Retreat To Nature

What’s your favourite place in nature? Take an inner journey to find yourself vividly present. Visualise nature to relax and find ground, make a shift... What do you notice about your experience? How does nature evoke feeling and presence. What does this type of practice offer you?

Albert Einstein said. “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

Suggested posture: Sitting

Transcript

Take your time to find a comfortable meditation posture, Sit on the floor or in a chair, On a cushion. The main thing is that you can sit comfortably for at least 10 minutes. You can relax. Focus on the spine being upright, Chest open, Head, Neck and back in alignment, But no tension in the spine. Find a place for your hands, Either in your lap or in chin mudra, The thumb and first finger touching with the palms facing up, Three fingers gently extended, Hands resting on the thighs. Close the eyes and settle into your meditation asana. Take a few deep breaths and relax your whole body. Letting go physically, Mentally and emotionally. Each exhalation letting go of cares, Concerns or worries and setting the intention that you will remain still, Relaxed and aware for the whole practice. Slowly draw your awareness away from the outside world, Becoming more aware of your inner world, Your inner space. Cultivate stillness in the body. Notice the gentle flow of the breath in the body, How it gently expands the body with each inhalation and a subtle contraction with the exhalation. Following the breath, Feeling that soothing rhythm of the breath, Helping to relax and calm and quieten the mind. And take your awareness to the space behind the eyebrow center, That seemingly dark infinite space and bring to mind an image of nature. Create in your mind's eye a scene from nature that appeals to you, Perhaps the beach, A forest, The mountains, A field full of flowers, Whatever it is that appeals to you, See that image like a photograph and allow that image to become sharp and clear. As you observe your image, Noticing shapes and patterns or areas of light and dark and shade, Really begin to see all the detail from your scene of nature. Notice where there is movement or stillness. Observe in detail the different colors, Shades of color, Bright colors, Deeper colors and as you see that image, Also immerse yourself in the scene, Feeling any relevant sensations against the skin, Maybe the sun or breeze and any sounds that might be present. Keep bringing your attention and your concentration back to this beautiful image of nature before you. Again and again, Keep coming back to the scene, Observing the details throughout the whole image, Shape, Color, Movement, Light, Dark. Reflect on how this image makes you feel. What is your relationship to this scene? What is your connection to this place or your connection to the feeling? Totally immerse yourself in the scene, Feel yourself present, Reflect on the feelings and emotions that are aroused by what you see. Gradually allow your image of nature to fade away, Light and dark fade, Forms and shapes fade away, Allowing the whole image to fade from the mind's eye. Bring your attention back to your body posture and the gentle movement of the breath. Sitting quietly, Relaxed, Enjoy the time to be with yourself. Observing any effects of the practice on how you feel, Your state of mind. Feel the base of your body connected to the earth, Feel where the hands are resting on the thighs or in the lap and slowly start to externalize, Start to take your awareness from within to the space around you. Take some deeper breaths in and out. Be fully aware of where you're sitting, Where you are. And gently open your eyes.