I am thankful for…

…the existence of the beautiful space named Everett Crowley park and all the living and non-living entities in it.

…the opportunity to spend a large part of 7 weeks learning in an outdoor space situated on unceded Coast Salish lands.

…all the organisms from microscopic bacteria to huge tree roots helping to store carbon dioxide in the soil and all the plants and trees emitting oxygen and other particles into the air that are so vital and beneficial for our health.

…having my health, both mental and physical.

…having basic human needs, such as water, shelter, food and people in my life.

…being able to live, breath, talk, walk, learn, express ideas and create things on unceded Coast Salish lands.

There was a short trail leading to my microsite and whenever I went there I tried to be very mindful and present with each step. I also did some walking meditation at the site as well as in the city as you will see and hear below. While best done in a quiet space of about 10-20 feet we can be present anywhere/anytime. Every time we walk somewhere during the day is a great opportunity to be present and just walk. I often focus on “one” thing such as my legs moving or the feeling of the ground. Here is a good video on how to do a formal mindful walking meditation: instructions for mindful walking.

Walking barefoot can be an excellent way to stay present as there are many different sensations felt. When I walk barefoot the ground becomes alive with so many different feelings, temperatures and textures. In my feet there are many more bones, joints, tendons and muscles being used that have have become atrophied from shoes. With shoes every surface is the similar despite the changing groudscape.

For some people shoes provide comfort, support and protection. For me, they’re physical and mental barrier from separating me from the ground (i.e. the earth). Similar to our cities, homes and clothes they isolate us from experiencing the wild, crazy and scary world. Being barefoot is a simple way to be directly connected the earth and a small step to rewilding my outer and inner self.

The following is a short audio piece about mindful walking in the city and the forest. The listener is taken “inside” the character’s head as he does some mindful walking in both environments:

One night I went to bed thinking about what other meditations could be done in the park. When I woke up the next morning I had the answer. Hug a tree. I wanted to have a more direct physical connection with some of the oldest organisms in the park. Besides, hugging is good for health. It makes us feel good. The plan was simple: walk up to a tree and hug it. This exercise turned out to be the most uncomfortable meditation experience I had in my microsite.

As I approached the alder tree in my microsite I was by overcome by a deep respect for the tree and felt that I should proceed accordingly. Not because I thought the tree would appreciate it. The process I went through was for me. When I first approached the tree in my microsite I put my hand up to them as if to shake hands. I felt thankful for them being there. I felt thankful for them cooling the hot air around me, providing shade, taking in carbon dioxide, emitting oxygen. What other chemicals were they taking in and giving off? I thought about how their roots go deep down into the ground drawing up nutrients and interacting with billions soil organisms. I stroked their trunk, felt her rugged bark. After a couple minutes I moved in closer. There was nobody around but I still felt self-conscious and looked around to make sure there were no humans to see me. What would they think? “Who is this CREEPER hugging a tree?”

Finally, I wrapped my hands around and hugged. Whoa, trees feel hard. Part of me felt like I was taking something (energy?) so I focused on giving some energy back as well. Was this some sort of exchange? I also tried to feel love for the tree, which intensified as I squeezed harder. I stood there hugging for about 10 minutes. I had to relax my tired arms after a few minutes though and hugged intensely every few minutes. My mind did wander a lot during those 10 minutes: “I’m hugging a tree, this is silly, what if someone sees me?, it’ll make a good story though, am I doing this for the story?” I cannot say that some sort of “energy” from the tree was flowing through me making feel incredible but the whole experience felt good. Afterward, on the bike ride home I noticed that my mood was quite cheerful.

Time: 5-10 minutes

Instructions:

Rather than have set instructions I would encourage anyone to hug a tree in their own way.

There were many salmon berry bushes on the way to my microsite. They are those fuzzy, not so sweet, slightly sour delicious red nuggets of joy that appear at the beginning of Summer. When I first saw them I was so excited. It felt like forever since I tasted one. I grabbed a handful and without thinking much scarfed them down with little chewing or tasting involved. Upon reflecting I began to question the way I did this. Did I really need that many? Were those berries just there for the taking? For my own pleasure? This is what inspired me to do a mindful eating exercise with a salmon berry. I feel this resulted in my taking and eating the berry in a more respectful way.

