A Walk Along A Country Path

Sometimes you need to escape to where time stands still. To a place so beautiful and wild that your everyday worries seem to fade away. Join me on this mini escape into the countryside on this walk together. This guided meditation featured gentle ambient music and birdsong to accompany you on the journey.

Music by: Manriquedelara

Transcript

I'm Francesca Harrell and thank you for joining me on this countryside walk meditation.

Wherever you are,

Sit or lay somewhere comfortable where you won't be disturbed for a little while.

During this time together we will shut out the world around us and focus on this journey so we can relax and escape,

If only for a short time.

The wonderful thing about guided meditation is that it has the power to transport you somewhere new,

Away from your day to day worries,

Stresses and anxiety.

So now to enjoy this journey with me,

Simply close your eyes.

Pay attention to your breathing.

Just by noticing how your breaths feel can alter the way you breathe,

Did you notice that?

Don't worry,

Just breathe how you need to right now.

Are your breaths shallow or deep?

Are they quick or slow?

I want you to take a steady,

Slow,

Deep breath in and hold for a moment before breathing out again.

Try again with another deep,

Long breath in and out.

And return your breathing to normal.

Did you breathe in through your mouth or your nose?

How did the air feel?

Notice whether the air was cool or warm and how good it feels to expand your lungs with air.

Our bodies are wonderful machines that keep working on their own without us needing to think about the intricate processes that it manages so effortlessly.

Spend a moment checking in with yourself and how your body is feeling.

Are you slouching?

Do you have any aches and pains?

We physically carry stress in our bodies without realising,

But that's alright,

You can minimise that tense feeling right now by stretching and relaxing your body.

Ready?

Start with your toes.

I want you to scrunch up your toes and hold for a couple of seconds and release them and let them go slack.

Notice how this makes your feet feel warm and how wonderful the contrast between tense and relaxed feels.

Imagine how it would feel to scrunch up your toes in soft,

Warm beach sand and how when you release them again,

It feels like sinking them under the surface of the sand.

And do the same with your feet.

Point them down as far as you can,

Hold and relax.

Feel your ankles and your calves warm up and become looser.

Next,

Move up your body and tense your thighs and bottom,

Hold for a few seconds and release.

If you've been sitting or standing for long periods of time,

This feels especially good.

Shoulders and neck can feel tight and tired,

So now try to shrug your shoulders close to your ears,

Hold them there and gently release.

You can even roll them backwards and forwards a few times to help loosen the muscles and warm up your joints.

Now let your body sink down,

Feeling warm and relaxed.

It's time now to transport yourself in your mind.

You're walking at a comfortable pace along a country path.

It's the kind of well-worn path that was tracked into the earth long before you and I were born.

This path could tell you many stories if it could.

And right now,

Crunching stones and compacted earth under your feet,

You're adding your own chapter to the story by simply walking along it.

This little path is leading you right through beautiful countryside,

Along the outskirts of woodland,

With a tree line to your right hand side and open fields to your left.

Something about this space feels so safe,

So nurturing,

Like you arrived here just at the right time.

There are all kinds of trees in the wooded area.

Tall sycamores with leaves as big as your hand,

Gnarled oak trees that look as if they could have been there for hundreds of years,

And nestled in between are thorny bushes and ferns.

As you walk by,

You sense there are little birds,

Perhaps they are bluetits or maybe starlings,

Playing and nestling in a thicket.

They seem undisturbed by your presence as you continue to crunch along the path.

Through the canopy that overhangs and protects you from high above,

The endless sky is a clear,

Deep blue and the sun is scattering the leafy shadows of the trees across your path and warming your skin.

You think to yourself how much it reminds you of the gentle glow and flicker of a candle.

You take a deep breath in and the scent of earth and greenery fill your nostrils.

You notice the rich smell of decaying leaves and a hint of something flowery,

Perhaps honeysuckle,

Dancing gently on the breeze.

Lavily swinging are the very top branches,

And out over the fields,

The long grassy crops are moving in hypnotic waves.

The crunch of your footsteps along this path is soothing to your tired and overwhelmed ears,

And overhead birds fill the air with their beautiful melody that lulls you into a peaceful state of mind.

You feel content and relaxed being here.

With every step along this little path,

You're becoming more grounded and present and at peace.

Being in nature with the trees,

Fields and wildlife feels so soothing to your soul because there's no rush to be anywhere,

Show up for anyone,

Or do anything other than amble down this path.

Sometimes helping you put your thoughts into perspective and slowing your mind down.

