This is a wonderful day.
I've never seen this one before.
Said Mayor Angelou.
Good morning.
Well done for choosing to start your day with something mindful and nourishing.
I'm Natalie and I'll be your guide.
Perhaps you've just stepped outside or maybe you're already out at the park,
The woods,
The beach,
The fields or just around your neighbourhood.
Wherever you are,
So long as you're outside,
It's exactly the right place to be at this moment.
This is your time.
There are no requirements of you,
Other than to walk and to notice.
You do not need to feel a certain way or try to have any particular kind of experience.
If you're sleepy,
Sad,
Happy,
Worried or calm,
Then we're going to allow that to be the case as we walk.
Maybe that will change and maybe not.
First,
Let's take in the whole scene.
Take in your environment from the sky to the ground and all around you.
You may want to stop walking or slow down so that you can do this.
Take a moment to acknowledge where you are.
Remind yourself what day it is,
What month and what year.
Know that you're really here in this exact moment.
This is a moment of presence,
Of being fully in your life.
Now,
As you walk on,
Know that your attention will wander away from this moment to other things.
Stuff you've got to do later,
Conversation you had yesterday or what you're going to have for your lunch.
This is totally normal.
When you notice this,
Just bring your attention back to this moment by noticing your surroundings and connecting to your senses.
There is no need to criticise or judge yourself when this happens.
Let's gather our attention now to focus on what we can see in nature as we walk.
Start to really notice the trees,
Plants,
Birds,
Animals or insects around you.
What colours and shapes are they?
You might stop to take in the finer details of a flower,
A leaf or the patterns on the bark of a tree.
Take a look at the ground beneath you.
Notice how you're physically connected to it.
Take a look up at the sky above you and see what that's like today.
Notice any thoughts that you have about what you see at any point and see if you can let judgments go and allow the natural world around you to be just as it is.
As you continue to look around,
See if you can notice beauty.
When you find it,
Take a moment to enjoy looking at what you've found.
Notice how you're seeing things that you might not normally see when you're rushing about from A to B.
When you find yourself getting distracted by thoughts,
Calmly acknowledge this and return your attention to your environment.
Now let's focus on listening.
As you continue to walk,
What can you hear?
See if you can pay extra attention to sounds from nature.
You might hear birds singing,
Raindrops falling,
Leaves rustling.
Notice how these sounds make you feel.
What's the furthest away sound that you can hear?
How about the nearest?
Take a pause,
Stop walking and just listen.
Notice the ground beneath your feet and breath moving in and out of your body.
Enjoy this simple,
Pleasant moment.
Slowly moving on,
We're going to continue to layer our senses by noticing touch.
Begin by paying attention to what you can feel in your body as you walk.
It's very familiar putting one foot in front of the other,
So we tend not to think about it much.
Can you feel how your body flows from one step to the other?
Maybe you can feel the air on your face,
The clothes on your skin.
If you have any pain or discomfort in your body today,
Notice how you're responding to that.
It's perfectly okay to not like these sensations,
But see if you can just notice them for now,
Like you're noticing everything else in your experience.
If you like,
You can explore touch by stopping to feel natural items that look interesting to you,
Like a leaf,
Flower petals or a tree trunk.
When you find something that you're drawn to,
Notice its qualities.
Is it cool or warm?
Soft or rough?
Smooth,
Flat or bumpy?
Notice how you feel as you do this,
Knowing that there's no right or wrong way to feel.
You might feel calm,
Nervous,
Connected or even a bit silly.
Lastly,
We're going to layer on our experience of smell,
If that's available to you.
Don't worry about naming particular scents,
You can simply just notice whatever your nose can pick up as you walk.
Take a few slow and steady breaths in through your nose.
If you see a flower,
Take a moment to get close and see if it has a scent.
You might literally stop and smell the roses.
Whether you do that literally or metaphorically,
It's a good idea to take this time for yourself before jumping straight into the activity of the day.
So you can continue to walk at your own pace,
Spending time focusing on whichever senses you most enjoy.
You can keep walking for as long as you choose to,
Or if you need to bring your walk to a finish now,
That's fine too.
Before you go,
Notice how you're feeling right now.
Take a moment to recognise what made you feel calm,
Happy or connected today on your walk.
Know that you can return to this moment in your mind whenever you need to.
Thank you for taking the time to connect to yourself and to nature.
I hope you have a wonderful day.
