Welcome to this sensory walking meditation.
So as we walk together now,
We're going to be bathing in seven different layers of the forest through our senses.
And as we move through them,
We'll gradually combine them into one holistic sensory input.
So start out just moving forward quite slowly,
Either following a path or just wandering through the trees with no thought of a destination as such,
Just being present in this moment.
And just notice now how you're feeling in your body,
Perhaps gently scanning your body,
Maybe from your toes and your legs all the way up to your head.
Just to notice what sensations are there to be felt in this moment.
Maybe a sense of lightness or a sense of warmth,
Perhaps pain,
Tension.
Just allowing whatever feelings are there to be felt,
Just allowing them to be there in your experience as best you can without judging them.
And now beginning to notice your breathing,
A natural pattern of breathing in this moment.
Seeing if you can follow the breathing as it comes into the body with each in-breath and as it leaves the body with each out-breath.
Following with your full attention the experience of the breath in the body.
And as you find your attention wandering,
Just simply noticing your mind has wandered,
Recognising that this is just what minds do and not a sign of you having done anything wrong.
And then bringing yourself gently back to the body and to your breathing pattern in this moment.
Next,
Adding another layer where we bring our attention to our heart,
To a sense of appreciation and gratitude for who we are and for where we are,
For all of nature that surrounds us in this moment.
Seeing if you can extend the appreciation of yourself to all the beings in the forest around you,
Whatever they might be.
May they all be well,
Peaceful and at ease.
Now bringing your attention to your body in space and time.
Noticing how your skin feels,
How the air gently caresses it,
Or maybe how your clothes feel on your skin.
Noticing how your body changes as you walk,
Your feet in touch with the ground,
Your weight shifting with each step.
Just noticing the body in time and space with full attention,
Including both the body,
The breath,
The heart and the presentness of the world.
Now just listening to the sounds all around you.
Not searching for sounds,
Just allowing them to come to your ears.
As we're walking in a forest,
Perhaps there's birds,
Perhaps there's insects,
Perhaps there's other sounds beyond the forest,
Man-made sounds.
Just allowing any sound to be there as best you can without judgement,
Without preference.
Just allowing the sounds like waves to roll into your ears.
Now breathing in through your nose in the clean,
Fresh,
Green air,
The air of the forest.
Not just smelling it,
But tasting it,
Letting its aroma,
Its scent flow into you.
Breathing in deeply through your nose and then breathing out through your mouth.
And now feeling completely relaxed and grounded,
Feeling that you're a child again.
Seeing the forest around you with fresh awareness,
Noticing any colours,
Any textures,
Any patterns,
The interplay of the light and the shade.
As best you can,
Just seeing it all as if you've never seen it before,
As if with fresh eyes.
Just observing what's here with a sense of a beginner's mind.
Seeing if you can feel maybe deep in your body a sense of awe,
A sense of wonder of the trees and the plants and the animals around you,
The pure beauty of nature and the wildness of it all.
And recognising that you are part of nature.
And with this sense of wonder,
Just looking up towards the sky,
Looking up through the branches and the leaves and seeing the vastness of boundless space all the way up to the heavens.
And then just carry on walking,
Just taking the next step along the path or wherever you're wandering in this moment.
In touch both with the aliveness around you and maybe with your own aliveness.
