Enjoy this Guided Ocean Meditation

In this short Mindful Creativity practice, we’re exploring a guided ocean meditation. I’ll start with a bit of scene setting for those that haven’t don this before – then we’ll be ready to give it a go! 

Your imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. – Albert Einstein

The Benefits of Creative Visualisation

Increasingly, I’ve been exploring the practice of creative visualisation. It’s a great way for us to really connect, and more deeply understand one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposals – our very own imaginations. Our imaginations can be guided, directed, encouraged and supported to help our creative practice and boost our sense of wellbeing. And happily, it doesn’t cost us anything to access and amplify this great tool!

Guided Meditations – a good first step in exploring creative visualisation

According to Gaiam.com, ‘Guided meditation is an excellent starting point for beginners. A meditation practice involves focusing the mind on the present moment and self-awareness, both of which can be difficult for someone used to letting the mind wander. Our society is a hurried and goal-oriented one, so taking time to simply be in the moment — not actively doing something or solving some problem — can seem impossible. Meditating with a guide will provide direction. You can follow the voice and instructions of the guide, which provides a distraction from other intruding thoughts.’

The Process

If you’ve never done a guided meditation before, Healthline.com offers this in terms of a bit of an overview. Sounds do-able, right?

Get into a comfortable meditation position. You can lie down or sit, whichever you prefer.

Close your eyes and begin slowing your breath to a calming, relaxing rhythm.

Visualize a place where you feel content and calm. This might be somewhere you’ve visited or an imagined scene of somewhere you’d like to go.

Use your five senses to add as much detail to your image. What do you hear? Can you smell relaxing fragrances, such as trees, blooming flowers, or something cooking? Are you warm or cool? Can you feel the air on your skin? Is the sky bright, dark, stormy, full of stars?

Imagine yourself moving forward, feeling calmer and more peaceful as you enter your vision more deeply.

Continue breathing slowly as you look around the scene you’ve created, fully experiencing it with all of your senses.

With each inhale, imagine peace and harmony entering your body. Visualize exhaustion, tension, and distress leaving your body as you exhale.

When you feel ready, you can leave your vision. Knowing you can return at any time can help your newfound sense of relaxation linger throughout your day. This can help you feel more in control of difficult feelings and allow you to manage stress and frustration more easily.

Getting Ready for your Guided Ocean Meditation

I enjoyed taking early morning photos, such as the one above, and recording the sounds of the ocean this week here on Terrigal Beach. I’ve created a guided meditation that invites you to enjoy a few restorative moments relaxing and recalibrating ocean-side.

Find somewhere quiet, give yourself permission to close the door on the rest of the world for five minutes, and transport yourself to the beach. See you there! 

Note: I’m using a guided meditation called The Beach, by Prentiss Price, Ph.D.