Go Slow. Listen. Smile. You Are Home. In Nature.

The forest around me is very still, as if slowly, gently returning more inwards.

Raindrops of this morning’s shower are quietly dropping down through the branches of the trees, painting everything they touch on their journey with a vibrant, silver glow. 

Beams of sunlight are shining on just some specific parts of the trees and forest floor, leaving other hidden parts in the dark. Like bright spotlights on an artist during a performance. 

I deeply inhale the earthy, humid, crisp smell of Spring, noticing a palette of fresh green leaves, flowers and baby trees popping up all around me, contrasting with the red and brown leaves of last year covering the forest floor.

Slowly, I arrange the tea cups and place them in a circle between the roots of the ancient beech tree. Four for the participants, one for me, and one for the Forest. 

Under the big trees nearby, the participants of this morning’s Shinrin-Yoku workshop are doing a ‘sit-spot’, a restful moment for themselves, taking in the atmosphere of the forest. 

I linger a bit, fully absorbing this special quiet slow time together in the forest, sensing the change in season that’s already so much more present here than in Amsterdam nature yet. 

I silently thank this wonderful place for hosting us and giving us such a restful, deeply nourishing nature break, and the participants for their precious time they chose to spend with me in the forest – while there would have been thousands of other things they could have been doing this Friday morning in busy March. 

Then I use my singing bowl, and let the sound waves merge with the silence of the forest. It’s time for the final part of the workshop! 

Go Slow. Listen. Smile. You Are Home. In Nature. 

X Marjolein