Walking in nature practice.
This practice is designed to be followed outside,
Walking in nature,
Perhaps your local park or somewhere with lots of greenery,
Hopefully some birds,
Insects and animals.
Naturally,
As it's a walking practice,
Your eyes will be open and you're encouraged to connect to your surroundings as you walk.
Firstly,
I invite you to start by taking some slow and deliberate steps.
As you might be out in public,
The invitation is to ensure you can find a comfortable and relaxed pace,
But one which doesn't feel too disorientating or leave you feeling unbalanced.
Let go of the idea of having to get to a particular destination or having a goal in terms of how far you will be walking.
Instead adopting an attitude of care-freeness,
You're walking just to walk.
And if you're someone who's used to walking at a very fast pace,
This might feel a little unnatural,
But that is okay as long as you're not feeling unbalanced.
Once you've found a comfortable and steady pace,
See if you can pay attention to the feet as they move through space.
Noticing different sensations in the feet as they lift and place on the ground.
A connection between the feet and the ground,
The feet and the earth.
Can you notice the different sensations along the whole of the soles of the feet?
As you move,
Some areas lighter,
Some heavier.
Can you also pay attention to the rest of the body?
What do you notice in the calves,
The thighs,
In the bum?
What are the arms doing?
Can you be curious about the experience of the body being in movement right now,
In this moment?
Sooner or later,
The mind will wander,
Moving the attention from the body walking to something else,
Maybe getting stuck up in the head,
Thinking,
Daydreaming,
Just moving into autopilot.
So when you notice that's happened,
Can you reorientate the awareness back down into the feet?
Perhaps coming to a standstill for a moment to connect with the body,
The feet on the ground,
And then starting to walk again once more.
Starting to widen out your focus.
So what else do you notice in the body?
Maybe noticing the warmth of the sun on the face,
Or perhaps a breeze on the skin or the body.
Maybe there's a coolness in the parts of the body exposed to air and a warmness in the parts of the body covered by clothing.
Can you bring the same curiosity that you brought to the movements of walking to your surroundings?
What sounds are accompanying you on the walk?
Perhaps coming to standing for a few moments will help you connect to the various sounds.
Maybe there are sounds of nature around you,
Birds or bees,
Other insects,
Other humans.
Maybe there are human-made sounds,
Such as cars or other machinery.
Notice which sounds your attention gravitate to.
And see if you can have a sense of allowing all sounds to be there,
Rather than a sense of wishing others away.
Can you smell anything in your environment?
Connecting to the experience of the body as you bring in all of the senses as you walk.
And noticing,
Is this like your natural way of walking?
And if not,
How is it different?
Being aware of the different colours around you.
How many colours can you see?
If in a park,
Maybe there are many greens,
How many?
Perhaps there is something that brings you delight as you walk.
And if so,
Feel free to spend more time with it.
Maybe stopping to take in its shape,
Its texture,
Its colours,
Its smell.
And carrying on in this way,
See if you can bring a sense of wonder to your surroundings.
Connecting to nature with the same excitement and curiosity as a puppy or a small child encountering this for the first time.
Stopping when you feel you'd like to spend more time with a particular tree,
Flower or whatever catches your attention.
Taking in the finer details,
Perhaps of the raindrops on a leaf or a spider's web on grass.
As we come to the end of the guiding part of this practice,
Spending a few moments checking in with your body.
How does it feel now compared to how it felt at the start?
Perhaps being aware of how being in and being connected to nature has impacted your mind and body.
Perhaps you feel calmer or more connected to your surroundings.
Maybe you're simply just more awake from being outside.
Whatever you notice is fine.
And if it is positive,
Spending a few moments drinking that in,
Absorbing it in the body.
As we bring the practice to a close,
Seeing if you can bring this quality of awareness and presence and curiosity into the rest of your day.
You might even choose to continue the practice on your own without guidance.
