hs: island market

welcome to this lovely island tonight we are going to tour the market the place where people come from the countryside to sell their wares and the craftsman of the town display their handiwork we're here at the end of the day as the sellers pack up their stalls the atmosphere is one of gathering rest before we begin our tour it's nice to start with a wind down exercise for tonight's wind down you're going to use your imagination so no matter what's been going on today whether it's been a busy day or a calm one this is an opportunity to put everything down to let go of any inner chatter and find a place of rest in both the body and the mind so first get yourself comfortable in bed taking a moment to pause and be still and when you're ready taking a big deep breath breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth and as you breathe out allowing the body to sink down into your bed feeling the weight of the body allowing thoughts to come and go now imagining a steady flow of warm sunlight flowing down through the body dissolving any tension any discomfort as it begins to fill the body starting with the toes moving up through the feet and the legs being filled with sunlight the qualities of warmth space and ease as it continues to travel up through the body up past the waist to the back in the stomach it's as though it washes away any discomfort it continues up through the chest and the back into the shoulders and down the arms all the way down to the hands and fingers a sense of relief in the body and stillness in the mind as it continues to travel up through the neck and the throat into the head and face all the way to the very top of the body until there's nothing other than that sense of stillness remaining and now just gently bringing the attention back to the body you are here at the arch that marks the entrance to the market it is a simple construction of wood painted with colors that have gone tender with time what might once have been red now him.the froze dandelion yellow now pale as the sand beneath our sandaled feet the colors mirror the sashes of light unfurling lazily across the sky dark with blues and purples a sky that you can see resting above the swaying crowns of palm trees and the rose of market stands as though satiated from a day of good work watching over the island all day the ground has been drinking the sunlight now it releases its warmth to mingle with the cool breath of the sea this translucent hour when light and dark weave through each other in perfect balance like a visible song you feel it course through you humming at your fingertips almost beyond your hearing the sound of waves crashing gently on the beach then receding the air that glides on your tongue tastes faintly of salt the market runs through the heart of this coastal city like a vital artery all around you the islands pulse slows down you step through the arch as you walk slowly down the main path you notice that all the hustle and bustle you would expect from a market have melted away you can see the silhouettes of vendors counting what remains of their wares in no rush as they laugh and talk softly with each other their voices carry like small bells in the tropical breeze as a toys with your hair on either side of you a square of unpaved field that serves as a parking lot during the day both are empty now but for a handful of old trucks and the Morse code bands of fireflies the sand covered pavement is imprinted by tire patterns like incomplete mandalas as you approach the first block of spans bracketing the paths you pass a sleepy water buffalo leash to the trunk of a palm tree its horns are trimmed and its black fur appears velvety to the touch what a dignified animal you pause to observe a dip it's grape head into a trough filled with grass you admire the calm Hill of its back the way its mighty hooves seem to root deep into the earth now it lifts its head Tufts of grass protruding from its lips as it swishes its tail in pleasure it gives its back at you with eyes that remind you of dark tea on a rainy day you smile accepting the water buffaloes welcome feeling the last of the day's worries trickle away you are drawn out of your reverie and back to the main path by the smell of incense burning it seems to be coming from a small courtyard just ahead to your right the night lets down its hair around you graded here and there with ribbons of magenta you follow your nose to the edge of the courtyard where some vendors seem to be gathering before heading out on their journeys back to the countryside at the center of the courtyard is a stone statue of a woman she carries paddy in her arms and other feet the people have laid palm leaf trays of betelnut lime flowers and pink burning incense an elderly woman in a sarong her gray hair wound in a meat bun grins as she haggles with a younger man in a straw hat she wishes to trade for his last liter of homemade soy sauce what's left of her basket of snake fruit a local delicacy with crunchy sweet lobes under its scaly brown skin everyone looks relaxed and is moving at their own pace a large clean-shaven man is strapping a crate full of blissfully sleeping hymns to the backseat of his motorcycle several young women help each other hoist large baskets of papaya mango and durian onto flat turbans wrapped around the tops of their heads the cushion stabilizes the baskets and protects the women's heads from their strange crowns straightening up little by little they catch you're amazed expression like Queens they smile and wave goodbye on your way to the next band you are greeted by a fresh sea breeze that carries with it a trace of percussive music from a distant temple it lingers briefly in the air fluttering a butterfly of sound in this state of calm wonder you pass by a stand where tens of large kites are hanging by hook and rope from the ceiling they gently knock against you and each other like playful children how inventive how marvelous these creatures of bamboo cotton die they imitate and exceed their models in life a manta ray striped yellow and cerulean taps your arm with one of its pointed fins if you were to