Beach Visualization Meditation

This is a simple visualization meditation set on a beach of the listeners' choosing. The intention here is to relax both body and mind. Visualization practices have been shown to help manage anxiety, ease stress, and calm the mind for better sleep. Hope you enjoy it.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to our visualization meditation.

In this meditation we are going to go on a journey through a landscape in our mind.

We will be visiting a beach in our mental landscape to bring about a sense of calm,

Peace and to relax the parts of our mind that allow us to picture and visualize.

To begin this meditation practice I'm going to invite you to find a comfortable position that we are going to be in for the next 15 minutes.

For this practice you can be in a comfortable seat in some sort of a posture that allows you to hold some integrity.

Or if you really want to sink into the relaxation of this practice I'll even invite you to lie down and prop yourself up with any pillows,

Blankets,

Bolster blocks,

Anything that makes you feel supported and safe for this practice.

Once you find that position we're going to begin by just simply doing a very brief body scan,

Checking if there's any last little adjustments we can make before we begin this practice.

Does your breathing feel easy?

Does anything feel restricted?

Do you need to loosen any clothing?

Just checking in with yourself to determine if there's anything you can do just to make this a little bit more enjoyable for you.

And as we ease into our positions just setting the intention to let go of whatever is not going to serve us for the next 15 minutes.

Imagining as if there is a mental coat rack in our mind as we begin to enter into this practice we can just hang up anything we don't need.

Any thoughts of what we need to do after the practice.

Anything that we've done up into this moment.

Just leaving those behind as we begin to sink deeper into a state of relaxation and we begin to open our mind.

For this visualization to begin I'd like to invite you to imagine that you're standing at the top of a staircase.

It can be any staircase and as you look down the staircase with no hurry you begin to slowly step down with intention with every step you feel yourself descending into relaxation.

You feel your hand sliding along the handrail.

You feel your weight shift as you step from foot to foot making your way down the stairs.

You begin to see a little bit of light at the bottom of the staircase and you notice that you are ten steps from the bottom.

I'm going to take each of these last ten steps very deliberately setting the intention to be more relaxed in our body and mind by the time we reach the bottom of the stairs.

Ten,

Nine,

Relaxing and letting go.

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

As you're nearing the bottom you start to feel some subtle breezes and hear some subtle sounds.

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

You notice when you look down at your feet now that you're actually standing on sand.

Notice the color of the sand.

Notice what else you see around you as you begin to look up and you notice that you are no longer on a staircase but you actually find yourself standing on a beach.

Look out at the water,

Notice what the tides are like,

The waves seem inviting or maybe it's just a marvel at the power of the ocean that keeps you intrigued.

Begin to notice what else your senses pick up on.

Hear the sounds that you hear around you.

You hear the sounds of waves crashing or lightly washing up.

You hear the sounds of birds.

Do you feel the gentle spray of moisture as it washes on your face?

What does it smell like?

What does it taste like?

As you look down at your feet,

If you find yourself wearing shoes I invite you to,

In your mind's eye,

Imagine taking them off.

How liberating that feels as your feet hit the sand.

I'd also like to invite you once you've taken your shoes off to just wiggle your toes a little bit in the sand.

Does it feel refreshing or hot,

Cold?

What sensations do you feel?

Does the sand feel coarse or powder-like?

Next I'd like to invite you to take a little walk along the water's edge.

Notice as you get closer to the water you feel the moisture start to seep up towards your feet with every step.

Notice how it feels as the waves begin to wash up and just lightly brush the bottom of your feet.

While you're here in this landscape,

Just notice the sense of calm,

The sense of oneness with nature.

A feeling of mutual respect between the power of the water,

The wind,

The earth,

Everything coming together at this junction where water meets land.

And then your presence,

Your impact in being in this space,

Being with this space,

Knowing that you are just as much a part of this beach as the sand is in this moment.

I'd like to invite you to pause for a moment if you're continuing to walk and just bend over and pick up a handful of sand.

Notice as you rise you get a good look at it.

What is the sand made up of?

Do you see little bits of seashell?

Are there different types of rocks mixed in with it?

Maybe depending on your beach you even see small bits of coral.

Notice what's in your hands,

Notice what colors are there.

Even notice the weight as you're holding it there and the water may be dripping through your fingers.

Once you've spent some time having a good look,

You can let the sand just fall through your fingers as you begin to part them,

Maybe shaking off whatever is still clinging on.

And then take a look around on the beach.

Look around to see if there may be an item there for you today,

Something for you to connect with.

Could be a specific piece of driftwood,

A special rock,

Maybe a feather from a bird,

Could be the most perfect shell or piece of coral,

Maybe even something completely different.

Notice if there's anything there specifically for you.

Without any need to try to dissect why that may be there for you,

Just simply approach.

Maybe it's something that you just simply look at with appreciation.

Maybe it's something that you want to pick up and take with you as we leave this meditation.

Before we go,

I invite you to take one last good look around.

Take one last moment to just take in all of the senses one more time.

Take a big breath in.

Notice the smells.

Notice any tastes.

Notice what you hear around you.

And lastly,

Notice what you feel.

Perhaps you feel the sun,

The wind,

The mist,

The spray,

The sand underfoot.

Then thank this landscape for being available to you.

Part this place with gratitude,

Knowing that it's there for you whenever you may want to visit it.

I invite you to turn around and notice once again a staircase leading up from the beach.

You begin to approach it and you simply start walking up the staircase.

As you do,

Noticing that you're still taking with you this freshness,

A sense of calm with each deliberate step you take.

You feel a little bit more alertness coming back into your body and mind.

You find yourself ten steps away from the top.

We take these last ten steps with intention,

Setting the intention to feel fresh and alert when we come out of our practice.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Coming out alert and awake,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight,

Nine,

And ten.

Being more aware of your physical surroundings,

You can invite some subtle movement into your body,

Maybe taking a big stretch or a yawn,

Rolling out your shoulders,

Neck,

Anything that feels good.

And then when you're ready,

You can begin to slowly blink your eyes open,

Noticing how the light looks through fresh eyes.

Thank you for allowing me to guide you through this practice today.

Namaste.

Reviews

This has been my favorite meditations I’ve ever listened to. The guy’s voice was very soothing, and the beach visualization was utterly groundbreaking. I was basically sound asleep by the time it was over. The one thing I’d change was the fact that he kinda bursts the little soothing bubble by making you “gently open your eyes, stretch, and look at the light with new eyes.” I absolutely loved it otherwise, though. I’m still giving it five stars. I hope, if you’re reading this, you think I’m being fair. All all, I loved it. Thank you and night.