Welcome to this visualization meditation of breathing with the ocean.
Find a comfortable seat,
Relax the shoulders down and soften the features of your face.
When you feel ready,
Close down your eyes and start to pay attention to your breath.
Feeling the breath move in and out of the body,
Slow and gentle,
Perhaps deepening the breath,
Slightly exaggerating your inhalation and slowing down your exhalation.
If you are familiar with Ujjayi breath,
You might add a gentle constriction at the back of the throat creating an audible sound of the breath just as the waves move across the ocean.
As you sit with this natural flow of breath in and out,
Imagine yourself sitting somewhere beside the ocean.
Spend a moment to create this place in your mind's eye.
Perhaps this is somewhere familiar that you have been before or a creation of your imagination.
Feel the surface of the earth below your seat,
The time of day,
Sunrise or sunset,
And the light as it dances across the surface of the ocean.
Continue with your steady flowing breath just as waves flow in and out at the seashore.
Feel the temperature of the air as it moves across your skin,
Saltiness of the sea breeze.
As you watch,
Feel the body swell like the waves moving into shore on your inhale.
And as you exhale,
The waves gently disperse back to the ocean.
In,
The waves move into the sand,
And back out,
Gently receding back into the body of water.
Perhaps you feel now a gentle sway of the body in rhythm with the breath,
In rhythm with the waves of the ocean.
Allow the body to remain soft and relaxed as the breath gently sways,
Calms the body.
Breath moves in as the waves move in towards the sand.
Breath moves out as the water gently moves back to the ocean.
Allow yourself to sit with this visualization for a few moments.
Mind's awareness stays with the constant and flowing rhythm of the breath.
If your mind's attention journeys away from the breath,
Gently guide yourself back to the sensations of sitting here in this beautiful place you've created in your mind's eye.
Hear the sound of the breath,
Feel the temperature of the air,
And allow yourself to be soothed by this constant steady sway of the ocean.
Feel yourself at one with this natural wonder.
You can remain in this space for as long as it feels soothing for you,
Staying present with this calming grounding breath.
When you do feel ready to move into the next part of your day,
Finding a deeper breath,
Allowing the breath to re-energize the body,
Exhaling out any tension,
Allowing it to dissolve away,
Gently blinking the eyes open,
And yet still feeling the beautiful presence of nature that surrounds you.
