Welcome to this deep imaginative practice.
The journey today invites you to breathe with the ocean,
To feel its steady rhythm within your own body.
The sea is something that is always known how to release and how to return,
How to rise,
How to fall.
So as you rest here,
You'll learn to let your breath move like the tide,
Carrying away tension and bringing a sense of renewal.
All you need to do is soften,
Listen,
And simply let the waves guide you inward.
Close down your eyes and place a hand on your belly and one on your heart,
Arriving right here and gently practicing ocean breath the whole way I'll guide you.
Take a slow breath in through the nose,
Let the belly rise,
Let the ribcage expand,
Feel your chest rising,
And take an exhale through your mouth with a long sigh.
Let's repeat that again.
Fill up your lungs,
Breathe through your nose,
Feel your whole chest rise.
When you release the breath,
Take a long sigh out.
One more time,
Inhaling fully and exhaling fully like waves rolling in and out of your body.
And now let your breath settle into a more gentle rhythm,
Softening through your eyes,
Your neck,
Grounding through your hips.
Feel the surface beneath you,
Hold your entire body.
Feel your jaw loosen,
Feel your belly soften,
Feel the back of your neck lengthen.
Relaxing into the moment just a bit more.
There's nothing to do and nowhere to be,
Just this sea of breath.
As you continue to rest here,
Imagine that you're lying on warm sand.
Notice the sensation and the texture of warm sand.
As you're breathing,
Let each inhale feel like tide rolling towards the shore.
Let each of your exhales feel like tide drifting back.
So keep sensing into the warm sand and the breath rolling in and out like tide.
Let yourself visualize a little bit more of the detail.
Let your breath match the rhythm of the waves.
So we'll gently practice four,
Six breaths.
So in and out through your nose.
When you breathe in,
It's just a gentle count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
And then breathe out,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Take a breath in for four counts.
And a slower,
More lengthy exhale for six counts.
Inhaling again for four counts.
Keep envisioning the warm sand and the tide rolling.
When you exhale,
Push all the air out to elongate the exhale.
And again,
Just the same.
Last round,
Four count in.
And six count out.
And imagine with every breath,
Your body becoming even more fluid,
Your mind much more spacious.
Just enlivening the moment.
Sensing that the ocean carries you just deeper into your breath.
Returning to a natural rhythm of breath now and re-relaxing your body,
Start to picture yourself stepping slowly into the warm water.
Let the waves wash over your feet.
See the foamy water wash up your legs and up to your hips.
Feel how the waves carry you up and eventually float very effortlessly,
Supported by the sea and your deep breathing.
Imagine that you get a message from the ocean.
Something like the ocean whispering,
You belong to this flow.
You are part of something endless.
Envision your whole body relaxing,
Your body floating weightless,
Feel the ocean's presence reminding you that life can be light,
Even in its depths.
With each exhale,
Release anything heavy into the salt water.
Perhaps something you've been really worried about this week or fear,
Doubt,
An old story returning.
Imagine the waves could just dissolve anything,
Leaving your being with only clarity and calm.
Keep relaxing and let these next few truths ripple through you,
Like mantras carried by the tide.
My breath is the ocean,
It's steady and renewing,
I am fluid and free.
I release and I return just like the tide.
I am whole in every wave.
We'll let these mantras ripple through one more time and can allow a gentle pause after each affirmation so you can sense into its truth.
My breath is the ocean,
Both steady and renewing.
I am fluid and I am free.
I release and return just like the tide.
I am fluid and I am whole in every wave.
Feel the ocean rocking you gently.
As you breathe in,
The tide flows in.
As you breathe out,
The tide drifts out.
Just feeling a sense of belonging to the sea of breath.
Taking just a few more moments here,
You can start to carry this fluid ease with you,
Knowing that the ocean always lives right inside your breath.
Take a long breath in through your nose and a soft,
Gentle sigh out through your mouth.
Notice how you're feeling.
Take one more deep breath in and out together and relax as long as you need to,
Feeling that sense of renewal as you can carry it through your day.
