To practice mindfully observing your thoughts without changing them. 

Letting Thoughts Drift – Seashells on the Shore

© 2025 Oceanside Clinics | For educational use only | www.oceansideclinics.org

Guided Exercise

I invite you to sit in a comfortable yet upright position in your chair, with your feet flat on the floor, your arms and legs uncrossed, and your hands resting in your lap. [Pause five seconds.]
Let your eyes gently close, or soften your gaze on a point in front of you. [Pause five seconds.]
Take a few slow, gentle breaths — in through your nose… and out through your mouth. [Pause five seconds.]
Notice the sound and rhythm of your breath as it moves in and out, like the tide rolling in and out along the shore. [Pause.]

Now, imagine you are sitting on a quiet beach. The sun is soft and warm, the air is calm, and the waves move steadily across the sand. [Pause five seconds.]
You can feel the ground beneath you — solid and steady. [Pause five seconds.]
You can hear the water approach, whispering as it reaches the shore, then slowly receding back to the sea. [Pause five seconds.]
Each time the tide comes in, it brings with it a single seashell, small and smooth, resting gently on the sand in front of you. [Pause five seconds.]

Now begin to notice your thoughts — whatever is on your mind right now.
When a thought arises, imagine placing it on the shell that has just arrived with the wave. [Pause five seconds.]
When the next wave comes in, it picks up a new shell, perhaps carrying a new thought — or sometimes the same thought again. Allow that to happen.
It’s perfectly natural for familiar thoughts to return. Just let them rest on each shell as they come. [Pause five seconds.]

Watch as the waves roll in and out. Each time they retreat, the shell — and the thought upon it — is gently carried back toward the ocean. [Pause five seconds.]
You don’t have to send it away or hold it close. Simply allow the tide to move as it will. [Pause five seconds.]

If you notice an urge to control the waves — to push a thought away or to bring one back — that’s okay.
Notice that sense of control, and perhaps imagine placing it gently on the next shell that arrives. [Pause five seconds.]
Every wave, every shell, every thought — allowed to come and go in its own time. [Pause.]

If your mind wanders or gets caught up in a thought, that’s completely natural.
When you notice it, just take a breath and return to watching the waves.
The ocean never stops; the waves keep coming and going, whether you watch them or not. [Pause ten seconds.]

As you continue, let yourself rest in this rhythm — thoughts arriving, resting on shells, being carried out again. [Pause five seconds.]
Even if a shell lingers on the sand or a wave seems still for a moment, let it be.
There’s no need to change the tide. [Pause five seconds.]

Now, slowly allow the image of the ocean to fade.
Bring your awareness back to your breath.
Feel your body supported by the chair.
Notice your feet on the floor. [Pause five seconds.]
When you’re ready, gently open your eyes.
Look around the room. Notice what you can see and hear.
Take a slow stretch and allow yourself to arrive fully back in the present.
Welcome back.

Reflection

Notice how you feel right now — your breath, your body, your mind.
Just as the waves carry shells in and out, thoughts will come and go.
You don’t have to chase or resist them — only watch them drift, again and again, with calm curiosity and compassion.