I want to welcome you to this forest bathing meditation.
It's a meditation in mindfulness that uses visualization and sensory awareness.
I invite you to go ahead and find your comfortable position,
Whether that be seated or laying down,
Standing up even.
Wiggle in and get comfortable.
If you're seated or standing,
You want to be upright but not rigid.
Relaxed but not slouching.
If you're laying down,
You want to be comfortable but not so comfortable to invite sleep.
Close your eyes if you haven't already.
If you're not comfortable closing your eyes,
Maybe you could just have a soft gaze.
If you haven't already,
Begin to breathe in and out through the nose if that's comfortable and possible for you.
Or if you prefer to breathe through your mouth,
Purse your lips and sip the air through an imaginary straw.
Take a few easy,
Gentle but complete breaths to let go of whatever may be taking you away from this moment.
Imagine yourself cutting the strings and letting all your worries,
All your distractions,
Obligations,
Let them go for these next few moments.
Take a few easy,
Gentle,
Gentle breaths in and out through the nose.
Make any final adjustments to your position and as you do so,
Soften the body.
Fill your breath in your belly and bring your awareness,
Tune your attention to your presence here in this moment.
We're going to take a walk in a park.
As you are here in this moment,
Imagine yourself walking in the most beautiful park filled with trees and shrubs and flowers.
The day is absolutely gorgeous,
Just how you like your days.
It's the perfect temperature,
The sun is shining just right.
Can you see that?
Can you feel that?
What does it feel like?
Where do you feel that in your body?
As you walk,
You see birds flying between the trees and shrubs.
Can you hear them chirping?
The fragrance of the flowers,
That fragrance is reaching your nose.
Can you smell the sweetness?
Maybe you have butterflies and bumblebees in your park.
If you do,
Do you see them moving from flower to flower?
The gardener must have just been working in the park because you smell the freshly turned soil in the flowerbeds and see its rich darkness.
What does that make you feel like?
Maybe there's tall grass in your park,
Gently waving in the breeze.
Do you see that?
Can you hear the breeze in the leaves of this grass?
Can you feel the gentle breeze on your skin?
As you get deeper into the park,
You begin to feel your internal engine shift gears.
As you walk,
The more relaxed you get.
As you notice and sense,
You smell,
You see,
You hear,
You feel,
Maybe even taste everything that Mother Nature has in this park for you to experience.
Do you feel your engines shifting,
Downshifting?
Moving closer and closer to a state of restfulness and calm.
As you stroll through this garden,
Your awareness begins to shift to the feel of your feet.
Touching the ground.
And how your muscles work to support your steps and to move your body.
Can you feel that?
Can you feel the strength of your muscles?
Can you see and can you feel the rhythm of your arms swinging in rhythm with your legs as they move?
How about your breath?
Can you feel it moving in and out through your nose?
Maybe you can hear it.
Can you taste the spring air or taste the air in your park?
So imagine that you're coming around the corner in your park.
Making your way back to the entrance.
Back to the place you entered your park.
And as you get closer to the edge or closer to the entrance,
Which is now going to be your exit,
Imagine yourself pausing for a moment.
Maybe even turning back to face the center of your park.
And can you savor the moments that you just had in nature?
Can you feel the rejuvenation that mother nature brings to your body,
To your senses,
To your mind,
Maybe even your soul?
If you'd like,
Visualize bringing the palms of your hands together and placing them at your heart.
You could do this physically if you'd like to.
And take one last bow to your garden.
And express gratitude for the health and happiness it brought to you today.
Now let your hands gently move back to their resting position and gently let go of the imagery of your park.
Maybe begin to take a little deeper breath in and out through your nose.
And begin to bring gentle movement to your body,
Wiggling maybe your feet,
Your toes,
Your fingers,
Maybe moving your jaw a little bit.
And with this gentle movement,
Bring your attention back to your presence and the space that you are in.
And to the presence of all of us that may be meditating with you today.
I'm going to count backwards from five.
And when I reach one,
Slowly open your eyes.
Don't rush it.
Let's see if you can gently come back into your everyday life without disrupting the peace that you've created with your visit to your park.
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Open your eyes.
Why don't you smile?
See how that feels.
And may this peacefulness remain with you as you move through the remainder of your day.
