Forest Meditation - Short Version

This is a forest meditation by Barbara Brown from the book Sylvan Reflections.

Find a comfortable position,

Sitting or lying down,

With your spine as straight as it can comfortably be.

Close your eyes and rest your gaze on the back of your closed eyelids while relaxing your eyes and feeling a smile in their corners.

Relax your cheeks and your jaw,

Feeling that smile gently touch the corners of your lips.

Release any tightness in your shoulders and scan your body for any other areas of tension and let it go.

Turn your attention to your breath,

Breathing deeply from your belly but with calm,

Gentle,

Natural,

And unhurried ins and outs.

Begin to count your exhalations.

Deepen your relaxation with each out-breath.

As your mind wanders gently and lovingly,

Bring it back to counting your exhalations.

Don't worry if you lose count.

Simply start again.

Now imagine yourself in the forest,

Surrounded by its soothing green wildness.

Imagine the smells,

Trees,

Flowers,

Soil,

The clean oxygen-rich air itself,

Healing aromatherapies.

While continuing to count your exhaled breaths,

Imagine the sounds of the forest around you.

Are you near a creek?

What bird songs are you hearing?

Is a breeze rustling leaves?

Is there a squirrel or other creature nearby quietly going about its day?

Feel your weight on the forest floor beneath you,

Mother Earth supporting you.

Feel the soft,

Pure air on your skin.

Keep counting your out-breaths as long as you would like to.

Each time your mind wanders away,

Bring it gently back to the forest surrounding you with its healing embrace of your senses.

And when you're ready with a final round of gentle exhalations,

First think of Earth,

The element Earth.

And while doing so,

Be aware of your bones and your flesh.

Then,

With an exhaled breath or two,

Think of water and place your attention on the blood flowing through your veins.

With the next couple of out-breaths,

Think of air and place your attention on your breath,

The air in your lungs,

And the oxygen it brings to your whole body.

Next,

Think of fire,

And with an exhalation or two,

Feel the heat that your body generates.

Now,

Imagine the vast spaces between each cell of your body and between each proton and electron that make up those cells.

And think of the vast spaces of the ether of the universe.

And finally,

With this,

Your last exhaled breath,

Spread your arms wide,

Open your palms,

Open your eyes,

And say out loud,

I am.

And feel the vast resonances of that I am consciousness.