Alex Soto
Forum Replies Created
-
This sensory practice is also part of my practice with Medicine walks (Forest Therapy). It’s a very profound way to get out of your head and be present with nature. There is a mind walk I normally do that allows me to enter a sort of vision quest before I enter the park. I say a graceful prayer of just being thankful for nature always being there for us and showing us unconditional love. Then I walk slowly, very slowly noticing all around me from up above to down below nothing, everything grabs my attention. Even the people doing their morning walks. As I walk the park path, I noticed these huge trees that canopy the path as you walk. I had my hat on and something urged me to pull it off, once I did that I noticed everything much more brighter and vivid colors. That is where it came to me that the trees are wrapping their arms around us as we walk and guiding us into the beautiful landscape of the park. It felt like my oldest son who is 6’4 and wraps his arms around me telling me that he loves me, “love you pops”. I reach my sit spot and there as I sit, I notice in the rock wall in front of me a army of spot lanterns which are an invasive species to our land and our causing damage to the trees and plants. A group of people approach as they are walking by and find fly swatters on the bench seat that some kind person had left behind so we can do our part to help alleviate the growth of these insects. I had a hard time processing the killing of the insects, but then a part of me said in some way they are harming that what I love around me. So I got up and picked up a fly swatter and spent the next 10 minutes whacking them off rock wall. Once I stopped, there was a release and sweat and feeling like I did my part. Soon after that I walked back home passing through the garden to take in the world by my side. It was magical and colorful. I’m grateful each day that I can spend time with my nature family.
-
This is a great tool to keep you in the present moment, I do feel a bit edgy about the word “triggers” as a reminder. I guess I associate the word triggers w/ something that doesn’t feel right or is just bad.
This is modality also part of my practice as a Forest Therapy guide, honestly I like to call myself a Nature Medicine Guide. We call this “What’s in Motion”, this is where you get to guide the client to proceed at a glacial pace just like Nature evolves.
Since I live in NYC, I’m among one of the most noisy city if I’m correct. So moving through life for me is fast and always changing. But there is a magic to this practice, slowing down but speeding up and still being in the present is a gift. So I created a trigger, everytime I find myself social media scrolling I would stop and practice Movement/FSA. It takes work as I’m retraining my mind to do something its not use too.
-
As I sat in total nature awareness, at first it was difficult because the monkey mind was getting distracted. But as I breathed in the air and relaxed my whole body I gave into the awareness. The sounds were being amplified, the birds, the overhead plane, the people walking behind me on the park path. The sounds were a symphony of sounds mixed in with the winds as the leaves danced and swayed to the rhythm of the earth. The birds were singing a lullaby from far to as close to being in front of me. The darting spots in the distance were all different types of birds. Then I asked myself how does this makes me feel? The answer was that I was being cradled like a baby, the wind was showing me that there is rain coming as I felt moisture all over my body. Before I started I voiced a prayer of thankfulness and guidancing. I ask to lead me to the path and to be patient with me along the journey. I totally surrendered to whatever Nature had to share w/ me at the present moment. I allowed everything in, each time the mind would go into thought I reached again to the sounds of Nature and would go right back to being present w/ nature. In reciprocity back to the land I thanked it and send it my total unconditional love. Once l felt I was done, as I walked home 2 white butterflies were dancing around me to grab my attention, I also felt it was telling me that we noticed you and that you should come back more often like you had in the past. I obliged and told it I would, this thought just popped into my head at that exact moment. So I took it as a sign. In NYC we have millions of house sparrows, they are normally fast and always moving. Before I left, one came right in front of me and took a look at me while it picked on something but always knowing that I was there. It was a magical moment, since i know they are curious but would never stay that long in one place at a time. I felt seen and acknowledged by this little messenger, letting me know that I was welcomed at anytime.
-
Thank you Michael for sharing your lineage! I’ve heard of Scouts or the Coyotes schools before, and have some guide friends that were students of the course. I really appreciate you sharing this info, because I’ve noticed in today’s society we don’t pay enough tribute/homage to our ancestors/teachers.
-
As a Forest therapy guide, this is the foundation of our work. It’s the journey in taking people out of the monkey mind to the present moment with nature. Each time I do this exercise, I feel like I’m being held by nature, caressed, feed and just unconditional love. The experience is really a great way to fully embody nature and allow your vulnerability to accept all that is around you.
-
So this was fun for me, also felt kind of easy for me. I ride motorcycles so my attention is constantly wide and scanning. The exercise is similar in nature, but what I love about this one is your kind of letting your guard down, being vulnerable to allow everything to enter into your perception. And I can also see how this can be edgy for some people as well. There is an edgy part for me, its a reminder that as a child growing up my neighborhood which was pretty tough, you were always in high alert of danger, constantly scanning. The mechanism of survival, given the situation. Of course I enjoy more the nature and motorcycle based experiences.. lol
-
I’ve done this invitation many times and it’s so effective. For that moment it removes all the stories in your head and bring your whole attention to the present moment. As a forest therapy guide, we call it “POP” : “Pleasures of Presence”. It allows one to go through each senses, but the sounds is the most powerful one since you really have to invite everything that is around you. I live in the City of NY, I do walks in public parks. You have to invite your community into the journey because it’s part of the experience, all of it: Music blaring from a car, air planes overhead, kids running and yelling, motorcycles zooming by in the distance. It’s all there, but you’ll eventually notice how nature will slowly turn up its volume just for you.. It’s a pretty powerful gift!
