Forest bathing meditation.
This is a meditation about connecting with nature.
Scientists are studying the benefits of spending time in nature on our nervous system.
In this meditation we'll use guided imagery to connect with the felt sense of being in the forest.
While it's best to be in the actual environment of nature to feel the full benefits,
We can activate a similar experience by traveling in the mind's eye and imagining ourselves in a forest.
Take a moment to come to stillness and gently close your eyes.
Find a comfortable position,
Preferably sitting upright,
So that you are both alert and relaxed at the same time.
Now imagine yourself walking in the woods.
Let's imagine a forest in wintertime.
A forest after the first fall of fresh snow.
See the trees laden with fluffy pillows of fresh white snow.
The vibrant colors of fall have faded and now we see the bright clean wetness of snow,
The soft gray clouds in the sky,
And the dark green of the evergreens standing strong in the background.
With every step you take in the forest,
Feel the crunch of snow beneath your feet.
Going slowly,
One step at a time,
Feel the contact of your feet on the earth.
And now sense the silence as you stand still for a moment.
Feel both feet on the ground and just take in your surroundings,
The space around you,
The trees surrounding you,
In front,
Behind,
And all around.
Look up towards the sky and see the height of the trees and the expanse of the sky above.
Take in the silence.
Feel the silence.
Feel the coolness of the air coming into your lungs as you breathe in and out.
Breathe nice and deep into your lungs and feel the freshness of the air as it enters your body.
Feel the freshness,
The sharpness of the air on your skin.
Maybe it makes you feel a little bit more alive,
More alert.
Be with the silence of the forest.
What can you hear?
Perhaps you can hear your own breath,
The chirping of the birds,
The wind in the trees,
The babbling of a brook nearby.
Scientists who study Shinrin-yoku,
The Japanese art of forest bathing,
Have shown that trees speak to us through chemical exchanges.
They release a substance called phytoncides.
These are essential oils that travel from the tree through the air into our lungs and into our nervous system.
They communicate to our bodies,
Signaling them to reduce the stress hormones surging through us so we feel more at ease,
More ourselves.
Can you imagine this exchange happening in your own body right now?
Feel the trees talking to you through their own essence,
Bringing these healing chemicals into your body as you breathe.
Welcome them in.
Feel the exchange as you breathe in and out.
Feel yourself supported by the forest,
Held by nature.
We come from nature.
We are part of nature.
Our nervous systems mimic the networks of the forest above ground and below.
Nature is medicine and the forests hold the wisdom we've known since ancient times.
Take a few more moments to sit in meditation with this image of the forest and the trees and your connection to nature.
Now as you prepare to transition out of this meditation,
Bring the image of the trees and the forest home to your own body.
Take the feelings of the trees with you as you gently open your eyes and return to this moment.
