Sensory Immersion Forest Meditation

Explore your world with a child-like sense of awe and wonder.

Sensory immersion meditation involves layering 7 channels of open awareness: body, breathing, heart, time/space, hearing, smelling and seeing into a single, holistic experience of the now.

I recommend practicing it initially sitting on a bench in the forest but you can just as easily practice it while walking in nature or sitting at home. Sensory immersion meditation is a great way to feel more immersed in nature and experience more natural flow in your daily experience.

I started teaching sensory immersion meditation 3 years ago in Stanley Park near my home in Vancouver, Canada. Now, I teach it on ecological awareness adventures called Spirit Quest Adventures that combine meditation, flow psychology and learning about plants, trees and fungi.

This meditation was recorded sitting on a bench on the Council Trail in Pacific Spirit Park near the University of British Columbia.

Transcript

Welcome to sensory immersion meditation.

So ideally for the first time you want to practice this sitting down somewhere in the forest.

Find a lucky spot with a bench and sit there.

There's basically seven channels of awareness that we're going to move through.

And then we're going to combine them into an immersive experience.

Where you experience all the channels together as one holistic sensory input.

So let's start out by just closing your eyes comfortably seated with your back straight.

And just notice how you're feeling right now in your body.

Gently scan your body to see how you're feeling.

You might feel joy in some areas of your body,

Pain,

Tension.

Just observe those feelings with what's called an equanimous mind.

Not judging them as good or bad.

Just experiencing them exactly as they are.

Now I want you to add another layer of awareness.

I want you to notice your breathing.

Your natural breathing pattern in this moment.

See if you can follow your breath when it comes in,

Flows into your body,

And when it comes out.

If your mind wanders,

Just notice it.

It's wandered.

Bring your attention back to how you're feeling in your body and your respiration pattern in this moment.

Now I want you to add another layer.

I want to bring your attention now to your heart.

Feel your heart.

And feel in your heart a sense of appreciation and gratitude for who you are,

For where you are.

And I want you to extend that feeling of appreciation and love to all beings everywhere in the world.

May they all find peace,

Be loved,

And belong.

Now it's another layer of bringing your attention to your body in space and time.

Notice how your skin feels with the breeze on it or the temperature of the air in your skin.

Notice how your clothes feel like on your skin.

How your body feels like sitting.

Just notice your body in space and time as it is.

Your full attention.

Noticing your body,

Your breathing,

Your heart,

And your presentness in this space you are in.

Now I want you to listen to the sounds around you.

Notice the birds,

If there's birds.

Notice the sounds of people in the distance.

Maybe notice the sound of the breeze in the trees.

Just notice what you're hearing.

The waves of sound coming into your ears.

And now,

Breathing in through your nose,

Breathe in the clean,

Fresh air where you are.

Smell it,

Taste it,

Let it flow into you.

Breathe in deeply through your nose,

Slow and deep,

And then breathe out through your mouth.

And now,

Feeling completely relaxed and grounded,

I want you to imagine that you're a child again.

And you're seeing this world where you are right now for the first time.

And I want you to open your eyes in a few moments.

I want you to see what's around you with fresh awareness.

Noticing the patterns and the colors and the light and the shadows and the textures,

The shapes around you,

Like you've never seen them before.

So gradually opening your eyes,

Look around you.

Hopefully you're sitting in a forest,

The best place to meditate.

Just observe what's around you.

Appreciate it with what they call in Zen a beginner's mind,

A fresh eyes.

And see if you can feel in your body a sense of awe at the vastness of space,

At the beauty of nature,

A sense of wonder that you are fortunate to be here and be here now.

Gaze upwards toward the sky.

Look at the sky illuminated,

Clear,

Boundless space stretching out into the heavens.

Thank you for listening to this Sensory Immersion meditation session.

And now go back in the world,

Rejuvenated and more alive.

Reviews

Great work, a very honest and natural practice that captures the moment it was created without superfluous things. Just requires a forest.

Love to find more of your guided meditations! Thank you! 🙏🏻

Great meditation, short and right on point! Love the tone of your voice, thank you 🙏🏻

A brief but delightful meditation. Thank you for sharing it here

Enjoyed it, thanks

Simple and relaxing way to refocus if feeling like you need a reset to the mood you are in if a little stressed.

This is probably my favorite go-to in the mornings. Peaceful, without distracting music, and calming. Thank you!

Very sweet and refreshing. Would be great to practice this one in a forest, but interesting even if there is no forest nearby. Thank you.

I was transported❤

Loved this! Thankyou :)

I liked switching between the senses and noticing like a child.

This was awesome, Kyle. I tried to follow you as a teacher on the app but it won't let me. I'll try again later. Hope to hear more like this!

Very enjoyable! Thank you for the new perspective! 🙏🏻

This was a very lovely meditation. I was not able to do it in the forest, but in my living room. I closed my eyes and imagined myself in the forest and that worked great. I loved hearing the forest sounds in the meditation as it helped me envision the forest.

Fantastic, thank you!