Nature Walk Meditation

During these stressful times it’s important to take the time and relax. It’s not always easy though, with things going on around us at such a fast pace, but it can be easier once you make it a daily habit! 

Today I am going to teach you a fun way to meditate! Now most people thing you sit on the floor , legs crossed eyes shut, om’ig for hours at a time- well while that’s some people’s way of meditation that’s not the only way to meditate. 

You see the idea behind meditation is to dive into yourself and center, while everything around you is still happening. Thoughts will come , but they also go. It’s ok to think during your meditation time, the true goal though is to observe the thoughts and emotions, acknowledge they are there, then let go of them. We let go what no longer serves us. Let me explain a little more. 

Thoughts and emotions are normal, so when we meditate it’s also normal for them to come up. I am not saying they do not matter, or totally ignore them at all.  Thoughts, are just that thoughts. It isn’t the event happening, just the mere act of the thought re-accruing in our brains. Our emotions as well tend to re-live moments and that is no way to live. If we hold on to something that happened years ago, it can really weigh us down. If we keep being anxious about something that didn’t even happen, we would be a nervous wreck all the time! That stress, that fear, the anger is a response to the thought, a thought that we all need to let go of. 

Meditation helps us focus on the present moment, whether it’s our breathing, or another sensation, we are letting go of past thoughts, past emotions and saying while it’s OK to feel them, you aren’t going to let them over power your moment any longer. Picture yourself gently touching your temple and making a sweeping motion away from you, as an act of taking a thought/emotion that you struggled with and simply brushing it away in the wind. It has come, but now it is time to let it go. You can visualize how ever you like when you let go of thoughts , but don’t put yourself down for thinking or even feeling, it is OK, it’s how you respond to it from that moment on is what is important.

As we come out of our meditation we should feel lighter, relaxed, more at ease, less worry on our minds. It takes some time but today I will teach you a fun way to start training your mind how to let go of thoughts. 

While this is called Nature Walk, you can do this inside where ever you are, the basics apply to anywhere.

Start by standing and taking a deep breath in, and slowly letting it out. Make sure your exhale is longer than the inhale. Do this slowly.  Do this for a few minutes trying to just focus on breathing. 

Now take a few steps and observe where you are. Is the sun in the sky? Are there clouds? Are there trees? Pick one thing to focus on, let’s say the trees. Take the tree in, the color of the leaves, the thickness of it’s trunk, is it smooth or rough? Slowly focus on the details of the tree. Sweep your gaze from the bottom to the top, and all around it’s spread of branches. Admire it. Be grateful for it’s beauty. 

If you find your thoughts are not on the tree, slowly bring your focus back to the tree that is right before you. That tree is your present moment. Re-focus on it’s leaves, the trunk, the colors, is it swaying in the breeze? Now keep walking and find something else to focus on, the birds singing or even the clouds. As you walk and focus on what is immediately around you only, you are re-centering your mind and body to the present moment. 

Breath calmly as you walk, appreciate what you see, what you hear. Your body will feel calm and relaxed as you go . Try to walk slowly, really enjoy what is around you with each step and try to just focus on one thing at a time. 

You can walk as long as you want, but I encourage you to not stop until you are actaully present. What this means is, instead of having your thoughts on your worries or fears, something that happened an hour ago, or something that will happen tomorrow, your thoughts are only on what is actaully right there. The colors around you. The sounds around you. The view around you. When you are done with your walk, give thanks to everything you saw and experienced. I hope that you feel more calm, and even balanced, happier. You can keep going as long as you like. This can be done at anytime, anyplace. 

Living in the present moment takes practice, but when you can be fully present you will find that you are able to respond better to any and all situations that once were challenging for you. You can easily see what is real, and what is just a reactions from fear and let it go. Practice and enjoy what is around you 🙂 I hope this was helpful to someone.