Time: 7-8 minutes

Instructions:

• Find a small piece of food such as a berry, raisin or nut.
• Sit down in a comfortable position
• Look at the food; notice the texture, colors and other details.
• Take a moment to be thankful for the plant or tree bringing this fruit into the world.
• Take a moment to appreciate the sun, water, soil, people, plants, animals and other living beings involved in what you are about to eat.
• Close your eyes and feel the food with your fingers. What do you notice?
• Keeping your eyes closed, bring it close to your face and take the time to smell the berry. What you do notice? Are you salivating yet?
• Slowly put the berry in your mouth, on your tongue and let it rest there for a minute. Notice any sensations. Notice what the mind/body does. How does this feel? Is there a desire to chew?
• Slowly bite down and start chewing (very slowly). Notice the physical sensations of chewing and the build up of saliva. Up…down…up…down. Notice the flavors as the mashed berry interacts with the tongue and the rest of the mouth.
• What else do you notice as you chew? What is happening in your throat?
• When you are ready, slowly swallow the berry and try to notice any physical sensations happening in your body.
• Take a moment to think of the berry being digested in your stomach and the vitamins and minerals being absorbed into and merging with your body. You now have a very real and direct connection with the plant, soil, sun, water and all the organisms that were involved in bringing that berry into existence.

If the mind wanders that’s ok, just notice it wandering and bring it back. Also take note of any emotions that may come up during this exercise and go back to the sensations of chewing and tasting.

As soon as one walks into Everett Crowley park its hard not to notice the symphony of bird songs. One day in late May when sitting in the microsite, birds sounded louder and their songs drew my attention more than they had before. Different bird songs sounded even more different. The changes in pitch and tone became more acute. Listening to bird songs became my meditation for that day.

The following meditation can be done anywhere. Traffic noise can be a listening meditation. I originally wanted to post a audio guided meditation made with a recording from the park. The audio quality is not very good so I have posted a 4 minute audio recording from my microsite at Everett Crowley Park to give you an idea of what you will hear in the park. I encourage everyone to go to the park and experience them live. There are also many great recordings of nature sounds on youtube which can be used for a meditation at home.

Time: 7-15 minutes

Instructions:

• Find a comfortable position, sitting or lying down.
• Take a few deep breaths
• Listen to the sounds around you. What draws your attention the most? Bird songs? Crickets? Leaves rustling in the wind? Flowing water? Traffic noise?
• Try to focus on 1 or 2 particular sounds.
• Don’t try to analyze the details of the sound but focus more on the experience of hearing it. If details pop out for you then make mental note of them.
• Notice sounds arise and disappear. Notice any emotions or judgment toward the sound you focus on. Does the mind perceive them as good or bad?
• When the mind wanders simply notice it and gently bring it back to hearing that sound.

Some sounds at Everett Crowley Park, June 2015:

When I first sat in my microsite I was observing all the living and non-living entities in my field of vision. Many began to literally pop out suddenly after a few minutes. There were many insects such as flies, millipedes, and a spider. I began to notice the movement of the leaves. They seemed to be moving a lot more than when I had first sat down. And then there it was, a cedar tree branch with its green scaly leaves sticking out right in front of my face.

This became my focus for the next 10 minutes and my inspiration for a meditation on seeing.

Time: 5 to 10 minutes

Instructions:

• Find an entity in nature such as a leaf, branch, acorn, rock, etc. (pick something that is small enough to see in your field of vision and big enough that you do not have to strain your eyes to see it).
• Sit or stand in a comfortable position.
• Take a few deep breaths.
• Stare at the object and focus on just the act of seeing.
• If the mind notices any details make a mental note of it and go back to seeing.
• When the mind wanders just bring it back to seeing the object.

When I first sat in my microsite it did not appear special. In fact, I was a little unimpressed at first. There didn’t appear to be much going on. There was a little opening on small hill (hump?) surrounded by some bushes and trees. The nearby pond on the other hand had many animals to observe such as turtles, ducks and frogs. Whoa! Why not go there? Well I did and it right away it seemed so much more stimulating, beautiful and full of life. I came close to choosing that microsite but after some reflection I went back to my original “boring” microsite and stuck with it. Why? I wanted to find out what I would discover by being in a less engaging space. As I soon found out, I was not as boring as I my initial perception.