“When you walk the woods, do so at their pace. Not yours.” – Br Richard
Staff Well-Being Sessions
Mindfulness Outdoors Experiences
Welcome
I am really looking forward to spending this time together on our Mindfulness Outdoors Experiences! For more than a decade I have enjoyed taking mindfulness outdoors as a powerful means of spending time in nature and reconnecting with ourselves, the world around us and remembering what really matters.
As a certified Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide, I will be inviting you to partake in a specific sequence of guided mindfulness practises that are designed to increase our awareness and connection with each other and the natural world of which we are a part. There will be times of quiet and times of shared mindful listening and sharing. Each session includes
- orienting to the story of the physical environment
- moving gently to warm up the body
- breathing and grounding activities
- mindful walking
- nature-based meditations
- share circles with tea and stories of our experiences being in nature
Autumn Wonder Walk
Place: Castlecomer Discovery Park,Co. Kilkenny, R95HY7X
Date: Tuesday 26 September 2024
Time: 10.30-12.30pm
Arriving & Preparing
Meeting Point
We will meet in the carpark entrance, by the wooden covered part- this is just a couple of minutes walk from the carpark.
The carpark has varying rates of fees from €4 for more than one hour. Toilets are available inside the visitor centre. There is also a cafe on site.
We suggest you aim to arrive for 10.25 am and give yourself some time to settle in.
We will give each other a few minutes or so to arrive and settle into our place for the morning. Then we will continue to move into our Mindful Outdoor Experience and return to our meeting point by 12.30pm.
What to bring
Alongside our open minds, warm hearts and spirits of adventure, as we adventure into connection with the aliveness of our more-than-human world of nature, please bring any personal items you need to be comfortable and safe.
Most important, with our changeable weather patterns, bring what you need to stay warm and dry, for as long as possible.
If you are unsure, I have created a suggested list of items to bring with you for this session. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
As we will be walking outdoors for 1.5-2 hours, walking 1.5-2km at a slow pace and pausing from time to time, so it is important that we dress appropriately in clothing that protects us and that helps us to stay as warm as possible:
- Dressing with layers (remember it is easier to cool down than to warm up)
- Warm rainproof jacket
- Hat, Gloves & Scarf
- Long-trousers/ Waterproof
- Sturdy shoes/boots that are waterproof and can support you on uneven ground
- Something to sit on ( a sit mat/seat pad for sitting on wet/damp ground)
You might also choose to bring along any personal items that you need for the duration of our time together, in a waterproof daypack. For example:
- Personal medicines
- Snacks
- Water
- Extra layer / socks
- Hand sanitiser / Sun Protection
- Tissues
- Notebook & pen for reflective journaling
A note on Devices
If you can at all, we recommend that you allow yourself this time to be device-free. I will have a phone for GPS and emergency calls. In the forest, coverage is often variable so nature is mirroring this invitation too!! You will be invited to switch off or put your phone on silent at the start of the walk. There may be a particular reason for needing access to your phone to be comfortable and that is ok too. If you need to take a call or check a message, we ask that you do this discreetly as phone-checking is contagious!
It may also be tempting to use our phones for taking photographs. Again, the advice is to let go of this habit too as it can disconnect us from our present moment experience. Instead trust that you will be taking photos in your heart, mind and body. We may agree to take a photograph to mark the event when we have completed our session.
There may be other items not listed here that you think are important to bring, please feel free to do so and to ask me any questions if you are not sure.
Please click the button below and complete the registration form in advance so that I have the required safety information for our time together.
Registration & Waiver Form Completion
What Clients Have to Say
Nature Knows
We have just passed the Autumn Equinox on our way towards Samhain, an opportune time to take a pause in the midst of our full lives to ground in our roots, come home to being and honour the whole of the present moment. Mindful being in nature, we attune to the rhythm of nature and invite ease, connection and reflection.
“Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.” – Emily Brontë