Blog #22: Medicine Walk
When I’m overwhelmed and feeling so many emotions that the pain and frustration sends me to new lows, I turn to nature. I know the land can absorb my tears and amplify my prayers for better times. I trust that mother nature is strong when I am weak. I hold her as she holds me.
The last time I took a nature walk to ground myself, I was in a really bad place. I found out some unsettling news the night before and it triggered a trauma response. I felt powerless because I had no control over the situation. I blamed myself for not being more available so that I could somehow change the outcome. I was frustrated and afraid.
Acknowledging that the only thing I had control over was my own response in the situation, I knew I needed to cleanse my energy and regroup. Luckily for me, there was an old redwood forest only minutes away from where I was staying at the time. I made a plan to take a walk for some much needed self care.
That morning I gathered myself and walked to the forest with a calm serenity that protected me like a forcefield. I had been to this park a million times as a kid, but I somehow ended up in a part of the woods that I had never encountered before. It felt like I was stepping into an alternate universe where I was a small creature among the large trees, exploring my surroundings with a renewed sense of wonder. I felt like a fairy.
The redwoods were truly ethereal. Illuminated by the morning mist, vibrant sun rays peeked through the branches and bathed the forest in a golden hue. The deep and grounding colors of forest green and earth brown filled my senses and triggered a calming effect in my brain. I breathed slowly and deeply while I whispered words of gratitude under my breath.
I thanked the trees, the running water, the soft earth, the fresh air, the bunches of moss, the intricate spider webs, the big blue sky, the color green, the list goes on… I interacted with every element of my environment and appreciated it for simply being. I engaged with all my senses with each step I took. I expressed gratitude for my senses.
At one point, I walked off the beaten path to dip my hand in the running water. I said a prayer for my safety and the protection of my family, thanked the running water, and continued on my path to no-where-in-particular. Along that path, I encountered a fallen tree trunk that was teeming with life in the form of happy mosses, fungi and insects. I reflected on the beauty and irony of the circle of life which breeds birth after death. I took a quick picture to marvel at the microcosm before me, then I kept walking.
I had many thoughts as I wandered the woods, but I didn’t get hung up on any particular one. I allowed the thoughts to cross my mind and waved them goodbye as they drifted along. Some were happy, some were neutral, some were sad -- I just let them be.
While I wasn’t on a schedule, I had a feeling that it was almost time to go home, so I sat on a fallen log and participated in one last grounding activity called “The Breath of Life.” The technique came from a book I’m reading called Think Indigenous and it’s used by the indigenous peoples to highly oxygenate the blood through deep and controlled breaths. If you want to try it, the practice goes like this…
Close your eyes and relax your face, jaw, shoulders and body.
Fill your lungs with a slow, deep breath through the nose.
Once your lungs are full, hold your breath, then open your mouth. Quickly inhale with a short and powerful breath, filling the lungs to maximum capacity.
Hold the breath for seven seconds, then exhale quickly and forcefully.
Repeat steps 1-4 four times, then slowly and gently come back to your body by slightly opening your eyes without focusing on anything in particular. Take another slow and deep breath as you feel your senses heighten and your energy rise.
After the exercise, it felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt more safe in my body within this universe. I expanded my lungs widely with ease. I thanked my breath for filling me with life. I felt fully alive in the present moment. I thanked mother nature, then made my way back home with a profound sense of peace in my heart.
My intuition must have been sharp because I arrived home at the same moment my uncle had returned from his errands. He greeted me with a warm smile and asked if I enjoyed my walk. I smiled back and told him it was everything I needed.
