tall. A road sign alerts you to a turnout in a quarter of a mile. A desire to get closer to these mighty sentinelels grips you and you smoothly pull over to the

side of the road. You step out of the car and onto a carpet of redwood needles. It is cushioning under your feet as if you were walking on the most luxurious shag carpet. There is a small path that leads into the forest. The sun seems to illuminate the path before you. Dust modes reflect the light along the path, giving it the distinct impression of sparkling. The moats seem to glitter before your eyes. You embark on the path.

Crouting the base of the giant trees are rich green ferns. Their fronds stretch nearly six feet from their hearts, creating huge layers of dewy leaves. A fact from school springs to mind, reminding you that these plants have been practically unchanged since the days of the dinosaurs. At the heart of the ferns, you can see new leaves unfurling from their centers. They spiral out of the middle of the plant like swirled lollipops. They seem simultaneously older than memory and taken right out of a children's book. As you continue on the path, you notice movement from a particularly impressive fern. You pause intrigued.

Out from under the brush, scurries a fox kit with two playful siblings close behind. They nip and wrestle one another for a few moments, chirping their delight. Their mother follows them out a minute later. When she sees you, you expect her to disappear into the underbrush with her kits immediately. Instead, she meets your eyes with a warm, brown stare. She is unafraid and regard to you with interest. Her kids have noticed you too, unsure what to make of this great, furless creature. Once she has finished her examination of you and has determined you to be no threat to our family. The mother fox calmly leads her kids back into the bushes. You make your way further down the tiny trail. The air is fresh, warm, and fragrant.

There is fresh, warm, and fragrant. Each breath seems to clear away the brain fog you accumulated from a long day of driving. You look up and notice for the first time the true height of the trees. Their tops are hundreds of feet above you. The sky is merely a light blue background to the heaving pattern of green that criss-crosses the is the ceiling of the forest. You watch the branches weigh gently in the breeze. It gives the impression of the forest breathing with you, taking in huge lungs full of air across hundreds of square miles and then releasing the breath like a rolling wave. You follow the golden sparkles, now certain that they are more than just dust-mots. They shine even in shadow. A sweet, tinkling sound far in the distance catches your attention. The sound of the road is completely gone, and you begin to notice a change in the atmosphere

around you. The trees still impossibly tall now get even larger at the trunks. You stop next to one that it would take 20 people, arm to arm to encircle. The natural ruts in the bark are deep, juxtaposing the lighter red brown with deep shadows. A closer look reveals a many metropolis of life living with the tree. Waxy shelves of yellow oyster mushrooms sprout from the trunk, while crowns of white puffball mushrooms shelter on the ground. Fuzzy, fat bees slowly bumble from buttercup to buttercup. A family of ravens chatter to one another on one of the branches. Their noises are so varied that it sounds like a conversation in a language you don't know. This deep and the forest, the world is at peace. Despite the life buzzing around you, the stillness and calm prevade your awareness more than

anything else. You can feel the ancient power of the trees. They are hundreds of years old at the youngest, and you get the feeling that if you listened closely enough, you could hear them whispering wisdom to the wind. The rustle of the wind through the vegetation sounds like hushed voices. You come to a huge tree that has grown over the path. In its massive trunk, there is a tunnel tall and wide enough for a person to walk through. You wonder if this is a natural occurrence,

or human-made. You decide that this must be the work of a forest ranger as you step into the tunnel. into the tunnel. From within this living tree, you realize that the trunk must be at least 20 feet across. Looking up, you see the reason why these trees are called red woods. The tawny red and golden curls spiral up inside the trunk. Their fire-resistant bark hides the beautifully ruddy wood. On the other side of the tunnel tree, the path slopes gently downwards to a happily gurgling creek. The path is smooth down to the moss-covered rocks that line the bank of the creek. The combination of blue-gray rocks and the bright green moss reminds you of the creek is clear like liquid glass. You take off your shoes and socks and sit on a rock. The water washes over your toes, simultaneously, and then you can on a rock. The water washes over your toes, simultaneously making you more alert and cooling you down.

As you dip your feet, you notice small, silvery fish guarding around in the calmer waters. They chase one another around, or dart to the creek bed to suck little bits of vegetation from the rocks. You put your pinky in the water near the fish. Most of them scatter, but one brave fish approaches you. It thoroughly investigates your finger for a moment before deciding it prefers rocks. You leisurely let your feet dry off in the sun. A family of red squirrels are chittering amongst the branches above you. You watch them race up and down the massive trunks with no more effort than it takes you to put your shoes and socks back on.

This squirrel squeak a fair well to you as you continue across the creek and along the path. After a few minutes of easy meandering, you find yourself in a clearing. The grass is tall and interspersed with bright wildflowers. You are not the only occupant of the small meadow. A herd of elk are lasing in the sun. The females are sitting on the ground and the large males dance watch on the other end of the clearing. They all notice you when you come through the trees, their satellite ears swiveling towards you.

