Let's begin.
Take a deep breath in and a full breath out.
This forest bathing meditation is best done outside,
Among the trees or in the grass or wherever you are in nature.
I invite you to take a few deep breaths as you start to notice all the aspects of the world around you.
Forest bathing is a practice of mindfulness and savoring.
It's meant to use all the senses to connect with nature.
So I invite you to take a few deep breaths as you start to connect with all the aspects of nature around you.
Keeping your eyes open,
Look around and notice what you notice.
Examine the colors and the shapes.
Look left and right.
Take a moment to look up at the sky above you and then look down and notice what you can about the earth and the ground.
Looking as far as you can see ahead of you,
What is the furthest thing in your line of sight?
Now maybe turn around or look behind you and what's the furthest thing you can see in that direction?
As you're looking around left and right and behind you,
Just notice what you notice.
Taking deep breaths all the way in and all the way out.
Maybe you breathe so deeply that you can hear your own breath.
What else can you hear in nature?
Take a moment to notice the furthest sound away from you.
Now try to notice the softest sound,
The quietest sound that you can hear.
Perhaps you turn around again left and right or turn completely around and what does it change about what you can hear?
Move slowly.
No need to rush.
Now let's use our sense of touch.
Find different textures that you can feel right now.
Maybe something on the ground,
The grass or a stone,
Maybe a twig or a leaf.
What are the similarities or differences among the different items that you can touch?
Do they have different textures or temperatures?
How do they feel while you hold it in your hand?
Maybe you notice something else on the ground or touching the bark of a tree nearby or anything at all that you can reach.
Find a few different textures and feel them in your hand.
Now maybe you bring one of those items up to your face,
To your nose and you smell it.
What does it smell like?
Does it have a fragrance?
Does the wind have a fragrance?
Take a deep breath in through the nose,
Just smelling the air.
How does it feel,
The wind coming up through your nostrils?
Maybe turn around again,
Left or right or behind you.
Are there any new smells in different directions?
Take one more big,
Deep inhale through the nose and then open your mouth to let it out.
Now keep the mouth open and inhale through the mouth.
What does the wind taste like?
Take a few more inhales through the mouth.
What does that air feel like on your tongue,
On your teeth?
Is it cool air?
Is it hot air?
And then what does that air feel like as you give it back to nature on your exhale?
Use all your senses now to notice everything around you.
If you want to walk around or move around,
Do so very slowly and silently,
Taking in all you can with all of your senses.
Deep breath in,
Full breath out.
Consider all the gifts that nature gives us.
Look around at the beauty all around you.
Take deep breaths as you savor all of the beauty of the world.
As we start to end our meditation,
Remembering that you can bring this mindfulness and this savoring using all of your senses into the rest of your day.
Each time you step outside,
Remember to thank nature,
Mother Earth,
For all the gifts and for all the beauty that they provide.
Let's thank Mother Earth and all the trees for giving us life and air to breathe.
Let's inhale deeply and exhale with gratitude.
Enjoy the rest of this beautiful day.
