Hello, I'm Cheryl, and this is Sleep Tight Relax, a calming bedtime podcast of the story Alice in Wonderland.

Alice has left the Mad Hatter's Tea Party and is now in the garden where she will meet the Queen of Hearts.

Alice sees some gardeners painting white roses red and wonders why they are doing this.

They try to explain, but as they are explaining, the king and queen arrive, and they throw themselves

face down onto the ground.

Alice is not quite sure what to do, so she stands and waits.

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,

and then 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.

...