Just For You: Free 15-Part Short Audio Nature Meditations
Written and Audio versions available
Magnolia grandiflora tree. Source: author
In 2021/2022, I released a 15-part written and audio nature meditation series.
It occurred to me that these will likely resonate with many of you. All 15 are compiled here for you to use as you wish, at your very own personal pace.
Introduction To Nature Meditations
Nature is the place I am most comfortable meditating.
Sometimes, it is with my eyes open.
Sometimes they are closed.
Sometimes they are in a half gaze.
Do what works best for you in a safe place.
Follow your breath.
~
I find that 1-3 minutes is a good starting point for people who have a hard time being still in meditation.
It is perfectly acceptable not to time yourself.
It is life-affirming to follow your inner compass.
Take what you like and leave the rest.
Find a light blanket and a patch of grass, the floor, or your bed. If you’d like, wrap the blanket around yourself or lay on top of it. Allow your body to be cradled by what you are laying upon.
Gently hold your cheeks with your hands. Allow yourself to feel the comfort emanating from your touch. Let your eyelids slowly shut. Do you see lights and shapes playing in patterns through your closed eyelids? Follow them.
Lay your hands gently by your sides. Breathe. Take a few deep breaths, then allow your breath to find an even pace. Relax into this comfort. Relish this rest. It is luscious. It is necessary.
Commit to revisiting this true state of rest from time to time as you dance through your life. Lay here for as long as you wish.
Reflect on the shape of a tree.
You may stand or sit. You could lie down if you wish.
Feel yourself becoming the tree.
Imagine that your arms and legs are branches. The part of you touching any surface is where your roots begin and they grow deep, deep, where you cannot see them, but you can feel them.
They effortlessly reach an infinite source of nourishment, water, and wisdom.
Your fingers and toes are leaves. Feel their slight movement.
Feel the connection from your deep roots all the way through to the tippy top of your lightly swaying leaves.
Feel the loving support that you are embodying. Feel yourself healing.
Stay in your tree pose for three to 20 minutes.
Nature Meditation Practice — Seeds (in 3 parts)
Choose what feels most aligned; for you.
Take a large bag of wildflower seeds with you out into an area where you would like to grow them.
If you are able, scatter them in light rain to help them sink in and begin growing.
Use the stepping technique in which you walk over the area you just planted.
This will help the seeds dig even further in.
When you sow the seeds, do it with intention and scatter them in every direction around you.
Thank them.
Now, go inside, and make a warm drink you enjoy having. Sit, sipping your drink for 10 minutes, with no distractions.
When you are eating fruits or vegetables that have seeds, save a few of them until you have formed a small collection.
It’s no small wonder that seeds grow into fruits and fruits produce more seeds. Life source is within us and around us. In quietness, allow yourself to wonder.
As you collect, make sure you rinse them off and dry them well.
When you are satisfied with your collection, take 10 minutes to spread your seeds out in front of you and observe how each one is unique.
Let your mind get completely lost in reflection, learning, wonder — listen for any revelations that may come.
When planting time is right in your zone, choose a plant to grow.
As you sow the seeds in the soil, be completely mindful of the life you are helping to come forward into existence.
Feel the soil on your fingers.
Notice any worms that are turning the earth.
Thank the seeds for the sustenance of food or beauty they will bring forth.
Bless them on your journey.
When you are finished, sit in the garden, following your breath, and relax for three to 10 minutes.
Meditation Practice 4: The Rose
Reflecting on the parts of a rose is a commonly used way to reflect and meditate.
Following are three questions on which to reflect.
· The Rose: What’s one success, joy, gratitude, or beauty you have experienced?
· The Thorn: What’s an obstacle, limiting judgment of self or others, or challenge you have experienced?
· The Bud: What new, beneficial ideas or visions do you have for the future?
Do your best to discern when the ego is playing tricks with you and when your true self is answering these questions.
What does your true self say?
How can you acknowledge what has been going well?
Can you release obstacles with gentleness?
How can you help your Bud move towards blooming?
Begin with a centering object of your choice. Candles and crystals are possibilities.
Allow your eyelids to drop to a half gaze. With soft-focus, observe your centering object.
Allow it to assist you in finding balance.
Allow any anxiety and depression to ease and lessen until they soften or you can no longer feel them.
Take a slow deep breath in through your nose. Exhale with emphasis, a sigh, a sound. Let any tension leave in your exhale.
Now, inhale deep and slow through your nose as you focus on the centering object.
As you exhale, allow your centered energy to swirl around you, encompassing your whole body.
Gently close your eyes and breathe naturally.
Know that you can always come back to this place of balance and peace.
Make a conscious decision to embrace Nature and Her/Their wisdom.
Know that you can return to Her/Them when you feel unrest.
Find a patch of Earth and rest a part of your body firmly on the soil.
Allow Her/Them to hold you.
Allow Her/Them to absorb any worry or overwhelm you may be experiencing.
Allow Her/Them to create balance within you.
Allow yourself to listen.
Commit to staying in this spot for 20 minutes.
If you wish, return to the same place every day for 20 minutes.
This practice is commonly referred to as Sit Spot.
Observe. Observe. Observe.
Let Nature be your guide.
That’s it.
Meditation Practice 7: Tree Grounding
Visit a tree that catches your attention or curiosity.
Gaze at all the parts of the tree from the top of its canopy, down through its branches, and trunk, to its visible roots.
Think about how far the roots run beneath the surface.
Imagine you are becoming a tree: free of judgment, you simply exist.
