TRANSCRIPT:

Helloo it’s umi - did you know my name means ocean in japanese? Ever since I was little I've always had a connection to the water - what about you? I feel so lucky to be from Seattle where nature is so close.

Inspired by the name “pocket beach” & for the peace it brings me - for this stop i want to give you a meditation you can take home with you , like a little sea shell in your pocket :) As you listen to this meditation, I’ll be playing sound bowls. Did you know that sound bowls heal by vibrating the water within your body! We are more like the ocean than we even realize.

Let’s begin. Start off by finding a nice place to settle. Either sitting or standing, and facing the water. Once you are settled in - let’s begin by connecting to our environment. Notice the pebbles and rocks beneath you. How do they feel? What color are they? Maybe you want to reach down and touch them. Next lets feel the breeze against our skin. Is it soft , cold , comforting? - notice it against your skin, with me.

Now, tune in your hearing, and to the sound of the soundbowls - do you hear it more in your left or your right ear? Can you try to balance the sound out between both of your ears? What else can you hear? Let all the sounds around you be here without the need to change anything.

Go ahead and close your eyes. And I want you to just keep breathing slowly like this. With your eyes closed. Feel yourself in the middle of everything. Middle of the beach, middle of the sound, middle of this moment. Notice how this grounds you into your body.

I want you to use your imagination and imagine a blue orb or sphere growing in your heart - however you see this is perfect. Maybe you just feel it. Feel, see, sense, this blue orb circulating in your heart and filling your heart with a sense of calm, of peace. Like you are breathing out through your heart. If as you breath you are met with a little resistance, a little tightness, dont push past that, just breathe right up to that tension, and breath out. Let this orb grow - it begins to expand past your heart and it fills your entire upper body - your chest, your stomach, your arms, the orb grows and grows, filling you with a warmth. And now the orb grows even larger and it behind to surround your whole body like an egg. The beautiful blue orb is circulating, and filling you with peace and now it continues to grow and it outstretches onto the beach , and into the water , however you see this is perfect. Feel the orb now grow past the water its surrounding the land - the sculpture park- the walkway - the horizon. Feel the orb of peace continue to expand into the whole city of Seattle. Wrapping Seattle in a warmth, and peace. Imagine it expands more and more and surrounds your home - keep letting it grow until it fills the entire state. Now from the state it continues to expand, expand , expand and it begins to fill the whole country, then outstretches even bigger, this orb continues to expand with ease to fill the whole earth. Like the atmosphere of the earth, like peace, the orb surrounds the whole earth. Allow that peace that began in your heart to expand as big as you like. Take it into outer space and beyond. Let it feel good.

Finally lets focus your eyes onto the waves. Noticing how they make their way to the shore. Allow yourself to gently focus on one spot. Let your eyes focus. With your eyes open and your senses open, let’s take a few deep breaths together. Wherever you are, take a nice deep breath in, relax and breathe out, another deep breath in, in, in, hold. Eyes open and breath out. Last breath breathe in, nice and slow, and breathe it out, relaxing into the beach.