Forest walk meditation

My wife and son and I “fled” to my parent’s place on Friday night to spend the Covid-19 lockdown period out of the city where there is space to be outside in nature. So this Sunday morning, I ventured out into the woods.

We are in a tiny village in the Bavarian Forest. This area is quiet on any given day, but this frosty Sunday morning it was still. No cars on the streets. No planes in the sky. No people outside. No bugs on the ground. No bees in the air. It was eerie. As far as I could tell from my surroundings, I might have been the last living person on this planet. The sound of the wind in the trees seemed so loud, it was deafening while subtle at the same time.

I walked over fields along the edge of the forest without any specific aim. A sudden rush of emotions swept through me as I realized that I was approaching a particular spot: The place where I have entered the forest walk meditation in my imagination during the P3 workshops I attended. I haven’t been to this place in real life for at least 20 years.

Each time I am attending P3, this meditation is one of the most intense exercises for me. It allows me to strip off all expectations and defenses. To feel more myself than at any other time.

I took a moment to linger while looking at the field where my meditation visualization always starts. It’s behind the house where my grandparents used to live and where I spent a lot of time in my early childhood. Some long-forgotten memories came up — along with a variety of emotions that I have gained access to only in recent years.

Wiping water from my face, I turned around to leave the memories and everything else behind and entered the forest. The crisp air filled my lungs as I took some deep breaths. The fresh smell of the forest made me feel at home. Walking down the path was like reliving the meditation visualization in real life. Very strange. Very intense.

I haven’t felt so present in a forest for a long time — maybe ever. I do regularly spend time outdoors but today wasn’t like any other day. My perception was different. I — was different. Emerging at the other end of the forest, I felt rejuvenated. I am grateful for this pause. I think I need it. Maybe we all do.

“The true voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes” — Marcel Proust