We're going to do a short visualization exercise today.
It's going to be like a mini vacation for your mind,
A little mental vacation.
But let's start by getting nice and comfortable.
You can sit comfortably up in a chair or on your couch.
You can even lay down for this short exercise if you like.
Now that you're comfortable,
Let's be sure you're not holding any tension in your body.
On your next exhale,
Feel all the muscles of your face relax.
On your next exhale,
Feel your shoulders fall away from your ears.
On your next exhale,
Your arms get heavy.
On your next exhale,
Feel your belly relax and get nice and soft.
On your next exhale,
Your hips sink into the cushion supporting you.
On your next exhale,
Your legs feel heavy and relaxed.
Take a few more nice,
Long,
Deep breaths and notice if you are holding any more tension in your body.
And if so,
Breathe into that place.
Allow your breath to help ease that tension and tightness.
And now you can let your breath return to its natural rhythm,
Just moving in and out all on its own.
And in your mind's eye,
Take yourself to a beautiful beach,
Maybe the most beautiful beach you've ever visited or a beach you've seen in a picture that looks appealing to you.
Maybe it's on your bucket list as a trip.
Picture in your mind's eye that you're sitting on this beach and you're noticing all of the details.
You have the beach to yourself.
It's nice and quiet.
So you can really take a moment to observe.
What color is the sand?
How does it feel?
What color is the water?
Is it darker or more turquoise?
Do you feel a gentle breeze on your skin?
Do you smell the salt air?
Are there birds flying overhead?
Are you sitting or standing on the sand?
Are you in a chair or a hammock?
Really get a sense of yourself on this beautiful beach.
And as you look out into the beautiful,
Stunning water,
You notice the rhythmic patterns of the waves.
The gentle rhythm of a wave coming in and then it moving back out.
And as you watch this beautiful,
Relaxing,
Calming pattern,
Your breath begins to mimic this pattern.
So as a wave comes in,
You feel your breath.
Inhale.
And as the wave moves out,
You feel your exhale.
Another wave comes in with your inhale and it goes out with your exhale.
Keep watching the waves and breathing and matching the rhythm of your breath to the rhythm of the waves.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
And now it is time to leave the beach.
But this is a place you can come back to in your mind's eye anytime you need to relax and bring some calm and peace into your day.
You can do this for a more extended period of time or even as a one minute meditation to give yourself a little mini mental break throughout your day.
Thank you for spending this time with me.
You can let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
You can stretch your body in any way that feels good.
And whenever you feel ready,
You can slowly open your eyes.
I hope you enjoyed this trip to the beach as much as I did.
