Welcome,
And thank you for joining me.
This meditation is titled,
The Quiet After the Waves.
It's dedicated to all who have served,
Those who have stood in noise and chaos and are now learning to listen again for silence.
After years of service and vigilance,
It can be hard to turn that switch off.
The body still listens for sounds that aren't there.
The mind still waits for what might happen next.
In the wake of long storms,
Stillness can feel unfamiliar.
After a storm though,
The ocean always returns to calm.
That same calm exists inside you in the quiet rhythm of your breathing.
As the breath slows,
The body begins to trust again,
Releasing what it no longer needs to hold.
This practice is an invitation to connect with that calm,
To let the mind float gently,
To rest in the body's quiet rhythm,
And to remember that peace is never gone,
Only waiting beneath the surface.
Let's begin.
Find a position that feels comfortable and supported.
Perhaps you're seated,
With your back upright but relaxed,
Or maybe you're lying down with your arms resting at your sides.
Choose whatever position allows you to feel relaxed and at ease.
When you're ready,
Gently close your eyes.
Begin to feel the weight of your body settling into this position.
Relax your forehead,
Soften through the throat and the shoulders.
Let the arms hang easy.
Feel your legs resting fully,
Anchored and still.
Let's begin with a simple breathing exercise to help ground us.
I'd like you to take a slow breath in through your nose for a count of four,
And then let it out with a long,
Gentle exhale through your mouth for a count of six.
We'll do this four times together.
Go ahead and inhale through your nose for four seconds,
And now slowly exhale through your mouth for six.
Again,
Inhale through the nose and exhale through your mouth.
Inhale and exhale.
One last time,
Inhale and now exhale completely.
Allow your breath now to return to its natural rhythm.
No effort,
No control.
Just the simple act of breathing is enough.
As the breath settles,
Notice the gentle rhythm that remains,
Rising and falling,
Steady and calm,
Like waves along a quiet shore.
Don't try to change anything.
Just notice the rhythm that's already here.
I'd like you to imagine yourself standing near the ocean at dusk.
The air is cool.
The light softens across the horizon.
You can hear the slow,
Even rhythm of the tide perfectly sync to your breath.
Imagine taking a few steps closer to the water now.
With each step,
Notice how the sand shifts beneath your feet,
Firm at first,
And then softer,
And softer,
Until the edge of the water greets your toes.
The surface ripples around your ankles,
And as each wave recedes,
It draws away a little tension,
A little weight you no longer need to carry.
Old worries,
The need to stay on guard,
And the quiet fatigue of trying to hold it all together.
Now,
Picture yourself moving a bit deeper into the water,
Just enough so the gentle push and pull of the tide gently rocks your body.
You're floating now,
Supported by the water,
Safe,
Still.
As you float in the water,
Imagine that each wave that comes towards you carries something from the past,
A memory,
A sound,
A moment that once demanded all of you.
You don't need to chase it or try to hold on to it.
Just simply let it pass,
Like a cloud drifting across the sky.
As you float,
You start to notice the color of the sky changing.
Maybe stars begin to appear,
Each one reflected in the water around you.
Let's stay here together for a few minutes.
As we come toward the end of this practice,
Begin to feel the weight of your body resting where you are.
Notice the air on your skin,
The gentle movement of your breath.
Maybe you start to have a few small movements in your fingers or your toes,
A soft stretch through your shoulders or neck.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Take a moment to notice how you feel.
Maybe a little more grounded,
A little more at ease.
As you move back into your day,
Remember that the same calm you felt here never really leaves.
It's waiting quietly beneath the surface,
Ready whenever you wish to return to it.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
You are always welcome here.
Namaste.
