Hello,
My name is Hilary Lafon.
I'm so grateful that you've joined me today to explore a beach visualization.
Let's get started.
Finding yourself in a comfortable position,
Sitting upright,
Feet flat on the floor,
Palms down or face up and if you feel ready close your eyes.
Let a moment pass by as you settle in,
Allowing the past to stay in the past and the future to not enter your mind,
Just being present.
Noticing what today feels like for you.
How do you feel emotionally?
You might feel peaceful,
Free,
Alive.
You could be bogged down,
Sad,
Angry.
There is no right or wrong,
Just noticing is the practice.
Without trying to change how you're feeling,
Just notice and observe how you feel physically.
Noticing if there's any tightness around the eyes,
The jaw,
The back of the head.
Noticing any sensation in the neck,
In the chest,
In the back.
Allowing your stomach muscles to relax,
Your legs to get heavy in the chair,
Your arms to hang.
And now bring an awareness to your breath.
Exhaling all the breath out,
Inhaling deeply through the nose and exhaling through the nose or the mouth.
Allowing a wave of relaxation to wash over you.
Allow yourself to take a few more breaths,
Deep breaths in,
Full belly breaths and exhaling all the breath out.
Inhaling in and exhaling out.
Allow your breath to come back to its natural rhythm and with each inhale and exhale,
Allow your body to soften,
Melt.
Take a small little break in your day.
I encourage you to join me in your mind's eye and visualize yourself standing in front of a vast ocean,
An ocean of your choice.
What beach is your favorite?
If you've never been to a beach,
Just imagine blue waters far out to the horizon as far as the eye can see,
Spanning from left to right.
Visualize a beach,
Soft and sandy.
Notice what's going on in the sky.
Create your own beach.
Create your own sky.
Are there clouds in the sky?
Are there seagulls overhead?
Is the sun shining bright on your skin?
Feel a sense of warmth,
Relaxation and safety wash over you.
You're in a safe,
Calm place and in your mind's eye,
Walk yourself onto the sand,
Onto the beach,
Towards the shoreline.
Feel the sand,
Nice and warm,
Covering your feet as you step,
Walking slowly,
Rhythmically towards the ocean.
And when you come to a good spot,
Allow yourself to sit down.
Again,
Feeling the sand,
Soft,
Smooth on the body.
Feel free to lay out a towel or a blanket if sand is not relaxing for you.
And just sitting there,
Focus on what you can see in your mind's eye.
Are you on a beach that's crowded?
Are you on a beach where there's just a few individuals,
Families?
Do you hear children laughing or is it silent?
Create the beach experience that is most pleasurable for yourself.
Are there animals running around?
Maybe one is sitting by your side.
And if your mind is wandering,
Return to your breath,
Anchoring you to the present moment.
Noticing how your physical form feels right now and if there's any adjustments that need to be made,
Feel free.
This is your beach vacation in the middle of your day.
Allow yourself to be comfortable.
Breathing deeply and relaxing,
Returning to the mind's eye.
Continuing to notice what you see visually,
The colors,
The shapes.
Now what do you hear?
Do you hear the birds in the sky?
The children laughing and playing?
Animals barking?
Or is it silent?
And you just hear the rhythmic in and out of the waves crashing.
Is the ocean calm for you?
Are the waves small or large?
Is it low tide or high tide?
Just noticing,
Observing,
Seeing and hearing.
Allowing this relaxing trip to the beach to soften your arms,
Letting your legs be heavy.
Noticing that your breath is becoming longer,
Deeper and stronger.
Taking deep belly breaths,
Avoiding the shallow chest breaths.
Allowing your stomach muscles,
Your back muscles to all do their job and to breathe deeply and completely.
Relaxing you from head to toe.
Sitting on the sand or lying on a towel or blanket.
Notice what you feel in your body.
The warmth of the sun,
The cool breeze.
Noticing any smells that come your way.
What do you smell when you're at the ocean?
Visualize a clean beach,
Clean ocean water.
Smelling the salty air.
Maybe there's a barbecue going on at the sand pit.
Notice if there's anything you taste in your own mouth.
Maybe the fresh bite of a crisp watermelon or cherries.
A fruit that you brought with you to snack on while you relax in the warm,
Perfectly temperature day.
Maybe you brought an umbrella to protect yourself from the sun.
Feeling warm,
Comfortable and safe.
Breathing in and out.
See if you can get yourself one percentage more relaxed or comfortable.
Is there anywhere on your body that you feel tension or tightness?
Maybe you started grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw,
Gripping your fingers or your toes.
Inhaling and exhaling,
Letting this go.
Reminding your body it does know how to relax.
Reminding your muscles they don't always need to be activated.
Feeling alive and well.
Take one last long,
Deep,
Luxurious look at your ocean.
Smelling the last smells,
Feeling the sensations,
Hearing the sounds.
Knowing in your mind you can come back here anytime you want.
If only you have just a few moments to sit and breathe and dream.
Coming back to your physical body.
As we end our time together let's take three deep breaths.
Exhaling all your breath out.
Inhaling deeply and completely.
Taking in more breath than you think you can.
And then exhaling,
Sighing it out,
Letting it go.
Feeling content where you are.
Two more times inhale and exhale.
Allowing another wave of relaxation to watch over you like the warm sun.
One more time together inhale and exhale.
Before you open your eyes take note how you feel now versus how you felt when you started.
It may not always be what you desire but noticing the shift and the change can help remind you that all emotions and feelings do change.
This too shall pass.
As you open your eyes taking a look around maybe place a small smile on your face.
Thank yourself in your mind for spending 15 minutes giving yourself a nice little mini vacation.
Thank you for allowing me the precious gift of your time.
Until next time.
