Dolphin Swim Meditation

dolphin swim meditation

This simple but effective meditation technique will get rid of stress and tension. Also, you will become a dolphin. Dolphins FTW.

Need to relax and get rid of all that stress and tension that has your mind and body wound up tight? Meditation is a tried and true method to help you di-stress after a long day of work, errands, cleaning, and all that other general unpleasantness.

If you’re unfamiliar with meditation, or at least don’t know much about it I suggest you take a peek at these urban meditation tips.  They are a great short-but-sweet guide to get you started on your path to meditational bliss. If and when you feel comfortable with the basics, check out this exercise that will help you feel lighthearted and carefree.

For this meditation I suggest you make yourself comfortable; a comfy chair or bed will do. If you want, light some incense. I’ve always found lavender or jasmine to be particularly soothing and conducive to meditation.

Now clear your mind. You don’t want thoughts of your email, business meetings, or last night’s dinner plates you forgot to clean up encroaching on your time for relaxation. You want a blank slate to work with. Focus on your breathing (it sometimes helps to focus on something specific like really feeling the breathe coming in and out of your nose) and keep your mind clear. Slowly count back from ten. If you get distracted by a thought, start over again until you can get all the way down to one without any interruptions. Your breathing should remain steady.

Once you have made it to this point it is time to work on your visualization skills. Imagine yourself walking along the beach. I prefer to see myself there at around midnight (the Witching Hour) but you can choose any time of day you’d like. It’s all inside your head, after all! Take a few moments to really envision yourself walking the shoreline. Hear the waves lapping against the sand, feel the breeze through your hair, and smell the salt in the air. Be at one with your surroundings, taking it all in.

When you are ready, walk forward into the waves. Feel the water against your skin as you move further out, the waves caressing you and drawing you deeper. As you go, imagine dolphins swimming around you. They are playful and happy to see you, beckoning you to come and swim with them.

This next part is a bit tricky, and may take some practice. Envision yourself smoothly transforming into a dolphin. No weird cracking bones like you’d get in a werewolf film or an Animorphs book. The transition from human to dolphin should flow like magick.

Once you’re in your new dolphin skin it’s time to swim! Explore the open sea, playing with your new dolphin friends. Do flips through the air, make big splashes when you come back down. Swim this way and that… you have the whole ocean!

When you tire yourself out, or cannot hold the image in your head any longer, see yourself coming back out of the water, transforming back into a human as you do so. Take a moment to collect yourself, focusing on your breathing, and slowly start counting to ten, letting the ocean scene fade from your mind. When you reach ten and when you are ready, open your eyes.

You should feel refreshed and certainly less stressed! I always do, at least, and I have been practising this particular meditation exercise for about four years.

You can also switch it up a bit; perhaps pick a different nature setting and animal. I have always found the ocean to be soothing and I have loved dolphins since I was little so these were natural things for me to gravitate to. But you definitely don’t need to limit yourself to dolphins… You could just as easily transform into a bird flying through the air or horse galloping through an open field; whatever you are comfortable with and resonates with you.