Our sleep is, for the most part, relaxed and peaceful. After a hard day's work, it is easy to lay the work aside and fall into a place of calm and relaxation. But there are plenty of our brothers and sisters who are not getting enough sleep every night. They are "sleep deprived" and that is not a good thing for the mind, the body, or the soul.

In our "Praying the News" blog, we offered a "A Prayer for Those Who Are Sleep Deprived" and asked the God of Night to help them get the rest they need to do their work well, not be a danger to others, and to know greater peace of mind.

For these folks and others, we highly recommend the deeply soothing Shakuhachi (a simple bamboo flute) music of Riley Lee who is the recipient of two venerated lineages of traditional shakuhachi, traceable back to the Zen "priests of nothingness." He is the first non-Japanese to attain the rank of "Grand Master."

Lee has designed this CD "to help you find a physical and mental space that is conducive to sleep. Since we slumber in cycles, the album and the five tracks are organized around the stages of Drifting, Descending, Stillness, Ascending, and Realization. Relax and let yourself go.