Happy New Year!
Even though I will not finish writing this in time to publish it on New Year's Day I will make a start. Have you made a favorite resolution to break this year? I always have trouble coming up with something I might can stick to but maybe this is it! "Forest Bathing" in my favorite sit spot.
What is Forest Bathing you ask? Is it taking a bath in the woods? It could have been, not that long ago, in the development of society. However today we look to the Japanese for the origination of the term that is one of the new raves. In the 1980's the Japanese came up with the term Shinrin-yoku meaning "taking in the forest atmosphere". Now it is a therapy for natural healing or resting of the mind and body. There is even a form of meditation requiring a special place to relax in your "forest" called a "sit spot". In other words you can pay big bucks for the experience or you can continue to enjoy what we have been doing naturally for years. I gave up counting the number of books Amazon is selling on these topics. I have not read any of these books as I want this blog to be my perspective.Forest bathing will be an easy resolution to keep as I have been doing this for many many years at favorite "sit spots" without realizing it was going to become "the thing". Many of my friends have been practicing for years without realizing what they were doing, but after reading this they will be in the know. For me nature is a special place to spend an hour or two a day. It does replenish the spirit and strengthen us physically. The peace of a sit spot offers an opportunity to be close to God, to say a thankful prayer for ourselves and to pray for others, and to meditate on many blessings.
How did I learn about "sit spots" and Forest Bathing you ask? No, it was not from those wonderful books we got to read as children about Dick and Jane telling their dog "sit" Spot. However, I will have to say it began in earnest with a dog, walking a dog who liked to sit and look around on top of the mountain, beneath the trees, beside water, in the snow, in the sunshine, in the shade, and well you get the picture. We had many sit spots for nature bathing. At first like a lot of dog parents, I was impatient with him but I kept reminding myself this was his walk so I sat with him. Then I started to look around and soon it would be the dog wanting me to move on because I had become lost in the beauty around me. We live in an amazing beautiful world. We just need to find a special sit spot and bathe in it. The peace and health returned unto us is beyond words. If you do not have the opportunity to go to the mountain your spot could be at the beach, in a city park, a flower garden, or even a window with a view.
My neighbor has a tree stand he spends hours in just watching the deer, not hunting, just watching the deer, turkeys, and other wildlife. In other words he becomes one with nature. He is forest bathing high in the trees in his special sit spot. He invited me to use his tree stand one day. It was amazing - so beautiful and peaceful.
Another neighbor loves to fish and hunt. She has many sit spots for becoming one with nature. Here is one of her stories, " In one place I used to hunt, I had a very special sit spot with a very special rock at the base of very special tree. I didn't care if I saw a deer or not. I just breathed in nature and talked to God. When I had to quit hunting there I carried my very heavy (at least 50 lbs) sitting rock off the mountain and brought it home with me. Its now beside my front steps, but its not a sit spot now. It's a memory keeper."I have often thought that for many sportsmen it is more about the time spent in nature than about the prey. No electronics needed.
Actually if we really think about it nature bathing is Biblical. Adam and Eve started out with a beautiful garden, Jesus went alone to pray in the garden not to mention all the others who spent time in the wilderness.
Since I have native American blood I believe it is important to remember how closely our ancestors lived to nature. We have all heard how they could walk in the woods as if they were one with the earth.
Often the things we are doing should be the things we are doing, we just think we need to do something else. If you have sit spots continue to use them to bathe in the healing power of nature.
If you do not have a sit spot consider starting your year off with one and try to use it for maybe 20 minutes a day.
If you are wondering about getting started Nature or Forest Bathing here are a few suggestions and best of all you can do it for free:
1. Find your special spot in nature to sit for Forest Bathing (leave your electronics off). If you can, take off your shoes and let your feet touch the earth.
2. Close your eyes and begin drifting away, relax your muscles, your feet, your legs, your hands, your arms, your body - slowly become one with the surface you are sitting or standing on.
3. Adjust to listening to the sounds around you as you and the earth meld, listen to the birds, listen to the sound of leaves or grass swishing in the wind
4.Feel the wind caressing your skin, the earth beneath you slowing spinning in time, feel the energy of the earth replenishing your energy, feel your body filling with peace, just relax and enjoy being there
5. Continue just being, Smell the earth, a distant flower in bloom,
6. Meditate on God. Allow your spirit run and play, let a wordless thankful oneness prayer bubble up from your heart to his. Smile in the beauty.
7. Continue just being one with the natural world feel the warmth of the sunshine or the coolness of the shade, your body swaying to the silent music feeding your soul
8. Slowly begin to gently flex your fingers, move your arms a little, your feet your legs and open your eyes, just sit for a few more minutes enjoying being.
Peace
by Joan Harmon
Peace
to your soul
From
a tranquil lake
Nestled
in the mountain’s fold
Beneath
the ever-changing sky
Peace
to your soul
From
the lofty mountains - reaching out
Touching
GOD
Master
of the ever-changing sky
Peace
to your soul
From
the birds, flowers, and gentle breezes
From
the sun, rain, stars, moon, and snow
All
nature beneath the ever-changing sky
Peace
to your soul
From
God…..Reaching out
Touching
YOU - in all ways - forever
Master of the ever-changing sky