Settle yourself into a comfortable position.
Give yourself this moment, here and now, to release all of the thoughts that occupy your mind.
Allow yourself to be fully present in this moment.
Relax your facial muscles, your neck, your shoulders, your lower back, your legs, your hands and feet.
Take 3 deep breaths in preparation for meditation.
On your third exhale:
In your mind, see yourself standing on a beautiful sandy beach.
Feel the sun on your skin. Feel the warm sand under your bare feet. In your mind you close your eyes and smell the salty air, hear the waves as they come into shore and recede.
You can hear the sea gulls. You become aware of children playing and a volleyball game in the distance.
As you open your eyes to observe these you notice a surfboard leaning against a life guard stand. There are words written on the bottom of the surfboard.
The words say: I’m here for YOU. Ride the wave.
Your eyes go from the surfboard to the expanse of water. You can see the beauty and peace of the ocean.
You walk over to the surfboard and pick it up, tucking it under your arm. You feel the weight of it as you walk toward the water.
The sand under your feet turns from warm and loose to cooler and more solid as you near the water’s edge.
You continue walking into the perfect blue water with the surfboard under your arm. The water is up to your ankles, then your knees, then your thighs.
You place the surfboard in the water. As the waves come in, the water fluctuates between your knees and your thighs. You notice the tether attached to the surfboard and use the Velcro strap to attach it to your own ankle.
You stand there for another moment taking in the sights and sounds of the ocean and breathe.
In one graceful motion you grab both sides of the board and lean forward, pushing off the floor of the ocean, laying your belly on the board and begin floating away from the shore.
You paddle with your hands, lying on the board over wave after wave, traveling deeper and deeper. The waves are getting bigger as you paddle out. You can see where they begin breaking and continue to paddle toward them.
A wave catches your eye.
It is coming in fairly tall and appears that it will be close to breaking where you are. You turn yourself around and begin paddling with this wave. You feel it coming up behind you. You feel it beginning to propel you as you rise toward the top of it.
You leap into action, grabbing both sides of the board, pulling your knees in you plant your feet on the board, one in front of the other. You feel the back of the board dig into the wave and catch.
You stand, holding your arms out for balance. Your knees are bent to absorb whatever the wave brings. You lean forward and use your complete focus to steer and remain in alignment of the wave that continues to push you toward shore.
You’re riding the wave with speed and comfort.
You have never felt more present. You are at one with the power and momentum of the water.
Just as you begin to become aware of your surroundings the wave begins to soften, slowly. As you slow it becomes more difficult to balance.
You bend down, kneeling on one knee to grab the sides of the surfboard again. You stretch out onto your stomach as the wave turns to foam. You see the shore approaching and paddle yourself in to waist deep water.
You slide off the board and begin walking the floating board to shore. You pick it up and carry it back to the lifeguard stand. As you set the board in the sand—words out for the next adventurer to see—you untether yourself from the board and sit next to it in the warm soft sand.
You feel exhilarated and exhausted at the same time. The air feels a little fresher, the sun a little brighter. You know for certain that you will do this again and again. But for now you just sit and breathe and bask in the beauty around you.
You take a moment to contemplate what this experience might mean:
The universe is the ocean, the waves are inspiration, my passions and desires are the surfboard and I am the surfer.
As a surfer in this universe, I, at any time, can paddle out into the depths of the ocean to find a thrilling wave. The universe is always in motion for my highest good.
Although a wave will take me to shore, getting to shore is not my goal. My goal is the experience, not the destination.
Today I will relax into the flow of the ocean. Today I will purposely watch for waves of inspiration. I will hop on that surfboard, paddle out into the deep, get into alignment with the best wave I can find and spring into action.
As I do this, I will always be mindful to enjoy the journey. Because the journey, the experience, IS the goal.
Hang ten my friends.
