Listen to the fallen leaves crunching under your feet. Can you taste the earth?
Muju, South Korea. What do you experience when you walk through the woods and must rely on the person in front of you and the vision presented before you in a tiny mirror, pointed up to the sky? What happens when you close your eyes and allow yourself to be guided by nature’s sounds?
The program on the Ayuveda Yoga Camp menu said Forest Walking Meditation. A walk through some woods in Muju, while observing nature in silence is all I could think of. Instead, the program was totally experiential and absolutely brilliant! It was a re-awakening call, inviting you to use all your senses to listen, see, follow and capture the obscure language of nature’s poetry.
Korea, you always surprise me!
Become silence and let the sounds around you be your guide to awakening. What do you hear?
Trust we are all connected. Put your hands upon the shoulders of the person in front of you. Close your eyes and walk. Consciously, feeling the earth beneath you and the sky above you.
Into the light, what can you feel? Is the frost biting your lip, while the sun kisses your skin?
Reach up and capture the sun!
Close your eyes and empty your mind… focus on just listening to sounds. Falling leaves, a running brook, your own breath.
Ways to meditate during your forest walk:
• Close your eyes.
• Listen to the sounds around you and also focus on the sound of your breath
• Allow sounds and weather to enter you through your skin, nose, hairs, fingertips… senses.
• Be conscious of the sounds under your feet as you walk.
• Observe and find beauty in nature’s life and death.
• Place a mirror below your nose and allow yourself to move slowly as you enjoy the view above (*Partner may be necessary).
• Close your eyes and have a partner lead you (*Partner may be necessary)
Periodically check-in with yourself and ask- what do these sounds and experiences inspire?
Then create!
• Take a journal and jot down your impressions or draw.
• Photograph what you see.
• Allow the sounds or impressions entering you to drive creative movement or dance.
• Just enjoy your day, feeling beautifully connected with nature.
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that was beautiful Christine! nice job capturing the experience!
@Chance: Thanks. Hopefully it captures..curiousity. That workshop was really unique and amazing. Totally fresh perspective on a meditation or hike!
That actually looks pretty cool. I haven’t seen many travel blogs that have any information on actually taking part in the spiritual adventures that can be had in Korea. Most people who go to temples just go to the temples and take pictures of stuff at temples.
I had a similar experience to this-that is walking in the woods without being able to see. I was coming down off of Jiri mountain with a few friends after the sun went down. We couldn’t see and the path was narrow with minor boulders jutting up out of the ground. To the left there were rocks and forest. To the right was a twenty or thirty foot fall to death or at least a broken something….and a mountain stream. We used our cell phones and cameras to find our way, and when we reached the road leading to my friend’s car, I gained a new appreciation for pavement.
@3gyupsal: ha ha… That’s priceless. I almost had a similar experience at Apsan in Daegu. We were coming down late and we were hairs close to the cellphone lights. I actually did use mine cause it was dark but the rocky trail wasn’t nearly as bad as Jiri’s trail. Y’all must’ve been freaked out. I would’ve been.
True, there’s not a whole lot on spiritual adventures or non-Korean traditions/practices in Korea outside of the temples. I was really fortunate that this yoga camp had a truly unique perspective; they brought a lot of wonderful “alternative” flavor to their camp workshops. It was refreshing!
Believe me though, those temple pictures will eventually be coming….;-)
Sounds like a great experience!
@Kelsey: It was, I was fortunate to have found out about it.
@Jill: Ha ha… yes, the mirror is to look at the sky, so you’re kind of dependent on the person in front of you as you’re walking. It’s a very interesting experience and sensory.
@Joshywashington: very beautiful!
What a beautiful experience! I haven’t heard of this kind of meditation, how inspiring!
That sounds like a really cool experience. What are they holding a mirror close to their faces for? Oh wait, is that so they can see the sky above? That’s pretty neat…
Hey Christine – I am coming to Daegu in Jan to work at a hagwon and was just internet searching for what people were saying, and found you! I am especially pumped to see your entry about the Ayurveda academy in Daegu as a fellow yoga afficianado
Cheers! Hope you don’t mind me lurking.
@Tala: Lurk away and congrats on your new relocation to Korea! I think there are a few yoga studios out there, but this one I know for sure conducts some classes in English.
One of the teachers here conducts some free classes at Buy the Book Cafe (in Banwoldang) on Sundays!