The things that usually irk you seem so insignificant in this space.

You could be at any moment in time because nature is unchanging only with the seasons.

To rest your feet for a while,

You come across a little wooden bench to the side of the path.

It's well worn and faces the stunning landscape of fields.

Past the grassy,

Green crops are other farmer's fields and untamed meadows,

Separated by little wooden fences and cobbly stone walls as far as the eye can see.

All shades of yellow and green,

Even the shimmering hint of some far off lake or river against the cornflower blue sky.

You shrug off your backpack and sit down.

The wooden seat creaks lightly as it accepts your weight and you sigh with contentment.

You've enjoyed the walk so far and your whole body feels warm and stretched.

For a few moments,

You simply sit and let your eyes drift out of focus.

Time seems to slow down and nature fills your senses.

You reach down into your backpack,

Which rests beside you on the bench,

And grab your flask from the bottom,

Pulling the rubber stopper out with a gentle pop.

You lean back and take a long drink of water.

The cooling liquid feels so refreshing and calming,

And you can envision the water is filled with a golden light as you drink,

Spreading across your neck and across your chest,

Allowing a sense of calm and serenity to spread throughout your body.

Once you have quenched your thirst,

You replace the flask back in your bag,

Fasten the rope closure into a bow,

And feel even more relaxed and content than before.

It's as though your senses have been heightened and time has slowed further still.

You allow yourself to simply sink your whole body weight further down.

As your mind becomes enveloped in the swaying of the fields,

The dance between the dappled sunlight and shadow on your skin,

The music of the leaves and birds beyond.

You know that you must now begin to journey back to where you came,

Ever changed and moved by the nature around you,

Your mind quietened and grounded.

You take a deep breath in and back out,

And get to your feet,

Throwing your backpack onto your back again,

And setting off down the path.

Your surroundings seem more vivid than ever before,

With dragonflies flitting to and fro with their metallic bodies and stained glass wings,

And bees humming around the buttercups and poppies that line the path in their search for pollen.

Up ahead,

A little way in the distance,

You spot a high hedge with a solid wooden gate nestled in the centre.

You feel drawn to this gate,

And feel a new sense of excitement and energy fill your body.

What could possibly be behind it?

Was it always there?

It seems as though the track you've been walking down leads straight up to the gate,

But you don't remember being aware of it when you first found the bench to sit down on.

Picking up the pace slightly,

You tingle with hope and possibility.

You get the sense that the gate is there just for you.

The breeze picks up a little and seems to magically carry you along.

The crunching of your boots along the gravelly path gets quicker.

You're closing the gap between yourself and finding out what's behind the gate now.

As you get closer,

You notice that the hedges surrounding the gate don't seem to be particularly pruned,

But have been left to grow pleasingly wild and a little untamed.

The reassuringly solid gate seems weather-beaten and smooth,

With a wrought iron handle and hinges.

The trees at the side of the path are much thicker here,

And have created shade over the hedges and gate,

Apart from a few sporadic beams of golden light.

There are sprigs of grass and wildflowers at the sides of the path,

And you notice the woodland seems a little quieter now,

As though the shade has hushed the wildlife within.

You slow your pace and walk right up to the gate,

Pressing your palm against the wood,

Which feels a little rough under your fingers.

You now know that when you walk through the gate,

You return to your normal life,

But you know that you can come back here to the woodland at any time.

You know that the sense of wholeness and calm that being in this woodland has given you can be yours again any time you wish to return here,

Regardless of what you might have to endure or experience in life.

There is always time to slow down and breathe in that sweet,

Wild air that the woods and the fields have to offer you.

You take a few deep breaths in,

Reach out your hand,

And confidently grasp the heavy iron ring on the gate.

With a low,

Rumbling creak,

You lift the latch and push with your body weight to swing it open.

It takes you a couple of moments to register that you're back where you started.

In the room you're currently in,

The familiar smells of your surroundings and the feel of the chair,

The floor,

Or the bed that you're resting on.

Take a few moments to bring yourself back into the present.

Stretch out your limbs and roll your neck gently if you like.

Now open your eyes and continue on with your day.

Thank you for escaping with me today.

Reviews

Loved the visual on this one too! I really enjoyed how you ended it as well.

Thank you for the pleasant walk in the countryside.

Your voice is spectacular. I love your pace and description. I feel totally relaxed. Thank you. 🙏💕

Slow beginning for me, but was I ever surprised by the ending. Absolutely did wonderful things for me. Thank you so much. 🫶