In this short meditation recorded on the beach in Puerto Pinasco,
Mexico,
We will use this time to consciously cultivate the natural joy that we are all born with.
As you go through this meditation,
Direct your awareness when you can to the experience of actually feeling what it's like to feel joy.
As if watching yourself on this beach,
Find a comfortable posture in which you can feel both alert and relaxed.
Let yourself feel grounded and supported by the earth.
Take a few deep cleansing breaths as you move your awareness through the body,
Allowing the breath,
The sound of the waves,
To soften your face,
Your shoulders,
Any tension.
Allow your whole body to relax and be at ease.
Perhaps try to form a half smile on your face.
Notice how this affects your mind.
Take a few deeper breaths,
Bringing calming energy to your body with each in-breath,
Inviting relaxation as you let go.
Allowing your breath or the waves,
Now allowing the breath its own natural rhythm.
Let the breath breathe you.
No need to control or make anything happen.
Simply relax,
Receive,
Be carried by the rhythm of the waves.
The sounds of the ocean empty your mind of thoughts.
Just as each tide wipes the day's activities from the beach,
Allow the waves to wipe clean your own thoughts,
Plans,
Worries.
They drift away.
Imagine them being carried out into the vast Cortez Sea,
Past the brown pelicans,
Beyond the rise and fall of dolphin fins,
Beyond even the bright horizon line.
Surrender to this moment,
Sinking into the soft sand.
Imagine even the sun warming your face and your toes.
Here and there,
California gulls call to one another.
In front of you,
A small sandpiper races along the wet sand.
Here a natural state is joy.
Have you ever watched a dog racing into the waves or children picking through a tide pool?
Feel into that joy.
Experiment with it.
Where do you feel it in your body,
Your heart?
Your attention may wander.
That's normal.
Kindly bring it back.
Above the sea,
The pelicans swoop and dive.
They're unperturbed by the small birds swarming around them.
They fly low,
One wingtip brushing the waves.
They know that life teems below the water.
Sink your own thoughts below your heart,
Your belly.
Sink further into your body.
Feel your way down.
Use the waves or your breath as an anchor.
Rest here now fully.
Bring your awareness to the sensations of joy.
You may need to bring your attention back from time to time.
It's all good.
Now as we near the end of the time,
Is there something about this experience you want to remember to carry with you into your day?
Something to remember,
Especially about the sensations of joy,
The lightness of it,
The places where you feel it most.
Begin to bring your awareness back to your own breath and your attention back to your own environment.
When seagulls land,
They wag their tails,
Releasing any tension,
Any residual seawater.
You too may need to shake,
To wiggle a toe as you emerge refreshed from your time at the sea.
