Healing In Nature - The Ocean

Welcome to this Healing in Nature series.

Using the breath,

Intention and visualisation,

You will be guided to connect to the healing power of water and embody the energy of flow.

The intention of this practice is to help you release stagnancy and tension from the mind and body and soften into a deeper state of surrender and ease.

This meditation is best used with headphones to help draw your attention from any external distractions and immerse yourself in the sound of the waves and power of the practice.

So take a moment to make sure that you are as comfortable as you can be as you arrive into your space,

Whether you are sitting or lying down,

Checking in with yourself to make sure that you are feeling supported and safe.

Let's take a few deep breaths to arrive more fully into this practice and help the body begin to slow down.

So begin by taking a nice deep slow breath in through the nose and hold for a moment and exhale out through the mouth.

Take another slow deep breath in.

Hold at the top for a moment and exhale out through the mouth.

This time take a deep breath in through the nose and then see if you can take in another little inhale,

A little sip of air filling up those lungs fully.

Hold for a moment and exhale out through the mouth fully,

Emptying those lungs,

Letting that breath go.

Returning to your natural breath now and feeling the extra space these breaths have offered you as you let the weight of your body sink a little bit deeper into that support beneath you.

Let's take a journey to the ocean together.

You find yourself standing on a beautiful beach.

As you take in your surroundings your senses start to come alive.

Feeling a gentle sea breeze touch your skin as you smell the salt in the air.

You notice the soft warm sand beneath your feet,

A soft landing for your body.

Taking in the vastness of the ocean,

An endless expanse of blue that reaches far beyond the horizon.

The sense of spaciousness and expansion brings a sense of freedom and possibility to your being.

You observe the movement of the water.

Each day the waves have a different energy.

Whether serene and tranquil or powerful and stirring,

You remember that you too are water and regardless of the current and waves,

Deep below there is a calm and a stillness that you always have access to.

Listening to the rise and fall of the waves,

Turn your awareness to the rise and fall reflected in your breath,

Your life force.

Without changing anything,

Simply noticing.

You move closer to the edge of the water,

Letting it skim your toes and with each small wave that touches your feet you begin to feel a softening.

And for a moment,

Allow yourself to connect with the worries that have taken up space in your mind.

Acknowledging with compassion as you begin to set the intention to let go of these worries you've been holding on tightly to.

You notice empty seashells scattered around your feet and as you carefully pick them up,

One at a time,

Placing them in the palm of your hands,

You release each worry that has been on your mind or in your heart into these shells,

Allowing them to hold the heavy weight and burden for you before you release them into the water to cleanse,

Clear and wash away.

One at a time,

You throw them into the waves,

Watching as they weave and float out into the vast expanse of the ocean,

Creating a sense of spaciousness between you and your worries.

You take a seat at the water's edge,

Feeling the weight of your body landing on the soft sand beneath you and bringing your awareness to any parts of the body that may be carrying or holding tightness,

Tension,

Stagnancy,

With a gentle curiosity.

Now tuning your awareness to the sound of the waves,

The flow,

The fluidity and inviting this sense of softening the water brings to the parts of the body that need it most.

Water has the ability to soothe even the sharpest edges and soften the hardest borders,

Allowing the sound and movement of the waves,

The gentle sea air,

To cleanse,

To settle and soften your edges.

Moving your awareness to your breath as it moves effortlessly in and out of the body,

Noticing the quality of your breath,

Noticing the temperature of the air.

As you begin to connect consciously with your breath,

Slowly start to lengthen the inhale,

Allowing the belly to expand ever so subtly,

Deepening the breath and as you exhale let that breath go,

Extending the exhale just a little more,

Drawing the belly back towards the spine,

Allowing the flow of the waves to inspire a sense of flow in your breath,

In your being.

Breathing in a little deeper and breathing out a little longer.

As you inhale pulling the waves towards the shore and as you exhale sending the tide back out,

Letting the wave you breathe in cleanse the mind and soften the harsh edges and letting the wave you exhale release the holding,

The gripping.

It takes a tremendous amount of energy to resist what is.

It tightens our muscles,

Restricts our breath,

Closes the mind.

On the other side of resistance there is flow.

Allow each conscious breath you take to let you surrender more fully to the energy of flow,

The flow of your breath,

The flow of your body,

The flow of life.

When you stop struggling,

You float.

Breathing in,

Softening into the warm sand beneath.

Breathing out,

Finding steadiness here.

Breathing in,

Cleansing.

Breathing out,

Softening.

Breathing in,

Spaciousness.

Breathing out,

Tension.

Breathing in,

Ease.

Breathing out,

Gripping.

Breathing in,

Flow.

Breathing out,

Resistance.

Returning to a more natural breath now,

Allowing it to move in and out the body and mind,

Allowing it to move in and out the body and mind,

Allowing it to move in and out the body and mind,

Allowing it to move in and out the body effortlessly,

Noticing the quality of your mind,

Your body,

Taking a moment to view the vast expanse of the ocean stretching out in front of you beyond the horizon,

Noticing how much space it takes up and how small those seashells of worries you dropped into the waves seem compared to the vastness of blue before you and beyond the churning of the waves on the surface.

In the depth of the ocean,

There is calm.

There is a stillness that is reflected in you.

At the centre of your being is the same stillness.

And regardless of the waves and how they may thrash and tumble,

You always have access to that stillness deep inside of you,

That inner trove of calm,

Courage,

Clarity,

Compassion,

Connection,

Creativity,

Your unique light that remains untouched and always exists at the very core of you.

I let life flow through me.

I allow the flow of my life force energy to move through me with greater ease.

And when I do this,

I can release what no longer serves me and tap more effortlessly into my inner resources and my gifts.

And by consciously connecting to my breath,

I connect to the energy of flow,

Letting waves of peace wash over your mind,

Your body,

As you bring your awareness back to the shore,

Feeling into a sense of gratitude for being able to connect to this element of nature that reminds you that you too are water.

Cleanse,

Flow and let go.

Releasing this image,

But knowing that you can return to this sacred space any time you need.

Bringing some gentle mindful movement back into your body,

As you gently bring yourself back into the present moment,

Into the here and now and the space that you are in.

Taking in one last deep breath to close out this practice.

Exhaling out.

Close out this practice.

Exhaling out through the mouth.

Taking a moment to acknowledge any shifts or changes in the mind,

The body,

Since the beginning of this practice.

And whenever you're ready,

Slowly opening the eyes.