Take a deep breath.
When you are ready, allow your mind to become spacious.
Imagine that your thoughts are the leaves of a tree. Gentle breezes allow your thoughts to drift away.
Try focusing on any element of the tree that you wish — the texture of its bark, the direction of its branches, the fragrance it emits.
This will help quiet your mind.
Be with the tree for 5 to 10 minutes.
At dawn or dusk, go outside.
It will be helpful to have trees nearby.
Scan your surroundings.
Do you see any birds?
Any nests?
Are robins scavenging for worms?
Are cardinals singing their romantic songs?
Are mockingbirds mimicking crows?
Is a murder of crows nearby?
Are pigeons’ feathers glimmering in the sunlight?
Do you hear the soft coo of mourning doves?
Which birds are flying?
Follow their flight path with your gaze until they disappear.
Observe when birds perch and stay still. Be open to receiving guidance from the birds.
Allow your mind to empty.Allow your mind to soar.
Go with your intuition into what feels safe and supportive.
Stay for as long as you like in this mindful practice.
When we are met with challenging times, we often avoid finding time to be still.
It can feel easier to avoid a difficult situation than to accept it.
The more we resist centering, the more off-kilter we become.
Incorporate this1–3 minute meditation during challenging times.
Breathe in for 3 seconds, hold your breath for 3 seconds, breathe out for 3 seconds, hold that for 3 seconds and repeat.
Cyclical breathing brings deepens our breathing and assists us in being mindful of our breath.
Welcome peace and love into chaos.
You have the ability to find peace even in the most difficult storms by allowing Earth to comfort you in Her maternal arms as she provides an infinite amount of Her love.
Gatha instructions
Breathe in while reading the first line.
Breathe out as you read the second line.
Repeat with the third and fourth lines.
With your eyes closed, spend several moments following your breath, steadying yourself.
Daydream about the process of the season you are currently experiencing, with no judgment.
Let the images float through your mind.
Repeat.
Original Gatha
Thank you Spring, for your green energy, bubbling forth from Earth, teaching us renewal.
Thank you Summer, for your tenacious heat and bright colors, teaching us our own vibrancy.
Thank you, Autumn trees who gently drop your leaves, to the ground, teaching us release.
Thank you, Winter, with your short days and howling winds for teaching us introspection.
Sitting with a straight back, slowly:
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Stand up quickly.
Slowly, take a breath in.
Breathe out.
Stretch your arms straight up over your head as you breathe in.
Stretch your arms straight out by your sides as you breathe out.
Walk across the room you are in.
Sit back down with a straight back.
Sigh so deeply that you make noise as you exhale.
Feel your body being supported by the new spot you have chosen.
Know that no matter where you are you can find this breath, stability, and support.
Let Mother Earth and Father Air wrap you in their loving arms.
Remain in this peaceful place for as long as you wish.
Change
Today, practice accepting our fate is to experience change repeatedly.
Witness change as beauty by observing flowers grow from seed to flower to fruit to seed.
Purchase or source a packet of your favorite flower seed.
Make sure the seeds will work for your current season.
Grow an herb like basil or chives on a windowsill if it isn’t planting season.
Plant the seeds in soil remind yourself that out of this tiny seed will come forth a complex plant.
Water the soil and allow yourself to be in awe that a seed understands how to receive your support.
Imagine the seed softening and slowly opening so roots and sprouts can begin to grow towards soil, nutrients, and light.
Pick a time every day to visit your plant and take a few moments to reflect on its change and growth.
Nothing stays the same. Change is the only constant.
Observe the entire cycle as the plant uses the rest of its energy to create new seeds to grow new flowers.
Allow yourself to witness this miracle.
Allow yourself to witness this pain of death and rebirth.
Allow yourself the acceptance of being human.
Find a peaceful, safe, quiet spot.
Choose a plant, animal, tree, or other Nature ally that brings you a sense of peace.
Allow your breath to slow down and notice the rhythm as you breathe with consciousness.
Softly gaze at the Nature ally.
Imagine an impermeable, invisible cloak of protection wrapped around your inner self and spirit and around your physical body.
Mother Earth and Father Air are protecting you.
Feel ultimate safety and comfort.
Relish basking in this gentle place.
When you are finished, thank Mother Earth and Father Air for Their cloak of comfort and protection.
When it is helpful in your daily life, call on Mother Earth and Father Air to wrap you again in comfort and protection.
Meditation 14: Watching Butterflies
The weather will have to be warm enough to do this meditation — 60 or 70 degrees Fahrenheit and up suffice.
Find a place in your yard or at a local garden where many flowers are blooming and you can sit for a while.
Commit to staying for at least ten minutes with no distractions.
What do you see?
Do you see butterflies?
How many different kinds?
Do you see wasps, bees, skippers, dragonflies, flies, or any other flutter creatures?
Choose one creature to go on a quiet adventure with.
Follow its journey until it is out of your sight.
Notice how you feel after you have engaged in this exercise for ten minutes.
Revisit this meditation as often as you’d like.
Go outside and find a plant that reminds you of someone.
Take in its scent if it has one.
Feel its smoothness, roughness, prickliness.
Notice the colors.
Listen to the wind.
If it is appropriate and edible, you may taste it.
Take this plant in with all your senses.
Find a position in which you are comfortable.
While gazing at the plant, hold the person that it reminds you of in your heart and be grateful for them.
Let your gratitude fill you up.
Remain in this position for five to ten minutes.
Allow yourself to remember the things you love about your friend.
With this friendship, you are truly blessed.