Close your eyes and imagine you’re walking on the beach today.

Feel the sand beneath your toes. Hear the lap of the waves in your head. In your mind’s eye, bring your awareness to the sand. What kind of sand does this beach have?

Are there shells?

Which shells are you drawn to?

Do you normally collect whole seashells or parts that are interesting shapes? If you’re only finding broken shells, do you toss them aside to take home only the whole ones? Do you have a sand collection with jars of beautiful colors and textures? Which shells did your imagination create?

Whole shells are what remains of marine invertebrates after they’ve crossed the rainbow bridge. The tumbled whorls are the ones that get broken as they’re tossed in the waves. Some types of sand are piles and piles of shells that have been ground down.

The shells in their various states can represent the past, the present, and the future. They were once whole. They might show their current wear and tear. They will get ground down and become something else.

Where do you see beauty? Is it in the past, the present, or the future?

As you open your eyes, which shell did you put in your pocket to carry around with you today?

Is that the best state for you to inhabit?

Remember, you always have a choice about which shells you pick up on your journeys.

If you liked Which Shells are you Choosing to Carry, read more of my yoga essays:

Refraction

Sound as an ally

Your Yoga Practice as a Poem

If you want to listen to a guided mediation, try these:

Sunny and Bright

Vacation Mindset

Water Ripples


A person with their hands uplifted palms open.  The hands are filled with shells and the ocean is in the background.  The text says, "Mindfulness approach.  Which shells are you carrying?"

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