In the Present Moment | A walk along the beach

Sophrology: a structured method created to produce optimal health and well-being. It consists of a series of easy-to-do physical and mental exercises that, when practiced regularly, lead to a healthy, relaxed body and a calm, alert mind. — Sophrology Center Online

During the first level of sophrology training, my experience of myself and the world around me is rapidly changing and expanding as I truly allow myself to embrace each lesson my teacher Dorna Revie brings to me.

With an open mind, I am letting go of all preconceived ideas, beliefs and judgments, experiencing each lesson as it unfolds in the moment as if it is the first time I am being introduced to my body, my senses and the vastness of the world below, above and all around me.

One profound lesson that has provided me with the deepest sense of gratitude, love and oneness while learning Sophrology and practicing each exercise has been the enjoyment of experiencing life as it is in the present moment.

To share this experience of being in the present moment, I would like to take you for a “virtual” walk with me along the beach….

As I walk along the shoreline of the beach, I notice how my body relaxes and my mind quietens — free from past distractions, current happenings and future plans….

My feet feel both the warmth of the wet sand and the crisp coolness of the ocean water as it washes up onto the shore, over my feet, and then recedes back into the flow of the ocean again. The sand beneath my feet feels warm and grainy between my toes and against the skin of my feet. This feeling changes as the water washes up over my feet and they sink deep into the wet sand where it feels cooler and less grainy.

I feel the warmth of the sun on my skin and the coolness of the ocean breeze as it gently blows against my skin, bringing with it the fresh salty smell of the ocean, the sweet smell of the marine life on the rocks and, at the same time, the warm spicy smell of the beach sand, plants and seashells lying along the shoreline.

As I walk along the shoreline, I notice that there are lots of seashells brought onto the beach with the tide. I see children running around playing and building sandcastles, dogs chasing a ball or running to fetch a stick that has been thrown by their owner, seagulls walking along the shoreline or flying above and around me, people swimming, paddling and surfing, and others sitting or lying on their towels enjoying every moment at the beach.

I notice the pale blue of the sky with little white wisps of clouds, the deep blue-green of the ocean waves with white froth where they crash back into the flow of the ocean, as the water washes up onto the shore over my feet I notice that it is crystal clear before it disappears into the sand and recedes back into the flow of the ocean.

My ears are filled with the sounds all around me of children laughing, people talking, dogs barking, seagulls squawking and the ocean waves as they crash down back into the flow of the ocean. After walking for some time I pause for a moment….

I close my eyes and take a deep breath in and then let it out again slowly, I take a second deep breath in and let it out slowly, then, breathing deeply and calmly with my eyes still closed I notice and embrace what my senses are experiencing — in this moment there is a gap when I become one with the sand, the sea, the breeze and the warmth of the sun — there are no longer sounds around me; there is just this moment of quiet, all-embracing oneness.

Slowly sounds around me start filtering through and the familiar smells of the ocean and beach once again tease my sense of smell, and I open my eyes with a deep sense of gratitude and notice as if it is the first time: the magnificence of where I am and everything that is around me.

I feel deeply relaxed, happy and revitalised, and I realize the importance of the sophrology level 1 exercises that have taught me to be in present time, in the now.