This stop is on the terrace looking out at the view of the valley and the lake. Take a look out over the view and start listening when you are ready.
Mindfulness Stop 9
Mindfulness Stop 9 - View point Take me here now
Make sure your volume is on: "Mindfulness 9 - View Point"
Looking out at the scene set before us, we can see the park in all its glory. Have you tried the practice of spending time in a sit spot to connect with nature and to develop a greater awareness of the landscape? It’s a wonderfully simple activity. Taking a mindful look at our surroundings means we focus our senses on what’s around us, calmly and with intention. We still hear, smell, think, and feel, but we stay in the moment, letting the sensations be present, but passing.
Mindful meditation, especially in nature, has great benefits for our health. It can reduce stress, increase focus, lower blood pressure, and help manage pain. We can use mindfulness to notice things we usually overlook, and to get a deep appreciation and understanding of the natural world.
A sit spot is a place to stop and sit, somewhere you can pause a while. Anywhere can be a sit spot: a log, leaning on a tree trunk, sitting on the grassy slope, the steps leading from the viewpoint, or a bench.
From the viewpoint now I want you to choose your own special sit spot, somewhere you can come back to regularly and sit at again and again. Once you have chosen it, go there, sit down, get comfortable, and wait.
Now close your eyes for a while, then open them. Breathe in deep and release your breath. Let your breathing patterns rise and fall naturally and stay as long as you can. If your attention wanders, that’s ok, bring your focus back and rest again.
You can intentionally draw your attention to what you can see. Scan the landscape all around you: take in as much detail that you can. All the colours shapes.
Then look down. What can you see around you? Look up. Can you see the clouds? Clouds that hang in the sky, moving across it. The clouds are part of the sky, but they are not the whole sky. Look at their different shapes. Look at the sky that exists behind the clouds.
Take some time watching the birds flying swooping and diving.
What you can hear? Really listen ... how many sounds can you hear? what can you can feel? Feel the ground or seating area around you. Feel the fabric on your skin or the pressure of your body where you are sitting.
What you can smell? Close your eyes for a while, then open them. Breathe in deep and release your breath. Let your breathing patterns rise and fall naturally, and stay as long as you can. If your attention wanders, that’s ok; bring your focus back and rest again.
It’s up to you how long you stay. You might find it hard to sit for a few minutes at the beginning, but with practice you can extend your sit spot time longer and longer. The more time you spend in your sit spot, the more you will notice about your surroundings. Repeat your sit spot meditation at different times of day, and night, at different times of year, in different weathers, and when you are in different moods. You’ll notice all sorts of things!
Staunton country park is a beautiful place what ever the season. There are always new things to see and mindfulness to experience. So enjoy your mindful journey today and throughout year.
This stop might take a while, but it is almost the last location on the trail before you complete. When you have finished, continue back to the park gates for the final section.