Several pairs of soulful eyes take stock of you. The large animals are not bothered by your presence. Enjoying your company, you sit patiently among the grasses and flowers to watch them. You admire the buck in his slow, graceful steps. His huge horns are a monument to his years and success as leader of the herd. Soon your eye is caught by a young elk, shakily prancing around its mother, still getting the hang of working all four legs at once.

Not wanting to disturb the group, you edge around the clearing under their watchful eyes, and head back into the trees. As soon as you step into the shadow of the behemoths, you sense a change. You have entered a different part of the forest. The golden glitters you have been following are thicker than ever here. You wonder how old this forest is and what else calls this place its home. The sweet tinkling sound that has been on the edge of your hearing is now clear and coming from just over the next hill. You follow the sound drawn by the peaceful giddiness, welling up inside you.

Completely off the path now, you brush gently by the huge ferns, and run your hands along the rough bark of the trees as you pass them, once you reach the top of the hill, you see a group of seven trees growing together from the same roots. They form a circle, creating a protected hollow between them. The golden sparks are thicker here so that you are moving through a glittering fog. The tinkling sounds are now otherworldly music, drawing you closer to the circle of trees. Mushrooms of all kinds litter the ground, the thick carpet of fallen needles softens your footsteps, creating no noise whatsoever. As you draw nearer to the trees, a warm light seems to glow from them. You feel warm, confident and perfectly content. It's as if someone has wrapped you in a soft blanket, fresh from the dryer. You peer into the circle of trees and are greeted with the sight of thousands of the little golden lights flitting around.

They swarmed together in a glowing orb, the source of your euphoric feeling, you have found the heart of the forest. This place has been undisturbed for thousands of years, and this family of trees have witnessed the great changes of the world. You are a wash in the knowledge that flows from them. You feel their roots running for miles beneath the ground. They are connected to every other living plant in the forest. You feel the pride and satisfaction of providing shelter for thousands of creatures throughout the forest.

You breathe in and out with the trees, appreciating their lifegiving oxygen with every breath. You are wrapped by the minute processes of turning raw sunshine into nutrients. You stay here in the heart of the forest for a while. Time seems to stand still or not exist at all. When you surface from your reverie, you open your eyes to the circle of trees. of trees. The golden light has gone, and the forest has been tinted orange by the setting sun. You leave the circle of trees and return the way you came. On the edge of your vision, you think you see a golden sparkle, but when you turn to look, there is nothing there. You come back to the clearing just in time to see the herd of elk returning to the shelter of the forest. The last one out of the clearing is the buck, who turns back to give you a long look.

He dips his head to you and follows the rest of his herd. The creek burbles a greeting to you as you approach the bank. The fish are less active in the dying sun. You dip your fingers in the stream as they fare well, enjoying another bright rush of cool water. The brave little fish darts out from its hiding spot, thinking the disturbance in the water is food. It darts to your fingers again, but quickly returns to its hiding spot. The setting sun brings cool air as you follow the path past where you met the Fox family earlier.

The ferns are all silent and still now. The forest is settling down for the night. It is like the change of scenes in a theater. It is a moment of transition when the activity of day is winding down and preparing to give way to the nightlife. The birds are singing their last songs, saying goodnight to the sun. You wonder what mysteries the old forest contains at night. You yearn to hear the soft hooding of an owl and be hugged by the comforting embrace of the night forest. You imagine the symphony of crickets that will provide the soundtrack to the calm midnight,

replacing the bright bird song of day. placing the bright bird song of day. But you know it is time to leave and let the forest keep its nightly secrets. The trees whisper to one another as you pass by. Perhaps they are wishing you well, asking you to come back soon, telling you to reach your destination safely. The very tops of the trees so high above your head never cease their gentle swaying. Even with night quickly approaching, the forest is alive with energy. You are calmed and assured by the thought that the trees are always there, standing as guardians for the vast metropolis of life in the forest. As you reach the edge of the forest and your car, you look back at the trees. You look back at the trees. This time you are certain that you see a few specks of gold in the dying light.

You raise your hand and get in and buckle your seatbelt. The car is warm and cozy from the sun. You pause for a few moments, enjoying the view of the orange light on the great trunks. Then you start your car and pull smoothly back on the road. The road twists and turns gently. turns gently. Before you know it, you've arrived at the top of a large hill in the forest. From here you can admire the sky, which has blossomed into oranges, pinks and purples. The beauty of the sunset sky is one that no artist, no matter how talented and gifted,

will ever truly be able to capture with a brush and canvas. It is as alive as the forest, becoming continue on your journey, certain that you have experienced something special here today. you ... ... I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room.

I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. you ... ... I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room.

I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. you I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room.

I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room.

I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. you you you I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room.

I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. you I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing.

I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room.

I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. you I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing.

I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. you you you you you