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 seventh chapter of the story Alice in Wonderland.

Alice is going to a tea party at the Mad Hatters.

She arrives and sees the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the the dormouse. They offer her some juice, but when

she looks around, she can see there is only tea. Alice is very confused about everything that is

happening and gets quite upset at the Dormouse's story.

Finally, she gets up to leave and heads off on her journey again.

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 slowly breathe 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.

...