I woke up somewhat early this morning. I was without the kiddo so I decided to go to Alderman's Ford Preserve near my house to do some nature journaling and forest bathing. Forest bathing, or Shinrin-yoko is a Japanese practice of taking in the forest atmosphere. I am reading a book about forest bathing.
My understanding is it is not exactly meditation, but a practice of slowing down and really using your senses in nature. Normally when I go out to sketch I rush to a good sketching pace and rush back, this time I took my time. Intentionally opened myself up to all the things I was feeling and sensing. I noticed much more then if I hiked instead of ambled. Of course I did journal and I even tried "grounding" walking barefoot. I was pretty familiar with this trail so I was confident my tootsies would be OK. While I did sit in some fire ants everything else was a relaxing and almost meditative experience. I will definitely do more research into forest bathing. Now, time for a shower!