Week 44 : Wave Meditation 

Philosophically speaking, life is all about flow. When things flow smoothly in our direction, we feel good, when things stop flowing there is usually an obstacle or blockage of some sort and we get pulled up short. When our flow is interrupted, most of us, as human beings, find it challenging, so this week it’s all about going with the flow and actually connecting with it and becoming a part of it - whichever direction it is taking you. 

We are going to use a visualization technique all about ebb and flow and combine it with an awareness of our breath and connecting ourselves to nature. 

Before we begin our meditation practice we will do a gentle stretch for the body to prepare. 

Come on to all fours and take a moment to stretch the spine in cat and cow posture and repeat 3 or 4 times. 

Bring the spine back to neutral and thread your right arm under your left, resting the side of your head and the right shoulder gently on the floor, enjoy this release for the shoulder joint. 

If you wish you can the raise the left arm up towards the ceiling to create a twist for the spine and an opening for the heart. 

After 2-3 breaths untwist and press with the left arm to raise the upper body back to centre. 

Repeat on the other side. 

Next walk the hands forward keeping the hips raised for Puppy Dog Pose stretching the spine, opening the chest and releasing the shoulders. 

Finally come back to sitting and place the soles of the feet together in Badakonasana (Cobbler pose) and allow the knees to drop down towards the floor in a gentle stretch for the hips. 

You should now feel fairly relaxed and the muscles will hopefully feel released and we are ready to start our meditation. 

Come to a comfortable seated position, preferably one in which you won’t fall asleep! Remember to use a wall or cushions to support yourself. 

Lengthen your spine and neck and draw your shoulder blades down your back, keep the muscles of your tummy gently engaged to hold your seated position. 

Close the eyes and take a few breaths just to tune in and see how it feels today. 

Take a deep breath in and as you exhale take a moment to bring yourself into the right frame of mind for your meditation. Absorb your surroundings and feel gratitude for this time that you have, to be in the present moment. 

On your next exhalation take a moment to settle into your body. Notice how it feels today, pay a little attention to your ankles, knees, hips and spine, see if anything needs adjusting for greater comfort. 

Now begin to visualize a beach with waves gently lapping the shore. 

Create a picture in your mind of what kind of beach it is, white sand, dark pebbles, covered with shells, warm, cold, bright or grey? It can be a beach just the way you like a beach to be. 

Take note of how the waves are moving in and out and pick out the rhythm they are moving to. 

Slowly synch up your breath to match this rhythm, inhaling as the wave comes in to the shore and exhaling the wave back out to sea. 

Connect with the wave and use this breath to hold your concentration now for the rest of your practice. 

If and when the random thoughts appear, (and they will) don’t judge them, or yourself, just acknowledge them and allow them to move on, pull your mind back to your beautiful beach and your breath. 

Spend 5 or more minutes on this practice and then when you are ready to come back, take a moment to lengthen your spine again (in-case your posture has dropped) 

Take a few more natural breaths and then slowly blink your eyes open. 

Stretch your legs out and bring your hands behind you to support your weight releasing the work that the back has done. 

And the slowly rotate both ankles to bring the circulation back to the lower legs before you stand up! 

Developing a meditation practice is not easy and takes much discipline and work, so well done if you have stuck with this. Keep going and good luck this week! 

Serena is a yoga teacher and the founder of The OM Space . She is a passionate believer in yoga as a life enhancing practice and runs several classes in Colombo including the very popular Yoga for Children and Yoga for Pregnancy. Serena trained in the UK with the British Wheel of Yoga and is a UK Yoga Alliance registered Senior Teacher.