Coming Home: Morning Oceanside Meditation

Start your morning with the relaxing sounds of the Caribbean ocean as the gentle waves meet the shore. Wake up with enchanting birdsongs from the beautiful island of Jamaica. Come home to yourself through the breath with the sounds of nature in this oceanside meditation as you connect to yourself in this gentle mindful breathing meditation.

Transcript

Good morning from the beautiful island of Jamaica.

I'm at my home away from home,

The Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios.

The very first time I arrived here,

They said,

Welcome home.

Instantly,

I knew I was home.

I come home here every summer to restore and reset my body,

Mind,

My soul.

I feel so connected here.

You may notice sounds of the ocean,

Sounds of the Caribbean,

The birds.

And just allow these sounds of nature to help you come home,

Home to yourself,

Home to your body.

So let's begin by going inward to what nourishes us,

Our breath.

So allowing your spine to get tall,

The eyes to close,

Your gaze down,

Relaxing your jaw,

Dropping the shoulders away from the ears.

First,

Let's just begin noticing our breath,

Noticing that we're alive this morning.

I start each day with five deep breaths.

And this morning,

I'm out by the ocean.

It's hard not to be with your feet in the sand or in the ocean and feeling the interconnectedness of life.

I feel so at home on this island.

I feel connected to the land,

The water,

The lush landscapes,

The beautiful people of Jamaica.

They're so loving,

Their motto is out of many,

One people.

How can one not feel at home when you're surrounded by nature and loving people that is home?

And then just begin noticing the air coming in through your nose throughout this practice.

Still,

Allow the sounds of the birds,

The ocean waves to help you be here in this moment.

I like to connect my breath with each wave.

Feeling my belly expand on the inhale,

Almost like a wave rising across the surf.

As I exhale,

My body drops,

Softens like a wave gently receding back to the earth.

Keep noticing your thoughts,

Checking the quality and noticing if you've gotten lost in distraction without judging it.

Just bring the mind back to the breath.

It's like a wave that just keeps coming and going.

It's not about when the mind leaves,

It's about when we come home.

Each time we notice that distraction,

That's what rewires the brain.

It's the nature of the mind,

It's normal.

But each time we notice that,

That we've left,

We return to our breath,

We come home to ourselves.

This is your true nature,

This place of peace,

Of stillness.

Can you just be here,

Feeling so alive in this moment?

Let's take five more deep breaths together.

William James said,

We are like islands in the sea,

Separate on the surface,

But connected in the deep.

Thanks for connecting with me this morning in the deep.

Welcome home.

Reviews

Beautiful. I am glad you can "return home" each year. As this practice's audio ended, the southern birdsong was replaced with that of the birds here in Michigan spring... Connection was deeply felt. Thank you.

I felt like I was in Jamaica with Ashley! She has such a soothing voice and presence.

Ash, you know I love you but all I could think about for 6 minutes was getting on Expedia to book a trip to Jamaica! JK, splendid as always. Thank you.

I felt transported to paradise! The ocean sounds and Ashley’s calming voice allow all the stress to melt away providing me the opportunity to come home. Lovely!