The Beach

Now watch your breathing/waves. With every inhale, allow the feelings of Metta (Loving kindness), Mudita (Appreciative Joy) ride the waves into the shore and as the waves splashes onto the beach, feel these Brahma Viharas nourish every grain of sand, showering the entire beach with Metta and Mudita thus nourishing every thing, every being connected equally.


It's exam time again. If you find yourself more edgy, irritable and nervous you need to relax. Meditation can help you relax. There's no need for long deep meditation practices to attain jhanas but instead keep it simple. I'd like to share a simple exercise that you can do to relax your mind. You can do this seated down anywhere you like. Not necessary in lotus position on the yoga mat. Even seated on the chair at your study desk is fine. Just sit upright with your palms rested on your thighs. Switch off your cellphone, music and remove those headphones. Close your eyes and breathe normally.

Step 1:
Imagine every cell of your body as a grain of sand on a beach. Every cell that makes up the strands of hair, every cell in your eyes, internal organs etc. is transformed into a grain of sand on a 1 to 1 basis of this imaginary beach. Don't take too long to imagine this. It can be an instantaneous transformation. No need to go hair by hair, limb by limb, organ by organ.

Imagine every thing, people, animals and every conceivable beings around you also as part of the beach. Their cells, molecules, atoms also transformed into tiny grains of sand on the beach. The chair you are on, the table, the lizard on the wall, the mosquitoes, the plants outside etc etc. Again, this is an instantaneous transformation. Quick as a flash. Don't go item by item. Don't go searching for things to transform. Just recall the mental picture/perception of your surroundings just before you closed your eyes and imagine every thing in it as grains of sand on the beach.

You just quickly realize/visualize that you are like grains of sand on a huge beach together with everything else. You are a part of that beach looking out into the great vast ocean. Not placed in a special part of the beach but just connected together as one with everything else. You, or rather the heap of sand that makes up your form or matter are are just there together with those of the mosquitoes, plants and other beings laid down together as the beach. Together as one.

Step 2:
Then imagine the waves that comes in curling and lapping onto the shores and then reeling back into the ocean. Connect this to your breathing. As you exhale, see the waves reeling back into the ocean. As you inhale see the waves curl in and splashes onto the shore. Make it a serene rhythmic motion that unfolds in your mind. Keep it a simple scene. Just sand, water and blue sky. Don't make it too scenic and populate the picture with other things. No gulls, no palm trees, no tsunamis, no lightning flashes, no ships. Definitely no favourite movie stars frolicking in the waters. You get the picture.

Step 3:
Now watch your breathing/waves. With every inhale, allow the feelings of Metta (Loving kindness), Mudita (Appreciative Joy) ride the waves into the shore and as the waves splashes onto the beach, feel these Brahma Viharas nourish every grain of sand, showering the entire beach with Metta and Mudita thus nourishing every thing, every being connected equally. With no biasness, no ego but with Uppekha (Equanimity). The waves nourishes the mosquitoes and lizards as much as it does you. With every exhale, allow the feeling of Karuna (Compassion) take away the sadness, sufferring, illness, stress away as the waves reels away from the beach taking with it the bad into the ocean.

Keep this going for as long as you like. Just let your mind be the witness of this rhythmic motion of Brahma Viharas and just watch it without expecting anything.

Step 4:
Slowly fade the picture away by letting go of the waves and let your breathing be just air in and out of your nostrils. This will anchor your breathing to your body in its current form and slowly open your eyes if you have not fallen asleep. :)