A Meditation Guide for a Walk By the Sea

Hello.

Thank you for letting me join you on your walk by the sea.

Imagination is a beautiful thing. I feel like for me, whenever I feel calm, when I have space in my mind to think, when my worries have been pushed aside - that is when my imagination is really able to blossom. I hope that today, on this walk by the sea, that your imagination will also bloom.

As you walk along the seashore, start by taking a few deep breaths. Fill up your lungs as much as you can with this fresh, salty air. Breathe it back out slowly through your mouth. Inhale again through your nose. Focus on how the air feels. Does it smell different? Is it cool, or warm? Breath out again.

Now, let's start to focus on the feeling of the sand underneath your feet, or the pebbles beneath your shoes. Are your toes sinking gently into the sand as you walk? Are you leaving footprints? If you are on a pebble beach, can you feel the smooth stones through the soles of your shoes? Do they feel sturdy as you walk, or do you have to walk gently and carefully? What exactly does this feel like? Take a moment to think of three words to describe this sensation as you take each slow step on the seashore.

Go ahead and take a closer step towards the shore, to the waves that are lapping. I want you to imagine that the waves are really an assembly, an assembly of beings. We are going to call them moon sisters. You see, the moon is really what pushes the waves back and forth. Take a minute to watch this - the way that the waves are going to and fro. The tide being pulled up, then released back out. Listen carefully to the way it sounds.

The moon sisters are in the water. As each wave comes up and tries to touch your feet, they are actually coming up to you. They are welcoming you. Each of the waves is the moon sisters whispering and beckoning. The soft edges of the waves are like their fingers, reaching out to you. They are reaching out as an invitation. They are welcoming you.

Go closer to the sea and let the cold water wash over your toes or your shoes. That is their reply. They have accepted you.

As you walk along the shore, listen to these waves. Think about the moon sisters, whispering and talking. They are not shy in your presence; remember, they have welcomed you.

As you walk along, do they toss little tokens up to you? Maybe shells or sea glass coming up to you on the waves, landing at your feet. Go ahead and reach down and pick one of them up. Turn it over in your hand. Study the colors, and the grooves. Run your finger lightly along each part. Then, gently stoop down and slip it back into the waves. You can whisper to the moon sisters, don't worry - no one is around. Tell them that they can keep this little trinket, this shell or piece of glass that they have tossed up to you. Tell them that you know that you'll be back for it, that you know they will keep it safe and sound for you. You can trust them.

Take a look out over the waves now as you continue to walk. Focus on a wave and watch it as it rolls and evolves, coming closer and closer to the shore. Does it create white caps of foam? Is it dark and broody? Think about what it would feel like to reach out and touch it, your hand sliding along the top of it. Watch it come up to the shore and reach out as far as it can, and then gently slide back into the sea.

The moon sisters are still there, keeping you company. Do you still hear their whispering? Take a deep breath in. Exhale slowly through your mouth. Feel how the wind moves gently around you. If you whisper anything, it will gently whisk the words away, out over the water. If there's anything on your mind, anything bothering you at the edges of your brain, any secret tugging at your heart, this is the time. Go ahead - release it. Whisper it to the moon sisters, and they will carry it out to sea. It feels good to get it outside of you, doesn't it? Now you have shared it. Feel how your shoulders feel a bit lighter. Your heart feels a bit lighter. Your steps feel a bit lighter.

As you finish your walk, take a few more deep breaths. Ingrain the smell and feeling of the air on your memory. Move your focus back down to your feet, walking gently, carrying you forward.

Before you walk away from the shoreline, look out over the vast sea. Look as far out as your eyes can see. Then bring your focus back to the edge of the water. Whisper to the moon sisters - 'goodbye. I'll be back.' Listen to them whispering as you turn and start back for home.

Thank you for letting me join you on your walk today. I hope you will remember the moon sisters. Like faeries, you are never too old to believe in the waves. They'll be here when you come back.

Goodbye.