Hi.
Thank you for joining.
My name is Marla.
I'm going to lead you all in a relaxation meditation.
I like to call it ocean breathing.
So I want to invite you to find a comfortable place where you can lie down or sit up,
Have some water nearby,
And make sure you're comfortable.
You need to grab a blanket or a pillow.
Now I want you to allow yourself to gently close your eyes and notice how you're breathing.
Often when we bring awareness to our breath,
It starts to change.
And that's okay.
Allow it to do that if that is what happens.
And wherever your breath is at,
I want to invite you to slow it down and deepen it.
You're going to inhale through your nose and then gently exhale slowly out of your mouth.
I want you to imagine that it is a pleasant,
Beautiful day at the beach.
The sun is shining.
The waves are gently crashing.
There are seagulls around.
You can feel the warm sand supporting your body.
And at your next inhale,
I want to invite you to see that breath like a wave.
So when you breathe in,
That wave is being pulled back into the ocean.
And then when you feel like you've had enough air,
You're full,
You let yourself slowly release that air.
The wave crashes gently and stretches along the shore.
Visualizing the ocean while taking these deep,
Slow breaths just allows us to find another level of relaxation.
And how the ocean doesn't pause,
It just continues a flow,
It continues a cycle,
So does your breath.
So allow yourself now to breathe in,
That wave's being pulled back,
And then gently release it.
The wave crashes and spreads out on the shore.
And just allow yourself to continue this cycle of ocean breathing,
Allowing yourself to pull that air back like the wave,
And then allowing it to gently spread,
Making its way across the sand.
I want you to find your own rhythm here.
I want you to allow yourself to breathe in what is comfortable,
Finding your pace,
Finding how much air to inhale,
And just let yourself be at the beach,
One with the ocean,
The gentle ocean.
You're doing a great job.
I want you to notice,
As you're taking these ocean breaths,
How your muscles relax,
Your heart rate slows down.
And at your next exhale,
If there's anything you're carrying,
Any stress,
Any worry,
Anything that is not helping you,
That is not serving you,
I want you to imagine that you are releasing that with your next exhale.
Letting that go as much as you can,
Allowing yourself to detox unhealthy thought patterns,
And then find your way back to that peaceful,
Gentle ocean.
If there's any tension around your face,
I want you to imagine that it's melting away,
Gently melting away,
Softening as your breathing continues to slow down,
Deepen,
And move with the water.
Sometimes when we allow ourselves to really slow down and deepen our breath,
There can be emotions that come up,
And just allow those to,
If they do.
I know also our minds tend to distract us with different thoughts,
And it's okay if that happens.
Just let yourself notice that thought,
And put it to the side.
You will give it attention at the right time,
But right now is not that time.
Right now is your connection to the ocean,
To your breath,
To slowing down.
So any distraction,
Any distracting thought,
Just acknowledge it,
And then bring yourself back to that ocean,
To those waves,
The gentle pulling back and crashing.
That water spreads across the sand.
You might even imagine the sound of the sand pulling back.
And in the next moment,
I want you to just take a notice of what is happening with your body.
I want you to let yourself see how there is less tension,
There is less stress,
And just know any time you need to slow down,
Any time you're feeling overwhelmed or exhausted,
You can always allow yourself to take an ocean breath.
This can be done with your eyes open or closed.
So at any time,
Just taking one of those breaths with the waves,
With that beautiful,
Peaceful day at the beach.
And I'd like you to start to bring awareness back to the room or the space that you are in.
So just start to notice the sounds around you,
The subtle layers.
I want you to notice the temperature in the air,
Where your body is exposed to the air and where your body is being touched by cloth or clothing or blanket.
Just bringing awareness to your physical experience.
You can let yourself gently move your toes,
Move your fingers a little bit.
And when you're ready,
You will slowly open your eyes and return back to where you are.
And just know that this is now another tool in your toolbox,
Ocean breathing.
Congratulations on participating today.
I really hope that this was calming and relaxing and centering for you.
And I want to invite you to allow this to be something that you refer to when needed.
Have a beautiful rest of your day,
Evening,
And thank you for joining me.
