Being Kind to ourselves
03/05/20 06:07 Filed in:
Fitness | FunWe have been working flat out since my last post. The house is starting to take shape with; the majority of the kitchen fitted (we are waiting for the joiner to install the new window before installing the last two cupboards and getting the stone worktops installed), one bedroom is fully decorated (with a second well under way) and the cloakroom has a fully functioning tiled shower and sink.
All the work has rather taken it's toll leaving us feeling pretty exhausted and so we decided to take some time to enjoy our surroundings. Packing a small rucksack with water bottles and a packed lunch we set of to explore routes into Dalby forest. The Covid 19 lockdown meant that the car parks and visitor attractions were all closed and we had the whole area to ourselves, in fact the only person we saw during the whole of our 12km wanderings was a neighbour taking a similar opportunity to exercise her horse along some of the forest trails.
The Japanese have the concept of shinrin yoku or forest bathing, where you take time to connect with the calming spirit or energy of the forest. It is a meditative process that is reported help with depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. Practitioners, who run workshops, frequently make the point that it is not just taking a leisurely walk in a wood, but also requires periods of stillness that allow you to really link through your different senses to the forest around you. See the subtle shifts in light and shade, hear the quiet sounds of the breeze through the leaves or creak of a branch, smell and taste the air around you with its mix of earth and wood as well as floral scents of woodland flowers, but above all focus on the touch of the bark of the tree behind your back or the soft prickle of the pine needles you are sitting on. Focussing on your senses in this way closes down the noise of our usual lives and shuts off that constant flow of thoughts that race through (or round and round) our busy minds.
Needless to say but this was a day well spent.
