A Walking Practice With Nature - Mindfulness Of Smell

Welcome to this Guided Contemplation Mindfulness Exercise,

Guided by Leo Marceau.

I am an art psychotherapist,

The author and teacher of a psychology,

Mindfulness,

And art integrated program.

I hope you enjoy the experience.

The interrelationships between humans,

Smells,

And the built environment have been the focus of increasing numbers of research studies in the past 10 years.

A walking practice to connect with nature using smell is designed for us to improve our olfactory sense by way of connecting with nature,

Plants,

Flowers,

Aromatic herbs,

Trees.

You may choose a local park,

Maybe a forest nearby,

Or you could book a visit to one of those smellscape gardens if you are lucky enough to live near one.

Any other garden or natural reserves within easy access to you will do.

The practice can also be done in your garden or backyard if you grow aromatic herbs such as thyme,

Coriander,

Parsley,

Chives,

Sage,

Scented plants like roses or any other scented flowers,

Lavender,

Peppermint,

Rosemary,

Fruit trees,

And so on and so forth.

Any place where you can have an olfactory experience with nature,

A place where you can scan with your nose rather than your eyes and ears will be okay for this exercise.

Let's begin the exercise.

Assuming that you have found an appropriate place,

You can start walking more slowly than usual.

Gently breathe in and out,

Feeling your feet touching the ground below,

Gently and slowly,

Soaking in the natural environment around you.

You may make some gentle movements with your body as you walk and slowly and gently raising your arms in synchrony with your in-breath,

Lowering them back down while you gently and slowly breathe out.

Slowly and gently you may roll your head around your neck,

Relaxing any tension in this area,

Relaxing your head and the muscles in your face,

Mouth,

Eyes,

Forehead.

You may gently stretch your body if that's possible for you.

I will let you now exploring the environment with your nose for a moment to enjoy your nasal experience.

I'll be back soon.

Keep walking slowly in silence,

Soaking in the environment with your nose.

Let your nasal awareness scan the natural surroundings and pay attention to what it unveils.

Try to synchronize your steps with the natural rhythm of your breath,

Without forcing it in any way.

As you keep moving slowly,

Try to keep in the smell,

Deeply breathing in and out.

Notice any smell,

Any whiff of anything in the air.

Pay attention to the first impression you have of any smell your nose detects,

Any whiff that comes to the attention of your nasal awareness,

If it brings any memories,

Pictures,

Any sensations in the body,

Any feeling or emotion.

Just carry on walking slowly,

Attentive to any smell your nose is naturally catching.

If you are finding it difficult to feel any fragrance,

Any scent,

You may stop at some plants which caught your attention and gently smell its leaves,

Flowers,

Carefully and gently take in their fragrance and scent,

The slight whiff you can get.

You may gently close your eyes and briefly notice if it brings up any sensations in your body,

Any memories,

Any feelings,

Any emotions.

If you notice you got caught up in the mind's commentaries and stories,

Or if the smell has transported you to another place,

Notice that too and carry on moving slowly,

Following your nose,

Paying attention to the smell,

Scent,

Any fragrance it is capturing and any bodily,

Emotional or mental reaction they bring up.

Be curious and open to anything that you may notice through your nose,

Any new or familiar smell and what it brings up in your mind and body.

Keep silent and attentive in that place within openness and curiosity,

In that place within the here and now.

Keep moving slowly and attentive to the smell and its qualities,

Memories,

Bodily and mental reactions,

If any.

It's fine if this time you are not reacting to anything,

Just keep moving on with the exercise.

I will leave you now for a couple of minutes again for you to keep exploring the natural environment with your nose.

Enjoy!

If this exercise is complete,

You may carry on exploring the smell of your surroundings for a bit longer if you wish so.

I hope this experience has given you another way to connect with the here and now,

Your sense of smell as a tool to get connected to the present moment.

Thank you for letting me guide you again.

I see you next time.

You take care!