Natural Mindful exercises

'See, hear and feel': the three main ways to   let Nature in 

In a mindful walk next week, we'll be exploring how our senses bring home the enduring freshness of the natural world. We'll visit some of my favourite places to test out a series of exercises in looking, listening and experiencing the natural flow and rhythm of the countryside at the very beginning of spring. 

I'll be interested to hear your ways of sensing the inspiration and spontaneity of Nature and any feedback you can give me on the exercises we try out while walking. Daily walks calm me and inspire me and I'd like to hear about ways that calmness and mindfulness can deepen for you and last throughout the day.

Exercises I'm developing include: 'Colours of the rainbow' and '3D listening'. 

Colours of the rainbow can be used alone or in pairs. The world looks real because it's composed of all the colours of the rainbow. If I search out the seven colours in order while walking: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet in turn, I surprise myself with the astonishing variety of colours in nature. As I continue to walk, that sensitivity to unexpected colours stays with me.

3D listening involves stopping at a convenient point on a hillside such as a green corridor with a view of a valley. I stand and listen with eyes closed for one minute and concentrate on the pitch and loudness of sounds I'm hearing. I try to pinpoint the direction of all the sounds I can hear. The sounds may include machines, planes overhead as well as birdsong and the wind in the trees. I aim to cultivate a non-judgmental acceptance of all I can  hear and I hope that in this way I can become a better listener.

More interesting still is the area of feeling, so I'd welcome your support not exactly in tree-hugging but in experiencing the textures and smells of the plants around us. I find this intriguing because in my experience, sensations quickly bring emotions to the surface.

So I trust we'll share our reactions to practising natural mindfulness while enjoying a convivial walk in beautiful countryside with like-minded people.