Watching the Waves Roll In and Out

Have you ever sat on the shore of a lake or ocean - or even a tidal river like the Hudson - watching the water flow in and out from the shore, being simply the neutral observer, present for the experience? Invoking that memory now, hearing the water as it arrives at the shoreline and then flows back out again in its own natural rhythm, how does it feel in the body?

There may be a sense of relaxation, a relief at being able to be the observer, just allowing life to flow, accepting each moment as it arrives, and maybe even feeling some wonder at how it all works.

When we turn our attention to our breath in a breathing meditation practice, we can invoke that same letting go, allowing each breath to enter and leave the body without our needing to control it. The body can shepherd each breath in and then out all on its own, without us intervening. We can let go, step back, sit down, and just observe.

When we do this, we become more familiar with letting go of the habit of control, or the sense of needing to control when our control is not needed. We can get more familiar with what “letting be” feels like in the body. Maybe we feel it as a belly that moves more freely with the breath, or a relaxed jaw, unclenched hands, or shoulders that fall a bit further away from the ears. Maybe we notice fuller, rounder breaths rolling into and out of the body like gentle waves at the beach. And maybe the heart opens a bit.

We can spend a few minutes each day deliberately engaged in this practice, as we build our understanding of what “not control” feels like. Then, in the rest of our day we can notice when control is not needed and invite in and rest in a state of “not control”, allowing ourselves some rest, a pause in the exertion, a moment on the shore of life, watching the waves roll in and out with the rhythm of nature.

Wishing you an easeful day on the shore of life,
Your CMP family