Mind Vacation Get away from your daily stresses with this brief visualization meditation.
This is your time for relaxation.
If you can,
Find somewhere quiet to sit,
Where you won't be distracted.
Sit comfortably.
Place your feet flat on the ground and slightly apart.
Rest your hands on your knees.
Allow your spine to lengthen upwards through the top of your head,
Like a string is pulling your spine up,
Easily and gently,
Releasing any tension from your shoulders.
Feel them dropping.
Slightly tuck your chin to bring more length to the back of your neck.
Soften your forehead and allow your eyes to gently close if this feels comfortable.
Take a few full deep breaths.
Feel the breath drawing in through your nose,
Allowing your belly to expand.
Release your exhale with a gentle sigh through your mouth.
Again,
In through your nostrils,
Feeling the slight cold air at the front of your nose,
As you breathe down into your belly and out through your mouth.
Settle then into your natural breathing pattern,
In and out,
In and out.
Now,
In your mind,
See yourself walking towards an empty beach,
Walking on a path of old wooden planks.
Feel your bare feet warmed by the smooth,
Dark,
Aged wood beams you are walking on.
All around there are bushes of sea grass,
Gently rustling in the breeze.
You reach the end of the path and stop.
You stand there,
Looking ahead.
The ocean stretches out in front of you,
The horizon spanning as far as the eye can see.
The endless blue sky adorned with just a few wisps of white clouds floating in the distance.
You feel the warm sun on your cheeks,
On your forehead.
Seeing it cast its bright light across the sand,
Moving down the beach as the clouds pass along.
You step off the path,
Feeling your toes and the sole of your feet touching the warm sand.
Your feet relax into the sand.
The salty air tickles your nose as you breathe in deeply,
Savouring the fresh,
Clean air.
The warm breeze softly caresses your legs,
Arms.
You can feel it,
Your hands dancing between your fingers.
Listen to the gentle waves lapping in the shoreline.
Hear the waves rippling in and flowing out,
In and out,
In and out.
Allow this rhythm to lull you into a deep,
Deep calm.
You move forward and walk across through the sand,
Feeling the different textures on your feet as you make your way to a single beach chair,
Sitting facing the ocean.
You sit down,
Allowing yourself to sink into the chair,
Already warmed by the sun,
Feeling the soft fabric against your skin.
You sit there,
Feeling very relaxed,
Very calm,
Just looking out at the water.
The big white ocean before you,
The waves rolling in and out,
The deep blue hue,
Punctuated by the cresting waves.
High above the ocean,
Far out in the distance you notice two seagulls,
Gracefully soaring high in the sky,
Very far out,
Tiny to the eye.
You hear their soft,
Distant cries,
Becoming fainter and fainter as they glide further and further away.
You allow your eyes to close,
Basking in the sunlight on the face.
Listen to the gentle rolling of the waves,
Matching your calm,
Steady breath,
In and out,
In and out.
You feel totally relaxed,
All your tension is gone,
You feel very calm.
When you are ready to return from your vacation,
Do so slowly.
Take one deep breath in through your nose and push it out through your mouth.
Bring your attention back to your body by wiggling your toes,
Wiggling your fingers,
And then stretching gently.
Open your eyes and sit quietly for a moment.
Notice how relaxed your mind and body feels,
Knowing that you can create this feeling again during the day simply reconnecting with your breath and thinking the word vacation.
