There is a name for something that I and many other folks have been doing our whole lives…Forest Bathing, Friluftsliv, Shinrin-Yoku…and it is enchanting. When you forest bathe, you leave your worries at the edge of the forest and enter for a slow meditative walk under the canopy. Understanding that we are not separate from nature, but that we are nature, we open to sensory invitations. There is nothing to think about, there is no ego…there is only the sound of cicadas in the leaves, the rustle of fallen leaves under our feet, a squirrel fussing from the tree tops. Close your eyes and feel the breeze on your skin, the movement of leaves all around you…open your eyes and focus on one thing in front of you…the tiled beauty of tree bark and a spider beginning her web on a branch. Bathe in the sensory realities of the natural world, of this forest that breathes and dances in the wind just like we do.
I grew up running wild through the woods and have never stopped, blessed to live in a forest that stretches out all around my house. With the blessing and encouragement of this forest that I call home, I am beginning to think that I could share the beauty and sensory wholeness of forest bathing with other like minded folks. We could meet and together take a slow sensory walk through the woods, allowing our human minds and egos to rest for a bit in the cradle of the forest loam. And maybe afterwards, we could have tea, a gentle sharing of thankfulness for the forest and a short oracle meditation for messages to carry with you from your Guides.
Wildwood Hollow Studio 