Woodland Wisdom – mindfulness walks in nature
Moving our bodies in nature in a proven mood booster and listening to bird song is known to be good for us.
Nature can provide a serene, open forum where you can let yourself feel and express your emotions without having to worry about how others will perceive you. You can also use time spent outdoors to let yourself fully release any anxieties and negative thoughtsIn addition to this, there are definite spiritual advantages of surrounding yourself with natural beauty. Let’s look at a few of them.
In nature, we are exposed to sights, sounds, smells, and tastes unlike anything we experience in our daily life. This opens up all our senses and connects the mind to the body.
The energy flowing within us is no different from the one flowing through the plants, trees, and animals. When we interact with the life force coursing through nature, it enriches us and sustains our spirit.
Observing nature also reminds us of our transience – that we’re born into this world and we’re going to return to it, leaving behind our mind and energy to continue the cosmic journey.
When you spend time outdoors, it reveals facets of your personality that you’ve been out of touch with. You discover your essential nature and learn to be at peace with who you are
Communing with nature gives us a glimpse of the divine. It’s reflected in everything, from the vastness of the expanse to the minute details in the plants, flowers, and insects around you.
Since time immemorial, humans have shared a deep, spiritual bond with nature. She is our supreme mother. We come from her, and she lives in us.
Samantha offers individual sessions outside in the beautiful local woodland. This time together can involve sun gazing, walking meditation, Mindfulness, exploring our connection with nature and being in silence amongst the magical elements.
Please contact Samantha for more information.
How does being in nature support our health and our wellbeing?
The evocatively named forest bathing (or shinrin-yoku) surfaced in Japan in the 1980s as both a treatment for burned-out technology workers and a way to reconnect the population with the country’s extensive network of forests.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out that immersing yourself in nature and mindfully using all five senses – touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste – has many health benefits.
Shinrin-yoku closely follows earlier principles gained from other meditative practices that continue to guide the mindfulness movement.
Indeed, science has found similar, positive rewards for our mental and physical wellbeing from mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques such as mindful walking.
While shinrin-yoku requires a setting of natural beauty, mindful walking can be performed anywhere, so long as the walker remains present. If the walk is mindful, a busy thoroughfare is equal to an idyllic woodland setting.
That is the wonder of mindfulness – it does not matter where you are physically; it is where you are mentally that is important.