Hello, I'm Cheryl, and this is Sleep, Tight, Relax, a calming bedtime podcast for the young and young at heart.

Our sleep story is the first chapter of the story of Alice in Wonderland.

Alice is sitting beside her sister and is feeling bored.

She has tried looking at her sister's book, but it has no pictures or conversations, and she

wonders why her sister is even reading it. All of a sudden, Alice sees a white rabbit

running by, wearing a waistcoat and looking at a watch. She watches him go and then when he pops down a hole,

she doesn't think twice and follows him down. Let's see what happens. But before we continue

with our story, let's start by breathing together.

We can practice our deep breathing anytime or anywhere.

But before bed, let's first turn down the lights, get comfortable, and make sure that everything feels as it should.

We are going to do a series of deep, slow breaths.

When you breathe in, be sure to breathe slowly through your nose.

And when you breathe out, try to push all the air out of your lungs.

We often talk about taking belly breaths or filling your belly up like a balloon.

If that helps you visualize the kind of breath to take, then please try.

You can use whatever works for you.

Now, inhale slowly through your nose and count to four in your head,

filling your lungs with more air with each number.

Hold your breath and count to four in your head.

Slowly exhale through your mouth, focusing on getting all the air out of your lungs.

Take your time and focus on slow, controlled, deep breaths.

Breathe in, two, three, four.

...