Welcome,
My name is Yvonne and I will be guiding you through the nature walk sequence today.
Taking a moment to switch your devices to silent,
Relaxing into a comfortable position with your back supported,
Allowing your head to be unsupported,
Knowing you can adjust your position at any time during our time together.
Acknowledging the effort you've made to be here,
To carve out this time for yourself and noticing how you're feeling at this very moment.
It's so hard in our busy lives to find time to just be,
And you've done that today.
This is your time,
And the only thing on your to-do list is to rest,
And gently float your eyes closed now if that feels right for you.
Tuning in to the natural rhythm of your breath,
Not trying to change it in any way,
Just becoming aware of its natural rhythm.
Gently allowing your breath to deepen now.
With each cleansing inhale and each releasing exhale,
Feeling your body softening,
Loosening and melting gently with gravity.
Becoming aware of the pause between each breath in and out.
Not trying to change it in any way,
Setting an intention for even the slightest amount of tension to flow out with each exhale.
During this meditation practice,
Whenever you happen to notice your mind has drifted away or any thoughts have popped up,
Just effortlessly,
Gently resting your awareness back on your anchor,
Which happens to be your breath right now.
Thoughts are all part of the meditation,
There's no need to control them or judge them in any way.
You may also notice physical sensations or sounds around you.
It's a natural part of the process,
And we're not looking to clear the mind or reach a certain outcome or state.
Simply resting our awareness back on our anchor,
In this moment,
Our breath,
Any time we happen to notice that we've drifted away.
Returning your breath now gently back to its natural rhythm,
Just allowing it to be naturally in the background as usual.
Joining me now as we take a walk on a path through a forest.
The path is soft beneath your shoes,
A mixture of soil,
Fallen leaves,
Pine needles,
Moss,
Pebbles,
Grass.
As you walk,
Perhaps you notice your body relaxing and your mind easing more and more with each step you take.
Anytime you happen to notice you've drifted away to thoughts,
That's okay,
Gently and effortlessly drift back to this forest walk,
To my voice,
To the scenes in the forest.
Filling your lungs now completely a big inhale of this fresh mountain air.
Hold onto it,
And exhale,
Letting all the air go,
Taking this opportunity to feel refreshed even slightly.
Sun filters through the trees,
Making that beautiful moving dappled pattern on the ground before you.
As you walk on this path through the forest,
Perhaps you notice your body feeling pleasantly tired as you take in this beautiful scenery all around you.
Tall trees grow on either side of this path and some have smooth white bark,
Others are darker with coarse heavy bark and deep grooves.
Taking a look around and noticing the multitude of colors of the bark on these trees,
White,
Tan.
The path curves up ahead and you can see sunlight streaming onto it.
Rounding the corner you see a gentle stream of flowing water and across that stream you see a clearing in the trees up ahead.
A beautiful lookout point awaits at that clearing.
Let's walk towards the stream and the clearing.
Stepping stones make an easy path across the stream and towards that clearing.
Stepping on each large flat stone to easily cross the small shallow stream.
I invite you to now take a seat in this spot where the sun shines gently and warmly on you.
Here amongst nature sitting at this beautiful clearing,
Let's take stock of how your body is feeling today.
Not labeling or judging or controlling any of the feelings in your body,
Just simply becoming aware of them.
Beginning with your head and neck,
How do they feel?
Is there any tension?
Any heat or discomfort?
No need for concern,
Just awareness.
Moving down your body now to your shoulders and your back,
Bringing your awareness to how they feel.
Tight,
Light,
Relaxed,
However they feel is okay because that's where you are in this present moment.
Now to your chest and belly,
Noticing how they feel in this moment.
Just bringing an awareness to them,
Your chest and your belly.
Becoming aware now of your arms and hands,
Your upper arms,
Forearms,
Wrists and hands.
Any soreness there,
Tingling,
How do they feel on the surface beneath them?
Just notice it.
Moving now to your legs,
Becoming aware of how they feel on the surface under them.
Do they feel heavy,
Warm?
Continuing down to your feet now,
Noticing any tightness there or tension,
Again just becoming aware,
Not trying to change it in any way.
Taking this opportunity now to take another deep cleansing breath of this fresh forest air.
Feeling the sun warm on your skin,
Glowing and enjoying the nature scenes around you,
The flowers,
The trees,
The mountains,
That stream,
This calm and peaceful place.
Now an opportunity to simply relax,
While resting your awareness gently upon the sounds of the forest as your anchor.
I'll keep an eye on the time,
And when you hear the chime,
Just sit gently.
Whenever you happen to notice your mind has wandered away,
Effortlessly just wander back to your anchor,
The forest sounds.
Beginning now to bring your awareness back to your body,
Wiggling your fingers,
Wiggling your toes,
Stretching your arms and legs,
Moving your body,
And when you feel ready gently opening your eyes and adjusting to the environment in the room or the space that you're in.
I like to set an intention at the end of my meditations,
I put my hand on my heart,
So perhaps you'd like to set an intention to simply notice a little piece of nature as you go through your day today or tomorrow.
It might be a plant on your windowsill,
A tree outside your window,
A forest that you walk in.
This will give you a little reminder of this time that you've taken today,
And how cleansing it can be to connect with nature.
Thank you for spending this time with me today,
And I really look forward to having you join me for another walk through the forest at any time.
Until then,
Go gently.
