Writing Prompt: In the Forest

This is a mindful writing prompt that I do when I'm feeling ungrounded and in need of some TLC from Mother Earth--specifically the forest. When I enter a forest, I automatically feel my blood pressure lower. My nervous system dials down to synch with the murmurings of insects and birds all alive and doing their thing beneath the forest canopy.

MINDFUL WRITING PROMPT

What you need

• A pen

• A piece of paper or a notebook

Prompt

You approach a dense forest with old-growth trees and moss and ferns, and right away you can feel the coolness of the forest on your skin.

You stop for a few moments and breathe in through your nose and mouth the clear, green, fertile smells of the wood, of the moss, of the earth.

Through a crack in the forest that goes up to the sky, you see a bird, perhaps a raven, flying past. You walk deeper into the wood, feeling the arms of the forest holding you, embracing you. You aren't afraid. You're simply at peace and feel a sense of ease as you walk.

You come to a rock, sit down, and feel the hard surface of the rock. There’s a feather on the ground that you pick up and brush against your cheek.

It is soft and warm, and it makes you smile.

As you touch the feather to your cheek, you sense your smile touching all the organs of your body.

You breathe in a deep breath and feel awake and alive.

Your feet are connected to the earth like a tree connected to its root system.

The forest supports you, and your senses open you up to the experience of being alive in the world, of being awake and ready for whatever life brings you.

Write

Write about your experience of being in the forest. How do you feel?

photo credit: Luca Bravo