By Mary V. Colie
Introduction: Be comfortable, Feet flat on the floor. Feel your heart beating – listen to its rhythm Exhale completely. Breathe in deeply – in through your nose, inflating your mid-section like a balloon, for four heart beats. Hold the breath for three heartbeats. Exhale slowly through your mouth for eight heartbeats. Do that once more – in for four, hold for three, out for eight.
It is a warm day in late spring. You are in a comfortable little cottage situated along a dirt road in the countryside. You are rocking gently in a cozy rocking chair and gazing peacefully out the window across the road at the meadow full of flowers. You decide to go for a walk.
You rise from your rocker, walk to the door, and go outside onto the porch. From here you can see the birds and butterflies flitting about over the field of wild flowers. It brings a smile to your face because what they are doing looks like fun. You step down from the porch, stroll down a brick path to the gate and let yourself out onto the verge of the road. There is no traffic; the sand of the road is warm from the sun. You cross it and enter into the meadow.
The grasses and flowers are about knee high and brush gently against your legs as you walk along. You hear the sound of the bees busily gathering nectar from the flowers and carrying it back to their hive to make honey. The thought of honey leaves a sweet taste in your mouth. A gentle breeze caresses your face and brings with it the blended aromas of the flowers, sweet, spicy, and soothing. The colors of the blossoms are every shade of the rainbow, some bright and intense in color, others soft, delicate pastels. As you walk on, you watch the birds and butterflies darting about in an aerial ballet. As you raise your focus to the sky, you see the brilliant blue vault with the puffiest white and silver clouds floating across its expanse. You take a mental picture of this scene to savor on some future day.
In the distance, you see a stand of trees marking the edge of the woods and decide to wander in that direction. The sun is warm on the top of your head and makes you seek the shade of the trees for a bit of coolness. As you approach the woods you become aware of the song of the wind as it flows through the branches of the trees.
This sound, along with the buzzing of bees, and the chirping of birds plays a delightful music in your ears. As you reach the shady grove, you stop and turn to look at the path you just trod across the meadow, appreciating the colors, sounds and sensations you have been absorbing and enjoying.
Now you turn into the forest glade and take a moment for your eyes to adjust to the dimmer light under the canopy of leaves high above you. As you proceed along the path, you perceive the activity of the woodland creatures dashing about in search of nuts and berries. Squirrels and chipmunks hasten to find the choicest acorns under a great old oak tree. Deer browse the tender shoots of bushes and trees. Foxes hunt mice amid the leaves that carpet the forest floor. None of them are disturbed by your quiet passage through their home world. Birds are seeking bits of twigs and grass as they build their nests in the branches of the trees.
The scents of the forest are quite different from those of the meadow. Pine and spruce lend a sharp note to the breeze. Humus gives its earthy, damp fragrance to the mix. You stop for a few minutes just to breathe in the forest perfume. As you stand quietly breathing in the aromas of this place you become aware of yet another scent, one you have not yet identified, yet find that it is calling you to move toward its source. You follow your nose along the path and see a brightness growing larger in front of you, denoting a sunny opening on the other side of these woods in which you have been wandering so joyfully. You move toward that sunshine.
As you near the edge of the woods, you see a grassy glade and hear the sound of water as it tumbles over rocks. Now you know that other scent was that of the watery mist which had been blown on the air to mix with the forest fragrances. The air is cooler, here and moist as it touches your face. You move toward the sound of the falling water and find a stunningly beautiful waterfall cascading over rocks which glisten in the sun, breaking the sunlight into rainbows through the prisms of the quartz crystals imbedded in those rocks. It is a breathtaking sight! You gaze in appreciation of this beauty and listen to the music of the water as it pours down into a crystalline pool at your feet. You step nearer to the edge of the pool and reach down to touch the water. You expect it to be cold and crisp, but it is not! It is warm and inviting. You decide to go for a swim.
Natural stone steps lead down into a perfect bathing pool where you can float, and swim to your heart’s content. You feel any cares or concerns wash away with the gentle currents. You spend quite a while there letting the water soothe and calm your spirit, watching the rainbow mist fall from above. When you feel ready to return home, you leave the pool and start back in the direction from which you came. Each step takes you back through the now familiar scenes and you store them all in memory for the time when you desire their calming and soothing effects.
You pass again through the sunny, grassy glade and enjoy the springy turf under your feet. You pass through the forest and bid adieu to the creatures still busy with their hunting and gathering. You breathe deeply of the forest air with its myriad subtle notes of plants and animals. You listen to the sounds of the earth, the wind, and the creatures on the wing. You come again to the edge of the meadow and gaze out across the sea of wild flowers. Your mind recalls the rainbows of the waterfall and sees those same colors scattered all across the field. The sun feels warm and comforting; it shines upon your back as you make your way home to your cottage. It glints in reflections upon the glass of your windows The porch welcomes you home. You turn and view the meadow, the woods beyond the meadow, and the very top of the rocky hill beyond the tree tops where you know a cascade of rainbows still sift their way into the pool. After one last deep breath, you turn and enter your cottage. You rest in your rocker and reflect on the pleasures your senses brought to you on this walk through nature.