stand it on the floor it will be taller than you behind it a winged lizard imagine how majestic it would be gliding over the beach it's black and orange but Pei Jia spread out to ride the currents of a salty mist we weave through the strange gallery past the dragonfly the green tree frog the Phoenix the squids violet streamers your eyes fall on a rainbow colored Brigantine it's magnificent sails kept hurled by a web of translucent strings nailed to the stands rafters behind it a light blue wall with eyes closed you can see the ores rising and falling along the bridge sides smell the brine seasoning the deck here it's sailors singing for home over the market the moon makes her deliberate ascent she has been compared to so many things but tonight she escapes all likeness the moon is a silver loveliness like no other yet at this stand you are treated to glimpses of her earthly counterparts the vendor a bespectacled woman where the jasmine flower tucked behind one ear has left you a few baskets to explore while she finishes packing up in the first basket rings of various sizes and designs all set with Jasper you choose an oval cut of a particularly dark red shade nearly crimson with a thin band of charcoal around its middle red on the island is a color associated with courage in the second basket bracelets of nephrite beads a species of jade here is one with an unusual lemony cast each beat in the loop has been cut and round it perfectly you slip it down your left hand reveling in its weight and coolness it's like wearing the summer sea around your wrist in the third basket you find a brooch cut into the shape of a turtle its shell is set with plates of dark blue opal that sparkles with its own inner flame as though it has swallowed the galaxy itself what a rare gift holding this small piece of the cosmos in your hand you feel how solid the ground is under you and exhale as you make your way down the market path the last carves of rose and gold in the sky grow transparent revealing the indigo neck of the night around you the pearl glow of lanterns envelops you in a feeling of safety and well-being you approach another stand shelves have been built along the walls that's separated from its neighbors on them wood figurines are arranged the lights of a nearby Lantern swims on their smooth surfaces making them shimmer with an understated brilliance you scan the figurines on one wall some are no bigger than your pinky finger while others are as tall as the length of your forearms some are charcoal black others blonde as ripe wheat they depict various animals and figures treasured by the people of the island here's one of an elephant carved of sewer wood and sent it with Jasmine oil on his head sits an elaborate helmet it's centerpiece a lotus rests above a pair of small eyes that regard you with equanimity you are transfixed the magnificent trunk unfurled its tip dipping into a bowl of honey a rug is draped on the elephant's back on which a small child sits one hand wielding a branch we're row of Myna Birds sit their beaks opening like a course filled with sky the elephant's ears like two large orchids open and resilient its belly round and sure as the planet on which you stand erase the elephants on your palm and your eyes catch the final detail creases carved into its skin like rivers and their tributaries of time at the first stand you find long bolts of cloth unique to the people of the island arrayed on a long table in the dusky light the many colors and combinations of colors are muted but their intricate patterns remain clear like your mind right now in harmony with the world around it you pick up a bolt of cloth from the table and let it unfold it is as long as your height from your feet to your waist which tells you it is meant to be worn as a wrap you lift it to your face and the scent of sandalwood with a hint of vanilla washes over you how wonderful you lay down the cloth on the table admiring its design the ink in which it is drawn has been treated with wax to keep it from penetrating the fabric running your fingers across it you feel the raised lines that make up the pattern it is a banana leaves shape inside which tiny curls like commas cluster around two dotted lines whose curves parallel those of the leaf the curls further part around a crescent shape at the center of the leaf from which five thick wavy Ray's emerge like a sunset the design is repeated and rose across the bowls of cloth in alternating colors blue leaf white curls black sunset white leaf black curls blue sunset blue leaf white curls black sunset white leaf black curls blue sunset you are here beneath the graffiti of stars encased in the pearled light the flow burning lanterns behind you the rows of wood beams and tin roofs that housed the meticulous miraculous crafts produced by human hands before you jagged slopes and the interrupted lines of the city glittering with the electricity of people gather to share their meals stories kindnesses a few maya trees have been left to grow and cast their shade at this end of the market in their protection a family of monkeys sleep through the night surrounded by the precious treasures they borrowed from the markets crowd earlier in the day a comb a sneaker the back of plantain chips a calculator from where you are standing you can see a procession of vendors and vehicles making their way down the main market path this is a new group arriving the set of their stands for tomorrow's market there laughter drifts on the air like tiny kites a younger man takes a heavy basket loaded with fruit from an elderly one hoisting it onto his broad shoulders a woman climbs off her motorcycle to which a food cart is attached and removes her helmet to wipe her brow a boy is waving what looks like corn cobs in both hands from an open truck bed the breeze touches you like a note in your favorite song here the scent of the city is stronger though it remains out of sight it smells of something without end

Channel: Xanax

Views: 1,953

Rating: 4.8571429 out of 5

Keywords: sleepcast, headspace, meditation

Id: B1-VWGIsENU

Length: 40min 0sec (2400 seconds)

Published: Thu May 28 2020