Good morning my friends.
For this meditation,
We will be performing a body scan by way of visualization.
We will be visualizing an ocean beach scene.
To begin,
I encourage you to take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in and hold it there for just a second before slowly letting it out.
Continue to focus on deep breathing as you focus on my words and the sound of my voice.
Find a quiet place,
Free of distraction.
Quiet your mind and let any distracting thoughts just float away.
Relax your body.
Make sure you're in a comfortable position you can remain in for the duration of this meditation.
For this one,
You may even want to lie down.
If you need more time to adjust or find a setting,
Feel free to press the pause button and resume when ready.
I will still be here for you when you come back.
Once you have found your space and position and are ready,
Adopt an attitude of gratitude.
Posture yourself toward non-judgment,
Especially toward yourself in this meditation.
If you have any distracting thoughts,
As we all do at times,
Simply see them and let them go without self-judgment or admonishment,
And embrace a heart and mindset of peace and loving-kindness.
Imagine you are going for an evening stroll on an ocean beach.
There is no one on the beach,
Only you.
You can imagine all sorts of different settings and scenarios on this beach.
I only ask that you imagine you are barefoot and that this is a sandy beach.
Focus on this image until you can really picture it as though you are really there.
See the ocean on the horizon as you walk along the shore.
Hear the waves gently crashing onto the shore.
Perhaps you can also hear some seabirds in the distance.
Feel the comforting sand beneath your feet and between your toes as you make footprints in the soothing sand.
Smell the sweet,
Salty sea air all around you.
Let the sensations of this beautiful scenario comfort you.
Take a moment just to bask in the glory of this wondrous beach.
After a while of walking,
You decide you just want to stand facing the ocean and watch the waves come in.
The tide must be coming in because they are slowly getting closer.
You sit down and continue watching the waves come in for a while.
After just sitting and watching for a bit,
You decide you want to lay down and close your eyes.
So you lay down flat on your back and close your eyes and listen to the waves come in.
Continue to focus on your breath,
Breathing deeply.
You can hear the waves getting ever closer and now you can feel them reaching the bottoms of your feet.
It feels so soothing as they wash under your heels.
Soon you can feel them under the backs of your ankles and up to your calves.
More of your feet and ankles are submerged now as the waves creep up your calves and to the bottoms of your thighs.
As the water starts to reach the top of your thighs and your buttocks,
Your legs are now almost completely submerged in the calming presence of the life-giving water from which all life on Earth came to be.
And soon the waves have reached your lower back.
They slowly wash up your back until you are underwater up to your waist and the waves are reaching your upper back,
Shoulders,
And neck.
As the water creeps slowly up your neck,
The thought occurs to you that under usual circumstances you would be standing up before your head goes under.
And yet,
Somehow,
You just know that the water in this particular ocean is magical.
It's water you can breathe under.
Water that will not cause any harm or discomfort in any way.
Soon most of your body,
Your feet,
Legs,
Waist,
Stomach,
And even chest are underwater.
It feels so comforting,
Like the ocean is holding you in a loving embrace.
And pretty soon even your neck is underwater,
And it's slowly washing up over your face.
And then even your head is underwater,
And you are fully submerged.
You feel the compassion and empathy and affection of the ocean all around you.
You feel it wash over you and flow through you.
Soon enough you become unaware of the sand beneath you as though you are being suspended in this loving ocean until it is only you and the ocean.
And then you feel somehow as though you are part of the ocean,
And now you are one with the ocean.
You are one with the ocean.
You are one with the ocean.
You and the ocean and the ocean are one.
The ocean is all there is.
The ocean is all there is.
At some point you realize the tide is going back down as you notice you have been gently placed back onto the sand.
You feel the sensation of a breeze on the top of your head and realize the water is slowly going back down.
You feel this breeze moving down your face,
Your neck,
Your chest,
Your stomach and waist,
Your crotch,
Your legs,
Your ankles and feet.
And somehow as this water is going down,
You know this ocean is not leaving you.
Somehow you know she will always be with you,
And that you will always be with her.
Once the waves are no longer touching any part of your body,
You feel refreshed and ready to begin a wonderful day.
As the music fades and this meditation comes to a close,
I invite you to take as much time as you want or need to give your body a light,
Gentle stretch if you've been in the same position for a while,
And to slowly,
Gently flutter your eyes open,
Being sure not to snap them open too quickly,
And get yourself adjusted to your surroundings.
Thank you for sharing this tender,
Sacred moment with me today,
My friends.
As you go about your day,
Let this meditation instill in you a feeling of being refreshed all throughout the day.
May grace and peace,
Light and love,
Be with you.
