Celebrating Surviving January!

Frosty Morning

I think that regardless of whether you subscribe to December celebrations or not, January can feel a little bit bleak and hopeless, somehow.

Our January frosty Forest Therapy session at Stockwood Open Space was definitely a few hours of respite in the post-Christmas slump (for me, and hopefully the participants.) Although it required a bit of courage to commit to two hours outdoors, everyone showed up in good humour, well wrapped up to stay warm for the invitations.

Paying attention to nature in January conditions brought rewards of its own. Participants commented about watching the frost melt as the sun brightened, and in my own practise, I even noted the sound of the melting frost dripping from leaves, connecting me to my surroundings and the season. As this session was held on a Saturday, and it was a little treacherous with mud and ice to stray far from the path, it was unavoidable that dog walkers and chatting groups came through, sometimes calling out a friendly “good morning!”. Few of us are lucky enough to own a private forest, so I would imagine unintended interruptions are a feature of many UK Forest Therapy sessions. I encourage my participants to let it pass in a mindful way, rather than feeling their attention has been broken. We humans and dogs are a part of nature, too, after all!

At the close of the session I served a sage tea. Sage has plentiful benefits, and seemed suitably cleansing after the excess of December. This coming together is really where the magic happens for me – connecting with the group and sharing experiences. Some comments I have permission to share, which you can read below if you wish:

“Very enjoyable -amazed at how engrossed I got with listening to frost melt! Lots of bird sounds and seeing how the sun comes through the trees.”

“Really enjoyed the session, even in the frosty morning.”

“Time to space out and chill. Nice experience.”

If you have anyone reading has any reservations, I hope this offers some motivation to try getting out in nature. Whatever the weather or time of year, it has treasures to offer!

I for one am really looking forward to welcoming more people to our local nature reserve and most of all to the sense of connection (with nature and with our group) I get from sharing a chat and cuppa at the end. Why not join us next time?