Guided walking meditation in nature.
We can do this guided walking meditation in nature anywhere while walking in our local park,
Around the block,
Across the land and the countryside,
Or while walking the dog.
Beginning now by spending a moment to arrive in this moment,
Wherever we are walking right now.
Taking a few deeper breaths,
Slightly extending the in and out breaths as we are walking.
And with each out breath arriving a little bit more here,
Walking.
Perhaps noticing our pace.
Are we rushing or marching?
And if so,
We might like to slow down a little.
What do you notice when you slow down?
There's nothing to do right now other than being here,
Walking.
And now taking the attention to the soles of the feet in contact with the ground,
The earth.
Sensing the contact of the feet with the earth.
What is it like to feel the feet on the earth?
Taking a moment now walking and feeling the feet on the earth with each step.
And now beginning to open the gaze and looking around,
Taking in the surroundings.
What can you see?
Trees,
Blossom,
Flowers,
Clouds in the sky.
Perhaps different shades of green,
Different colours,
Shapes,
Forms.
Really looking,
Really seeing what you are seeing right now in front of you,
Around you.
Resting the eyes on each thing you are seeing.
You are seeing.
And if the mind has drifted off and you find yourself caught up in thoughts,
Ruminating,
Rehearsing or planning,
That's normal,
That's what minds do,
It's not a problem.
You can simply notice it with an open,
Kind and curious attitude.
And then coming back to something you are seeing.
And now shifting the attention to sounds.
What are some sounds?
Resting the awareness now and the sounds around you.
Perhaps you can hear birds singing,
The sounds of traffic,
People talking,
A plane in the sky.
Allowing sounds to come to you,
To land in your ears.
Relaxing into sounds while walking.
Perhaps noticing a sound that stands out,
People talking,
A bird chirping and letting it be there.
Really listening to it.
What is it like?
Listening to sounds while walking.
Perhaps moving on to another sound,
The wind in the trees,
Children playing,
A dog barking.
What is it like to walk and to listen to sounds?
And now shifting the attention to smelling,
Smelling some scents in the air.
The smell of flowers,
Maybe there's an earthy smell.
The smell of food coming out of someone's kitchen window or nearby cafe.
Taking a moment to tune into the sense of smelling.
What can you smell?
What do you notice?
Smelling is often an underused sense.
We are not often asked to smell something.
To pay attention to smells,
Scents.
Again if the mind has wandered off,
You can gently bring it back to something you are smelling.
What's here now?
And now directing the attention to touching.
Taking a moment to find something that you feel curious about and want to touch.
Perhaps the bark of a tree or the grass you are walking on.
Or some fresh leaves on a bush or tree,
A twig or stone.
What is it like to touch something?
Is it rough or smooth?
What is its temperature,
Texture?
What are you aware of?
And for the remaining time of this mindful walk,
Allowing the awareness to broaden,
To include the whole body walking.
Sensing the breath in the body while walking,
The whole body breathing.
Feeling the feet on the earth,
The legs with each step,
The hips,
Buttocks.
The upper body moving with the rhythm of each step,
The hands and arms,
Shoulders and the head.
The whole body moving,
Breathing,
Walking.
Noticing the sky above,
The space around you,
The earth beneath.
Just walking.
