Taking a short break in our busy days to meditate is like taking a mini-vacation. We return to our lives feeling recharged, peaceful and joyful. It's the next best thing to actually being in nature.
People enjoy being in nature because they see ennobling qualities they want for themselves. In its myriad forms, nature helps enrich and expand the soul. The sea is an especially powerful place to absorb various spiritual qualities.
Here are three meditations using the sea that will leave you feeling better and thinking more clearly.
In all the meditations, start with these preliminary practices:
- Correct posture. Sit on the floor or on a chair—whichever is more comfortable. Hold your back straight with your shoulders slightly back. It is very important to keep the spine straight and upright to assist the flow of energy in the spine. Place your hands on your thighs or rest them in your lap. Most people carry tension in their neck and shoulders, and lead with their heads forward. Relax your shoulders down and keep your head centered over your body, chin parallel to the floor. Gently close your eyes.
- Relax the body: Tense the whole body while inhaling; hold briefly, tensing more; then exhale and release the tension. Do this three times. Scan your body for any tension and consciously tell that body part to relax.
- Relax the mind: Turn your attention to your breathing. Inhale for a count of 6-10; hold 6-10; exhale 6-10. Do this six times. Your breath might slow down as you watch it, but keep the inhalations, exhalations, and retention to the same count. Breathe using your diaphragm. This will relax you further. Let your breath melt away any tension.
- Visualize and feel the sea: See the vast ocean stretching to the horizon, hear the crashing waves; smell the salt and sea creatures; feel the cool breeze caressing your skin, the warmth of the sun. If you need help visualizing being at the sea, you can listen to a recording of ocean sounds, waves and seagulls; look at an inspiring picture of the sea.
Then follow with one of the meditations below.
Meditate on the Sea and Vastness
Picture an infinite ocean. Imagine you’re looking into an endless field of blue waves. Allow the image to fill your vision and your world. Feel the vastness of creation. Feel yourself part of this vastness. Feel your body and consciousness expand larger and larger. Enjoy this expanded sense of yourself. Stretch out and relish the absence of boundaries.
When you're ready, slowly come back to standing on the shore.
Taking the meditation into everyday life
Take a bigger view of life. There is so much more than could ever be discovered. We are only one piece of the puzzle of creation, designed by the same hand that painted the ocean. Determine to give yourself and everyone more space. If you start to feel pressured, slow down, breathe, and remember the ocean. Remember too that your purpose has been designed as deliberately as the line that divides water and land.
Meditate on the Sea and Purification
- Do the preliminary practices above.
- Observe your thoughts. Don't get caught up in the thoughts. Watch them come in and out of your mind as the waves come in and out on the beach. Remain neutral and accept whatever arises. If the mind wanders, just calmly bring it back to the present thoughts and waves.
- Imagine everything rinsed clean. As your mind slows down, select a time when it feels natural to pause. Now envision water washing over all your cares. Release your worries into the water and feel the inner peace as they wash away.
Taking the meditation into everyday life
Take the peace back into your life and share it with others. Resolve to spend less time worrying so that you can devote your energy to the things you find most meaningful.
Meditate on the Sea and Blessings
- Do the preliminary practices above.
- Contemplate the importance of water. Think of all the gifts that water gives us. Water provides beauty and enables life. It’s present everywhere: in the sea and lakes, your body and all creatures, the rain and air.
- Generate gratitude. Express your appreciation for water. It was there waiting for you when you were born. It makes your survival possible and quenches your thirst. It washes your clothes and allows people and goods to move across the planet.
- Add more blessings to the list. The more you think about it, the more you’ll notice all the things you have to be grateful for. Natural forces and other people provide us with many essential resources without requiring any effort or expense from us.
Taking the meditation into everyday life
Seek out ways to give back. Take a moment to ponder your connection with the Earth and other creatures. Think of their kindness and generosity. The sea showers you with precious gifts. With this perspective, you’ll feel highly motivated to do good deeds of your own.
Treat your mind to a beach vacation!
Meditations on the sea are an effective way to relax, relieve stress, and encourage you to see your life in a new, expanded light.
Video: “Wave of the Sea” by Paramhansa Yogananda
Swami Kriyananda sings one of my favorite chants by Paramhansa Yogananda. The recording is from the late 1950s.