Good Night, Forest Animals

Deep in the mountains, there’s a small stream that springs from a high hill. However, it’s not any ordinary stream — it has magical powers. Every night it gurgles rhythmically and encourages all the forest creatures to enter dreamland.

Forest animals aren’t like us humans. They don’t sleep through the whole night—in fact, they often have the most energy in the evening and at night. Instead, they sleep whenever they feel calm and safe. This might be in the early morning, during the day, or even for a little while in the middle of the night. But the stream knows that today has been a long day. So this evening, it invites us to help it lull all the restless creatures of the forest to sleep, so they can get a little rest. So let’s close our eyes really tight and imagine we are teeny-tiny. We’re huddled together on a freshly-fallen oak leaf, and are coasting along the surface of the stream.

As we float in the glow of the moon we let our whole self relax. We can rest our arms and legs and allow the gentle stream to carry us away. Our body is at ease and we’re feeling calm.

Our breathing is getting slower. We breathe in, we breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Again, slowly.

The oak leaf is drifting on this silent stream, taking us on an enchanting journey through the woods. We can still glimpse the last of the sun’s rays, while a quiet and peaceful night follows close behind.

We’re now approaching a flat stone where a small frog sits. He’s feeling tired after a long day full of froggy adventures. Before falling asleep, he waits for us to wave good night and wish…