The times I feel most calm are during a backpacking trip or when foraging for mushrooms. These are a few of the rare times that my thinking slows and I am reminded of the large scale of nature, making my little problems seem less important. It has been proven time and time again that time spent in nature is good for your brain on a chemical level; reducing cortisol, a hormone responsible (in high quantities) for adverse effects of stress on the body. Funny how I know this and yet still don’t often make time to but have those profound moments of calm and joy in my everyday life. Every so often I glimpse one through the fog of caffeine; a bright patch of sky, a vibrantly yellow tree, an unexpected moment that makes me mindful of my existence on earth and in my body. This noticing of little joys is a wonderful thing to cultivate, and exactly what my experience with Denise from Cascadia Forest Therapy helped me to do.
I decided to join forest bathing one crisp Saturday in November. Before beginning the formal forest bathing experience, the five of us stood talking in the parking lot. I immediately felt a sense of kinship with the other participants. I wonder if they, like me, were already feeling calmer in anticipation of what was to come. As we chatted, there was a beautiful moment when we all noticed a sudden gust of wind blow a collection of golden leaves out of the nearest cottonwood tree. For a moment, we watched them spinning slowly towards the ground, until one member of our party asked whether we knew the game of trying to catch the leaves before they hit the ground. Immediately a few of us ran and jumped for the leaves, howling with laughter at the playful game. I caught a leaf which meant I was entitled to a wish, which of course I’ll never tell.
We settled in a field surrounded by cottonwoods and young evergreen trees and began. Our guide, Denise, reminded us that there were no expectations for us to have a profound experience, or to feel anything in particular. She sent us on a few walking meditations with an invitation, one of which was to walk slowly and watch for moving things. After a few minutes of getting distracted and releasing the off-topic thoughts, I started to observe little wonders. I bent down and watched a spider eat a tiny, winged insect. I watched the wind brushing through licorice ferns high in the bigleaf maple. My eyes drew slowly down the heavy carpet of mosses, at places six inches thick obscuring the bark of the trees. I pressed my hand into a patch of moss and watched a ripple of motion across the interconnected bryophytes. My analytical brain began to mull on these epiphytes growing the grooved bark of our majestic maple tree. These mosses and ferns do not parasitize the trees, this relationship… and then I remember, this is a walk of observation, not of categorization.
After each 8 – 15 minute meditation we would gather and share some of what we observed, and it was so beautiful to hear my fellow participants sharing the interesting things they saw and their playful experience with the trees. We shared, laughed, and empathized with the people around us. One participant even discussed licking a tree to feel the texture in a different way, something I wished I had thought to try. I noticed we all began speaking slower and more thoughtfully, and for me it felt as if even my thoughts were moving slower.
At the end of our last share and mindful tea ceremony, we stood up and walked back to our cars. I noticed a tiny pink mushroom growing along the side of the road, the vibrant colors of waterlogged mosses, and the dancing movement of the trees. For that two-hour period, I had forgotten myself and replaced thoughts with senses, and I really can’t explain it any other way than that I felt my place in nature, my head felt clear, and my heart felt whole.
I invite you to come feel for yourself at a forest bathing excursion in the New Year, we will post them to our Instagram and Facebook as well as adding them to our calendar of events. We so look forward to having you!
By Cecilia Black, SHADOW Education Program Lead
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