try playing in the waves

Go to the seaside. Find a beach, a sandy beach, a place where there are some waves. If possible, go somewhere where the water is warm and where you can be naked. If the water is cold, you might like to wear a wetsuit so that you can stay in the water for a long time.

And go into the sea, and play with the waves. You can dive into them, you can jump over them. But ideally, find some big waves – the sort of waves that surfers would look out for – as big as you, or bigger still, and play in them. Allow them to play with you.

Just abandon yourself to the waves. Allow them to throw you around. You will find yourself rolling over, doing cartwheels, being bounced on the seabed. Everything will happen. And it will be happening to you. For this thing to try is all about letting go of being in control; letting go of being the doer.

When playing in the waves, become more and more passive. Allow the water to play with you, to twist your body, to bend it in directions it doesn't usually bend. Allow the water to move you.

We are not really in control of life. We like to think we are. And part of the spiritual journey is to let go of that need to feel in control. And playing in the waves can help us to do that. The more relaxed we are about being played with, the more we can enjoy it. If we try to hold our body tense, if we try to fight the waves, then life is not enjoyable. We struggle and we feel fearful. Better to let go. Allow your body to become soft and flexible. And then, as we are toyed with by the waves of life, we can be relaxed and enjoy it to the full, without needing to be the doer.

So try playing in the waves, in this passive, receptive way. And you may be surprised: afterwards, you will feel invigorated. Some of the energy of the waves would have come into you, into your being. You will feel more alive.