This is the second recording in a series of Monday Mindful Moments for anyone who would like to start their week with the intention of being calm and centred which will in turn bring focus, productivity, creativity and innovation.   These recordings will be between 5 and 10 minutes long and can be used any time you need to find some peace and calm in your mind.

On a personal note, I needed this mindful moment this morning as our week started an hour later than planned, due to the alarm volume being on mute!  My boys missed the school bus… however, there was no rush, just calm as we all appreciated that sometimes, things just don’t go the way you intended…

 

I hope you enjoy this Mindful Moment this week – I am taking you to the beach!

 

If you prefer to do this yourself rather than guided, here are the words for you to follow;

 

Let’s start by finding a comfortable position for you – whether that be sitting, standing or lying and take a few deep breaths;  in  through your nose and out through your mouth.

Feel your shoulders relax, let your shoulder blades sink and slide down your back if you are sitting or standing or sink in to the ground below you if you are lying.

You may have arrived here to this moment  with a minds full – of excitement, of ideas, about life, work, family, friends… or perhaps you have a mind full of  worry, concerns  or even sadness.

It’s time to let all these thoughts and feelings  go… mindfulness is about living in the present, the here and now. 

Take a deep breathe in…. shoulders up back and down and breathe out

Start to let the thoughts go, let them drift on by and start to anchor your mind on your breathe, on your heart beat;  start to notice how you are feeling 

There may be natural noises, we can’t control everything, if you find yourself getting distracted, just return your focus to your breath, your heart beat of the movement of your belly. 

If you notice your mind wandering, it’s what minds do, that’s ok;  you are just strengthening your meditation practice 

Give yourself permission to relax and surrender;  no body wants anything from you, there are no expectations, there is nothing to do so just relax and still your mind.. 

Just  Breathe

Imagine you are standing on a beautiful beach looking out across a clear and calm ocean;  there is no one around you.

You can feel the warmth of the sand beneath your toes.  As you wriggle your toes, you can feel the soft sand gently tickling your feet.

You can hear the soft swishing and lapping of the little waves against the shale on the shore line.

You can smell the sea air, fresh and salty.

Take a step forward so your feet are in the shallows and feel the cool of the water around your feet and ankles.

Take another step forward and let the silky water caress your calves and knees

Go deeper and feel the water against your skin as it moves up your legs and around your waist.

Walk further until you feel you can allow the water to carry you and let yourself float gently, feeling the freshness of the water along your back and tickling your hair and neck.

As you lie gently floating, let your mind be free;  the aim of mindfulness or meditation is not to stop your mind from thinking or from banishing thoughts but to become aware of your thoughts, become aware of your feelings… and rather than hold the thought or the feeling, let it go….

If a thought arises, imagine it as a cloud above you and let it be carried by the sea breeze off into the distance.  The thought will still be there later, if it is important.

Just lie here now, feeling the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the sea;  allow feelings wash over you like the waves and let the thoughts become clouds to float off in the breeze.

Just lie and breathe for a moment;  find the gap between each breathe in and each breath out and be calm.

Allow for at least one minute of silent breathing.

And now, allow your mind and body to relax;  let your legs float down to the sandy sea bed and start to return to the shore. 

Feel the water trickling down from your shoulders to your waist, and then down your legs as you find the warmth of the sandy beach.

It’s time to return to your day with the intention of calm.

Take a final deep breathe in and allow the intention of calm to move from your mind to your heart.

Breath out and hold that feeling.

Take one final breathe, and as you finish, smile and open your eyes.

 

Have a great week!