This practice is a gentle invitation to come back to yourself.
Find a position that feels supportive.
Let your body choose what feels most comfortable to you.
Close your eyes or let your gaze rest softly.
Before we move into the breath,
Simply bring your awareness to your body.
Notice where you might be holding on to something.
You may feel a tightness or a heaviness.
Just notice where that feeling lives in your body.
Observe the sensation and the emotion that might be resting beneath it.
Allow it to be exactly as it is.
Now we invite the breath to move through your body.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Follow the cool air as it travels down into your chest and your abdomen.
Hold it for a brief moment.
And then exhale slowly through your mouth.
Imagine the breath leaving your body and taking a layer of that tension with it.
Take another deep breath.
Follow the path of the air as it weaves down your spine and expands your ribs.
As you exhale,
Let your shoulders drop.
Feel yourself settling deeper into the surface beneath you.
Take one more deep breath.
Fill your lungs completely,
Feeling the life in your body.
As you let this breath go,
Feel the stillness of the room.
With your body settled,
Imagine you are walking along a path of soft,
White sand.
It is fine,
And it gives slightly under your weight with every step.
The air is warm and carries the fresh salty scent of the ocean.
Take a deep breath of that salt air,
Feeling it fill your lungs,
Cool and expansive.
As you walk,
The world narrows down to just a few sounds.
You hear the distant,
Melodic cry of a few seagulls circling high above in the blue.
Their voices are peaceful,
Drifting on the wind.
Beneath them is the steady rhythmic pulse of the tide,
The heartbeat of the sea.
Drawing you closer to the water's edge.
You come to a quiet spot where the water meets the shore.
A private cove just for you.
Find a place to sit in the dry,
Pale sand.
Feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.
It is a gentle,
Steady heat that sinks deep into your muscles,
Untying any knots of tension.
Reach down and let a handful of that warm sand run through your fingers.
Notice the tiny grains,
Each one a different shape,
Spilling back to the earth like a miniature hourglass.
Now shift your focus to the water.
Listen to the peaceful sound of the waves as they wash in and out.
Hear the hiss of the foam as it bubbles onto the sand,
And the hollow liquid sigh as the water pulls back toward the deep.
The ocean is breathing with you.
Hen.
And out.
In and out.
Watch the horizon,
Where the blue of the sea meets the blue of the sky.
Everything here is vast,
Yet you feel perfectly held.
Stay here in the warmth,
Letting the salt air and the rhythm of the waves wash over you,
Leaving you refreshed and still.
Notice the feeling that lives in this place.
Allow it to wash over you like the sunlight.
Find the exact spot in your body where that feeling lives.
Let it expand with every breath.
As you stay with this feeling,
Allow a color to come to mind.
There is no right or wrong choice,
Just notice the first color that feels right to you.
Imagine this color beginning to glow within the scene.
See it moving through the air and then gently filling your own body.
Watch as it travels through your chest and down to your fingertips until you are completely bathed in this light.
Let the color and the feeling become one.
To keep this feeling with you,
Choose a physical anchor.
You might gently press your fingers together or place a hand over your heart.
Feel that physical touch reminding your body that this is a part of you.
Take a moment to check back in with the area where you felt tension earlier.
Notice if the sensation or the emotion has shifted.
Even a tiny softening is enough.
As you prepare to return to your day,
Remember that this place is always here.
If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed or anxious,
You can return to the shore.
Take just a minute or two to find your breath,
Use your anchor,
And come back to the quiet of the beach.
When you are ready,
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes.
