The Benefits of Ocean Meditation
Ocean meditation is perhaps the most naturally therapeutic gift that the world has to give us. Both the ocean and meditation bring a certain amount of peace. But when both gifts are used in harmony, the result can be a depth of tranquility that we just cannot garner from any other source.
In my personal experience, ocean meditation has been completely transformative. I first meditated while overlooking the ocean along the Wild Atlantic Way, in County Donegal, Ireland, and since then have been enjoying the benefits. Ocean meditation comes in many forms, and can be enjoyed in many different ways.
That we humans are so innately drawn to water is of little surprise. Scientists believe that up to 60% of our body is water. In the case of our brain and heart, the figure is as high as 73%. Our lungs, which power our breathing that is so closely aligned with meditation, are up to 83% water.
Water enables cell growth and repair, allows us to remain hydrated, grow crops, digest food, maintain hygiene, control internal body temperature and dispose of waste from the body. At our very origin in the embryo we are surrounded by water. We are not just given life by water; we are water.
Ocean Meditation and Breathing
Any visit to the ocean is reinvigorating due to the freshness of the sea air. Given that meditation is so closely aligned with breathing, ocean meditation offers the perfect combination of natural healing remedies. While any breathing exercise is beneficial while near the ocean, I have always found that either looking at or visualizing big waves in slow motion provides an excellent framework on which to align breathing. The in-breath mimics the rising of the wave. A pause greets the first white horses, as the wave begins to spill over under its own weight. And the out breath is louder, more deliberate, churning out the filtered air and negative thoughts with the surf. Practicing this technique while overlooking the ocean during a big swell is the ideal scenario, but even closing the eyes and imagining the waves and then breathing in unison with them is a really strong meditation technique.
Turbulence and Tranquility
The ocean is a pretty good metaphor for life. It is almost unimaginably vast, relatively unexplored and can be either friend or foe depending on our attitude and the respect we give it. Ocean meditation can evolve through time and experience to include many sea conditions. The ocean has the power to erode rock, sink ships, wash away dunes and throw spray far overland.
The Atlantic Ocean has thrown up waves off the west coast of Ireland that have peaked at over 75 feet. The ocean can be extremely turbulent, angry and unpredictable. However, regardless of how high the waves peak, the ocean will always return to calmness. Ships regularly alter course and ride out a storm, until such time as the waters have calmed. There is great hope in that realization. No matter how turbulent our lives appear, we can think of the ocean retuning to a calm state as we accept that ‘This too Shall Pass’.
New Horizons
One of the most exciting things about taking to the ocean is that it can bring us all around the world. With a clear line of sight to the horizon, and by following the stars the sun and the winds, we can navigate our way to where we want to be. This is a great metaphor for positive thinking and motivation. Instead of wallowing in a slow whirlpool in some darkened backwater, we can surrender to the natural currents until we are in open water, from where we can reach anywhere we want to go.
Digital Detox
Ocean waves travel thousands of miles before breaking on our coastlines. And they have been doing it for much longer than the coastlines existed as we know them today. This eternal quality predates modern stressors, and is a great way to become aware of our place in time and our place in the world. We are passing through, and the waves will be crashing on our coastlines long after we are gone. Getting in touch with this perspective through ocean meditation is a great way in which to unplug from our busy lives. Furthermore, much of the open ocean is not within cell phone towers and masts. Taking to the seas is a great way to enjoy a digital detox – something which we are going to hear much more about in years to come, as scientists come to terms with phenomena such as digital dementia.
Be Water My Friend!
The great Bruce Lee compared fluid movement and the power of awareness to the qualities of water. “Be water my friend“, he famously proclaimed. He was certainly on to something. At times when I want to delve deeper into consciousness, I begin with aligning breath to the waves. After several minutes, I will allow myself to feel the rise and fall of the passing waves. Gradually, this visualization is taken further, to a place where the physical body is no longer representative of who I am. Instead of floating on the water, I slowly imagine that I am dissolving into water. Becoming water. The fluidity that this brings, frees me from the shackles of body, self and all thought. I am free to dive under the surface for prolonged periods, without worrying about breathing because my lungs are no longer physical.
Ocean meditation offers limitless benefits, as we move toward total bliss and pure consciousness. This is where all good things are born, such as motivation, creativity and innovation, the power to build strength of convictions and make positive personal changes. All of this happens unconsciously of course, because while in meditation, there are no thoughts, no restrictions, no fears and no limits. When we reemerge from this deep dive into ocean meditation, we are ready to work towards our goals in a more meaningful, mindful and fearless manner.