Reflections near the sea

It's not that often that I get to the sea now, but recently I spent a day walking, sitting and reflecting by the sea. watching the waves coming up and down the beach was really relaxing, taking me out of my usual frame of mind and filling my mind with a more natural and rhythmic motion.
The very vastness of the sea or ocean with the distant merging of sea and sky brings qualities of infinite space to my mind, somehow restoring a perspective on life.

The sound of the sea, the waves breaking on the shore and the rush of the waves against the pebbles as the wave recedes also seems to calm the mind in a natural way. The element water has this aspect of motion to it and by reflecting on or near the sea or water our mind can take on some of the flexible qualities and fluidity of water.

The wisdom of the body

One of the aspects to meditation that I was immediately struck by was that of how body and mind are connected. My experience in meditation was not just a mental experience, I was not just in my head when I sat to meditate.
It was not just that my body made itself aware to me through all the various aches and pains that seemed to arise when I sat, but that my body seemed to experience or embody the state of mind through the practise.
At first it was more about me noticing my body as the other or secondary experience, but as I practised I was more and more aware that I could, as it were, start from the body, my body and listen to the awareness there before moving to my thoughts. Just by becoming aware of our breath we can gain precious understanding about how we are feeling, the breath tells us how relaxed or stressed we are for example. there is wisdom in the body and if we can sit with a growing awareness of our body, breath and mind we will be developing a holistic meditation practise.