Ocean

A woman in labor needs soothing, comfort, and words of encouragement. It is a long, painful struggle for her, and as a coach, I will need to be prepared for this. I will be helping her endure the pain in any way I can, and this will involve massage and other relaxation techniques. Visualization exercises are one way to help her relax during the contractions. Here is one I have been working on...

You are floating, floating in the middle of a vast ocean on a calm summer day. The water is warm and you hover on the surface, feeling the small waves gently dance against your skin. You float with perfect ease and allow the water to embrace you and comfort you. There is only peace here, and nothing but sun and warmth and serenity in all directions. White, billowy clouds drift slowly by. You extend your arms and feel weightless, like a feather, and allow the water to absorb all your troubles and all your fears. The tranquility is serene and irresistible. It pulls the tension from your shoulders until they are completely relaxed. Your arms melt down to your elbows and then all the way down to your fingertips. Your worries are pulled from the base of your neck and through your upper back, and the sensation cascades down your vertebrae and triggers a soothing warmth throughout your ribs and torso. The weightless relaxation is overwhelming your entire body now, and you find yourself helpless to resist as it absorbs every bit of tension from your waist and thighs all the way down to the tips of your toes. As you relax the sky grows bluer and the water feels warmer, softer, and you become one in this vast ocean of peace that has welcomed you.

You allow the ocean to consume you slowly. You feel your weightless body descend, the water flowing over your feet, legs, and chest. You are at perfect peace. You know the water cannot hurt you. This water of life feels weightless, and you know you can breath normally as you sink beneath the surface, and welcome the refreshing water gently flowing over your cheeks and forehead. You look up and see the waves on the bright ocean's surface and realize you are completely submerged in this vast ocean, and are perfectly at ease here in every way. You relax and allow this ocean to take you, surround you, and consume you. The more you relax, the more you feel yourself sinking, and the surface grows more distant above you. You descend slowly, deeper and deeper as the waves drift farther and farther away. You have fallen into a new marine world. As you fall, the turquoise water begins to turn blue. As you continue to relax, you fall deeper, and the water grows darker, first into a blue, then to purple. You realize your body can move effortlessly in this new ocean world, and you float deeper and deeper still as the surface becomes lost entirely and darkness surround you. You have become one with the ocean, and know you are in a place of perfect safety, and although it is completely safe, it is also vast and unexplored...

You move freely in the warm waters of this deep, deep ocean. You must be miles and miles down by now, but you continue to descend, and blackness surrounds you. Deeper, deeper. Then, you notice there is something glowing faintly in the distance, far, far below you. It is a barely perceptible green, and you swim towards it. Miles and miles, deeper and deeper. It is green, and becomes less faint as you swim towards it. So incredibly deep now, but you keep descending. You keep descending toward the green light. Then, as you gaze into this glowing green light you notice tiny shapes. Squares, circles, and lines. As you approach them they get bigger, and you see roads and houses, all so tiny and distant, still far, far beneath you in this perfectly clear water. You descend and see churches and schools and people walking on the sidewalks. There are others floating around over the roads and buildings, and you want to join them and see this underwater city. Finally, you float all the way down to a street and feel your feet touch the ocean surface. There are shops on both sides with windows and people walking around in them. You look up and see street lights that cast a green glow over the whole street. You walk down the sidewalk and admire the little shops and carts, and people going about their daily lives. A guide invites you to float with him as he shows you all the town landmarks, the statues, the museums, the art galleries.

Then, the guide drifts into an apartment, and you follow, and it seems familiar. You feel welcomed here, and at home. It is bright and spacious, with plenty of room for floating around. There is a table with a vase and flowers, a fireplace, some cozy furniture, and all the amenities you could ever need. It is the special apartment that has been reserved for you, and it is available whenever you need it. It is a place that nobody knows about except you, and it is the perfect place where nothing can ever disturb you in any way. The guide explains that it has been here all along, and is so glad you finally came to enjoy it. You drift onto the comfy bed and close your eyes and know that nothing can ever trouble you ever again.

After you have rested for an eternity and enjoyed your special underwater apartment, you see that everything is in order. The bed is made, the counters are clean, and you float out of your special apartment and look up into the darkness. It seems to be calling for you, and you notice that almost without thinking you are floating up towards it, and you let yourself go, floating up, and up, and up. You look down as the streets and houses grow smaller and smaller and the roads turn to tiny lines. The bright green glow grows fainter and fainter as you ascend, until it is almost imperceptible. Then, you notice complete blackness, silence. You float up, and up, and up, and finally see some very dark purple high above you. The dark purple slowly turns to very dark blue and then a rich, deep blue. Then, as you ascend, you look up and see turquoise, and finally detect the waves way up on the surface. You float towards them, and the sun is bright and you see streaks of sun rays pierce the water, and finally the surface is right above you, and your face breaks through the surface and you feel the warm sun again on your body, and the fresh breezes on your cheeks, and see the large blue sky with white, billowy clouds drifting slowly by.