Welcome to the Be Brave,
Be Kind,
Be Present,
Mindful Parenting workshop.
Right now we're going to look at the Mindfulness in Nature meditation.
So what I'd like you to do is I'd like you to make yourself comfortable in an outdoor setting,
Perhaps sitting on a bench or walking on a path,
Anywhere where there's trees and flowers and something outside.
And I'd like you to close your eyes and just stop by taking a breath.
Deeply inhale through your nose and out through your mouth three times,
With a longer exhale than the inhale,
With intention of breathing in energy and blowing out the stress,
The tension and the chaos of your day.
Again,
We're going to want to have your eyes open.
So hopefully you're sitting in a dignified position or standing in a dignified position,
And your eyes are open and you're able to look around.
So why don't we begin by starting to look at the sky,
Noticing the color.
Are there any clouds?
Do you see any birds?
What do the clouds look like?
What do the birds sound like?
Noticing whatever is in awareness for you at this moment when you're looking up into the sky.
Taking a moment to note the sun.
Is it shining?
Is it hiding behind the clouds?
Is it daylight?
Or is it after dark?
Taking this time to look around and seeing what else is around you.
Do you see trees?
So taking a moment to look closely at the trees.
Is it covered with leaves?
Are the branches bare?
What color is the wood?
What color are the leaves?
What is it that you're noticing about that tree?
Are there any buds on the branches?
Any flowers?
Any berries?
Any animals hiding inside the stumps or in the branches?
Is the tree perfectly still?
Or is it moving slightly?
Taking this moment to bring you into awareness of the trees around you,
Particularly this tree.
And slowly inhaling and noticing any scent,
Any smell,
Fragrance,
Odor,
Pleasant or unpleasant.
Or perhaps there's an absence of smell.
Are there any thoughts that you're reminded of?
Another time in your life perhaps?
Just noticing the smell.
Now looking down at the ground,
Do you see any grass,
Gravel,
Pavement,
A path?
Noticing the ground upon which you're standing.
What color is it?
What is the texture?
Is it sharp,
Soft,
Lush,
Hard?
If you can,
Take a moment and reach down and touch it.
What does the ground feel like?
Taking that moment to rub it within your fingers.
Noticing anything there about the ground upon which you stand.
Broadening that space to look around for flowers,
Any ground cover.
Rocks,
Stumps,
Chairs.
Taking this moment to just look around at the ground and its surroundings.
What is it you hear?
Do you hear any birds singing?
Do you hear any trees rustling?
Are there sounds of cars or trains,
Planes or children?
Taking this moment and noticing the sound of the breeze or the absence of the breeze,
The silence,
The pause in between sound.
Now,
Explore the temperature.
Paying attention to whether it's hot or cold or warm or chilly.
Just noticing the temperature on your body.
Is it comfortable,
Uncomfortable,
Pleasant or unpleasant?
Taking this moment to pay attention to your temperature.
Now to close off this meditation,
Just take three large breaths.
And thank yourself for taking a moment to become aware of your surroundings,
To the nature that is around you.
To the smells,
To the textures,
To the feeling,
To the sounds.
This is a meditation that you can carry with you anywhere that you go.
It's a wonderful meditation to do with children.
So thank you for joining us and sharing with us your awareness and your attention.
