Let's get started.
Come to a comfortable seat.
You can sit up on a cushion or you can sit on a chair.
And come and bring your hands can be palm facing up if you want to receive.
And if you need some grounding today,
You can put your palms face down in your lap.
And start to close your eyes here.
Start to notice your breath.
Start to tune inward.
Feeling your sitting bones root down to the earth.
And imagine a string attached to the crown of your head,
Pulling you up.
Just increasing the length in your spine,
Keeping it neutral.
And imagine a silvery cord that starts at your tailbone,
Running through your spine.
From your low back,
Your middle back,
Your upper back,
All the way up through your neck and into your midbrain.
Just a silvery cord down the midline of your body.
And start to visualize you walking on the beach,
Feel the sand on your bare feet.
And every step you take,
It's a cool touch beneath your feet.
And you're gazing at the waves and you sit down on the shore.
And just notice the waves crashing in and crashing back out to join the ocean.
Start to sink your breath with the waves coming crashing in.
As the waves crash towards the shore,
You breathe in.
As the waves go back into the ocean,
You breathe out.
Do this with your natural breathing for several rounds on your own.
Waves coming in,
You inhale.
Waves going in,
You exhale.
And maybe just visualize the sky and take in the colors.
Maybe you're there on a sunrise or a sunset.
Just going back to the most beautiful sunrise or sunset you've ever had and visualize those colors in the sky.
Continue with your natural breathing for a couple more breaths.
Now start to make your inhales equal to your exhales.
You can try a count of three.
Waves coming crashing in,
Inhale for three,
Two,
One.
Waves crashing out,
Exhale for three,
Two,
One.
Just making your inhales equal to your exhales.
Do this for about five cycles on your own as you continue sinking your breath to the ocean waves.
If thoughts continue to arise,
I want to offer this visualization.
Just like the waves come and go,
And we just observe it,
We notice it.
You can also observe your thoughts crashing in like the waves and then letting it go back into the ocean like an ocean wave.
Pass no judgments on your thoughts.
Become the observer.
Become the observer of your thoughts and your breath.
Now I invite you to increase your exhalations.
So if you inhaled for three,
You can exhale for four.
Inhale with the ocean wave for three,
Two,
One.
Exhale,
Waves going back into the ocean for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Do this on your own for several cycles.
Breathing in as you visualize the ocean wave and maybe the sky,
Maybe the sensations of the sand.
Breathing out through your nose.
So when we make our inhales and exhales equal to each other or we elongate the exhales,
It activates the relaxation response,
Which allows us to go from the fight or flight response to the rest and digest,
Which allows for calming and relaxation.
And if you're not feeling the effects of it,
That's OK.
Pass no judgment on it or on your experience.
And maybe just be curious about it.
So we're going to cycle with the elongated exhale.
Just release any conscious breathing and come back to your natural breath.
And just notice where you are on the shore.
Maybe you feel some wind.
And notice the waves.
Notice the sky.
You'll start to feel where your sitting bones are rooted down to the floor.
Start to feel where your hands are touching your body.
Go ahead and dip your chin,
Keeping your eyes closed.
Maybe rub your hands on your thighs.
Then bring the palms over your eyes.
Just gently not pushing,
Just laying it on and allowing your fingertips to go over your forehead.
And feel the warmth of your hands over your eyes.
And then bringing your hands to heart center,
Keeping your chin dipped.
Slowly blink your eyes open,
Taking the colors in front of you.
And just coming back into the space.
Thank you for joining me today.
I'll see you next month on the first Monday for another Meditation Live.
Thank you!
