Star Wars™ X-wing Voyage

Night has fallen on the surface of Yavin 4. The hidden rebel base and surrounding forest are shrouded in shadow, almost erased from view. The sky above is untouched by artificial light and glows with a vibrant red hue cast by the nearby gas giant, Yavin, primary star to our current location. Conditions are perfect for an evening flight through the stars. Inside the star ship hanger, crew members make their final adjustments to a docked X-wing, tightening bolts and checking fuel levels. R2-D2 is carefully loaded into the rear cockpit area and locks himself into place. The navigation system switches on, and the ship's engine roars to life. The transparent hatch around the front cockpit slowly lowers and seals in place. Up ahead, a crew member signals that all systems are a go. With a gentle sway, the ship pushes up away from the ground and orients towards the exit. As we pass through the blast doors and pick up speed into the night sky, let's settle in for the evening with a short wind-down exercise. Tonight's wind down is an exercise we call noting. It helps to soothe the mind. And once you've learned it, you can even use it if you wake up during the night. And we're going to be counting our breaths and then just gently noting thoughts and feelings as they arise. We're not trying to change them. We're simply labeling thinking as thinking, feeling as feeling. It may sound incredibly simple, but it can help to create distance between ourselves and the thought and ourselves and the feeling so we don't get so involved in it. That, in turn, creates a more restful state of mind. In other words, the perfect conditions for gentle, restful sleep. So to begin, just take a moment or two to get comfortable. Make sure you're nice and cool. Just starting with some big, deep breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And with the next out breath, allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm, in and out through the nose. And feeling the weight of the body pressing you down into your bed. And in your own time, starting to count the breaths as they pass. One with the rise, two with the fall just up to a count of 10. When you get to 10, you can stop and start again at one. And remember, anytime you get distracted, the moment you realize you're distracted by thought, simply note it thinking and return to the breath. Or if a feeling arises, note it as feeling and return to the breath. Noting is very gentle, not harsh at all. Think of it like a a feather just gently touching the surface of a crystal glass. I'm going to give you a few moments just to keep counting the breath and noting any thoughts and feelings that arise. That's great. In the Anoat sector of the Outer Rim, the airy, ethereal planet...