Welcome to the short meditation on the shoreline within.
Begin by finding a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
Allow your hands to rest gently in your lap or at your sides.
When you're ready,
Close your eyes.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in,
And exhale gently.
Again,
Inhale,
Filling your lungs,
Your belly,
Expanding softly,
And exhale,
Releasing tension.
With each breath,
Imagine your body growing a little heavier,
More grounded,
More supported by whatever is beneath you.
Let the outside world fall away.
Now,
Picture yourself standing at the top of a short,
Sandy path.
Warm light touches your skin,
Soft and golden.
The air smells faintly of salt and sun-warmed driftwood.
With each inhale,
Breathe in that crisp ocean air.
With each exhale,
Release anything you've been carrying that feels heavy.
Begin to walk slowly down the path,
Sand shifting lazily beneath your feet.
Hear the rhythmic pulse of waves rolling towards the shore,
Steady and ancient,
Like the earth breathing with you.
With each step,
Your surroundings become clearer.
Palm trees sway gently.
A seabird calls in the distance.
The breeze brushes against your face,
Cool,
Refreshing,
Freeing,
Salty.
As you reach the end of the path,
The beach opens up before you,
Wide,
Endless,
Peaceful.
The ocean stretches to the horizon,
Blue upon blue,
Meeting the sky.
Take a moment to simply stand here.
Feel the warmth of the sun seep into your shoulders.
Notice how the light dances on the water.
Tiny diamonds shimmer across the surface with each wave.
Walk slowly towards the shoreline.
As the water reaches your feet,
You feel the sand give way beneath you.
The wave washes over your toes,
Cool and soothing.
As it recedes,
You feel the pull,
Gentle,
Grounding,
Like the ocean inviting your worries to drift away.
Imagine you are breathing with the water.
Wave in,
Calm.
Wave out,
Release.
Wave in,
Peace.
Wave out,
Tension.
If thoughts begin to rise,
Let them float like small pieces of driftwood,
Noticed,
Acknowledged,
But carried away by the water.
Take a few moments here in silence.
Just you and the rhythmic comfort of the tide.
Now imagine the ocean offering you a gift,
A message,
A feeling,
A word that symbolizes what you need most right now.
It could be rest,
Or clarity,
Strength,
Hope.
Maybe the ocean is a gift.
Maybe this word is grace.
See that word etched into the sand near your feet,
Written carefully in front of you.
Watch the next wave come gently forward and wash over it,
Not erasing it,
But pressing it into your heart.
This word now lives inside of you.
Begin to take a slow,
Deep breath in and exhale.
Feel the shoreline fade softly as you stand again on the sandy path.
The breeze quiets.
Sounds grow distant,
Like memories of a perfect day.
When you're ready,
Bring your awareness back to the room around you,
To the weight of your body,
To the surface supporting you.
To the air you are breathing now.
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
Roll your shoulders if that feels good,
And slowly open your eyes.
Carry the calm of the ocean within you.
The shoreline is always there,
A breath away,
Waiting whenever you need to return.
Namaste.
