Welcome to a forest bathing meditation.
Settle into your seat feeling connected to and supported by the ground beneath you.
We'll begin with a simple belly breathing exercise to relax our body and ease into today's meditation class.
Please gently close your eyes if you choose to do so and place one hand on your belly just below your ribs and one hand on your chest.
Inhaling through your nose feel your belly expand out keeping your chest as still as you can.
Exhale through your mouth as though you're whistling feeling the air leave your belly using the gentle pressure of your hand to empty out the remaining air.
Inhale expand exhale empty inhale expand exhale empty inhale expand exhale empty inhale expand exhale empty.
Continue to do this on your own for the next few breaths.
Allow your breath to return to its normal rhythm and let your hands fall gently to your sides.
Today's class will take you on a meditative Shinrin Yoku experience.
First developed in Japan in the 1980s,
Shinrin Yoku translates to forest bathing.
It's a practice of wandering through the forest engaging our senses truly connecting with the natural world around us.
Like meditation,
Forest bathing helps to cultivate presence and connection with the present moment connection with the now.
To be in the now in the present we welcome mindfulness into our life.
To be mindful and fully living in the present moment we are able to cultivate a deep appreciation for everything around us.
The healing practice of forest bathing has been scientifically proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure,
Decrease levels of cortisol which is the stress hormone,
And it decreases levels of sugar in the bloodstream.
It helps to boost our immune system and increase our ability to fight disease.
It eases anxiety and improves our mental health.
Forest bathing increases creativity,
Calm,
And clarity.
It enhances our overall well-being.
Today you will be guided on a journey through the forest and perhaps you can use this technique the next time you find yourself surrounded by the trees.
Deep breath in and exhale.
You're walking down a gravel path sinking deeper and deeper into the forest.
You can hear the crunch of your well-worn hiking boot on the gravel path.
You can hear the rustle of the leaves on the trees blowing in the wind.
You walk past a babbling brook and pause for a few minutes so that your canine companion can have a drink of cool fresh water.
Taking another deep breath in and out,
You continue on your journey walking down the tree-lined path.
You see a bench off to the side of the gravel path painted green to blend in with its surroundings and you decide to rest.
You give yourself permission to take some time to escape the busy world that you live in and just enjoy the beautiful natural world around you.
As you sit you feel yourself becoming a part of your surroundings,
A part of nature,
A part of the forest where you now find yourself.
You feel the wind blowing through the trees the same as the air you feel moving in and out of your lungs,
Inhaling,
Expanding,
Exhaling,
Emptying.
The wind moves the hair on the surface of your head as it blows the leaves through each of the trees.
Can you feel the warmth of the Sun on your skin just as the earth beneath your feet feels the warmth that the Sun brings?
Draw in the light energy that it gives you.
Can you hear the sounds that the forest makes around you?
The birds chirping in the trees,
The wind whistling,
The exploring of a squirrel in the bush,
The crunch of fallen leaves beneath the paws of your furry friend.
Can you hear the faraway sound of a chainsaw from a few lots over,
A distant neighbor's hammering,
Pounding in a nail?
Do you hear the chirping of the crickets,
The hum of a mosquito,
Or a bee buzzing by?
Listen and hear the forest breathing and living around you.
What other sounds do you hear?
As you draw a deep breath through your nose,
What can you smell on the forest air?
Sweet flowers from a nearby meadow of clover?
The strong earthy scent of the forest floor made all the more potent from the rain the night before.
Imagine all the scent trails left behind from the wild tenants of the forest,
Hidden from your own nose but oh so prevalent for your canine companion.
Following and investigating each one before loyally returning to your side.
In your mind's eye,
Can you see the butterfly drinking in the nectar from a nearby flower?
The fallen yellow leaf on the gray gravel road that you recently walked down?
See the bright orange caterpillar making his way from one patch of green grass to the other,
Trying to find a place to transform into his cocoon for the winter.
I invite you to spend a few minutes exploring the forest in your mind's eye.
What else do you see?
What do you hear?
How does it make you feel?
Do any creatures come into your path,
Focusing in on that creature?
Consider their life,
The actions that it takes each and every day as it walks,
Crawls,
Flies,
And journeys this earth.
The ant building its hill,
The bee feeding its hives,
The bird crafting its nest.
Consider the life of every tree,
Every plant,
Every flower,
Every life in this forest,
And hold that life,
That spark of energy,
Close to your heart.
For every creature,
Every tree,
Every plant,
Flower,
Life has a purpose,
A useful purpose,
A true purpose,
A life purpose,
And they take that to heart.
They do not veer from that purpose,
For they do not know how.
They complete that purpose as God,
Or Source,
Or the universe intended.
Nothing more,
Nothing less.
Completely life sustaining and vital.
As you sit surrounded by nature,
Surrounded by the forest,
You become a part of it.
Your life is dear.
Your purpose is taken to heart.
It is life-sustaining for you,
For everyone,
And completely vital.
We are nothing more,
Nothing less than the universe intended.
You are nature.
You are mindful.
You are peaceful,
And you are enough.
Exactly as you are,
Just as every creature that is roaming the forest,
Every plant and tree,
You are enough.
Bring your awareness once again to the natural forest area that is surrounding you.
You breathe in the forest air once again,
Letting any remaining tension ease from your body as you exhale.
You know that you are a part of this place,
Even as you leave it and move about your day.
You are innately nature.
Rising from the bench where you sit,
You begin your journey back down the gravel path towards home.
You whistle for your dog to follow,
Taking a deep breath in through your nose,
Bring awareness to your chest,
Feeling the warmth and gratitude fill your heart.
Exhaling,
You promise the forest that you will be back again soon,
And thank it for its healing energy.
You are forever mindful,
Once again through the gravel crunch beneath you as you walk the path towards home.
The calming energy comes over you as the wind whistles a farewell through the trees.
You are eternally peaceful.
When you are ready,
Gently open your eyes and live naturally.
You are always enough.
Namaste.
