Walk in the Woods: November 10 - 16

This week's election has left me feeling numb and discouraged. Maybe you can relate. In times like these, I dig deeper into my resources. I'll keep on meditating. I'll spend more time in nature. And I'll continue to turn to friends like you. We all need each other more than ever. Love is the only way we'll get out of this mess.

Blessings,

Dan

I wrote the following reflection a couple weeks ago.

Recently I spent a week in New Hampshire with dear friends at a lake house. We enjoyed the most spectacular walks in nature. For me, time in the woods felt just like time spent in my daily mindfulness practice. I don't know why I never made that connection before. Whether I'm traversing the inner landscape of my mind or meandering along a mountain path, the way I pay attention and absorb the experience is much the same.

• I'm not trying to accomplish anything other than to be present to the life around me.

• My perspective widens as I loosen my grip on worries and problems.

• My heart expands in the presence of love and beauty.

• Gratitude almost spontaneously rises to the surface as I take in the gift of the day.

So let's do an experiment together. Over the next week, let's take time for both activities. Meditate during your usual time. As the days get shorter, find time to escape from the busyness of the day and get outside. Soak in some daylight and breathe fresh air. Now for the fun part. Compare the two experiences. Does paying attention in one realm make it easier to pay attention in the other realm? Are you more of a meditative hiker or a natural meditator? Remember both mindfulness and time spent in nature are good medicine for whatever ails you.

Practice

Take a walk whether in nature or in your imagination. Allow either experience to nourish your soul. Sense your feet on the ground. Become mindful of your physical connection to our earthly home. Gravity never stops supporting you. You are always held by creation.

Greet the day. Open your eyes and take in the beauty of nature. Or close your eyes and recall a beautiful spot in nature. Awaken to life around you. Listen with inner ears or outer ears to the wind, the birds, the rustle of the trees. Let their song bring ease and comfort. Imagine your feet as roots and your arms as branches, receiving air and sun and water and nutrients. Everything you need for this day has already been given. Stand on the earth as a graceful tree or a majestic mountain. Breathe in and out, receiving and releasing, ebb and flow. Move with the season.

Let go of the images and the words. Hear the rhythms of nature echoed in your heartbeat. Experience life around you and within you. Walk or rest with awe and reverence. Listen with the heart. Allow your inner self to remain in this place of stillness as your outer self resumes the busyness of the day. Practice inner mindfulness and outer mindfulness throughout the rest of the day.