Week #7 - Hike the Woods, 3 Small Sounds
This week is about getting outside in nature. Hiking a trail can be a such a relaxing, calming experience. Have you ever heard of Forest Bathing? The term emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere”). The purpose was twofold: to offer an eco-antidote to tech-boom burnout and to inspire residents to reconnect with and protect the country’s forests. I encourage you to pause and take a look at this article to learn more. Or do a quick google search of the term.
We will work on BALANCE poses this week.
TREE
EAGLE
ROCK (a calming grounding pose)
Take a moment to listen to the intro video followed by the full track with words.
Now that you have those 3 poses down. Let’s “Hike the Woods”. Give the track with words a try.
Pay special attention to the phrases:
Time Slows down, on this trail I found
Birds sing a song, as I am walking along
Know in my soul, I’m part of everything
Forest Bathe
Find my balance, cares go away
Beauty within, I know my worth
Peace in my mind, my body is my home.
I can breathe and find some space, Anytime I want, I come to this place.
There are so many sensory moments in this song. See what else you can hear. Then talk about about how listening to the world around us helps us stay so much more present and aware. This is a powerful song, not just for the physical benefits of balance, but also reminding us that it is so important to find the peace/quiet/balance in our busy busy world.
Page 47 is the next page to complete. How did you feel before/after you “Hike the Woods”. Maybe ask an adult if this week you can go for a real hike. Here is a link to one of my favorite local trail systems - Audubon State Park. We also like using the nature trails at Friedman Park.
Page 48 is a new tracker. This time you will track balance poses by coloring in one of the trees. Try this track several times this week so that you can continue to color in your trees.
Page 49 is a fun Nature Scavenger Hunt. See if you can find time this week to get outside and complete this activity. This is also a good one to bookmark for fall when it is a bit cooler.
3 Small Sounds - Page 50 is the final activity this week. I know there was a lot. This one is simple and almost like a Listening Game. This one has an audio track - you can listen wherever you stream from or this is the YouTube link.
Complete page 51 of the book sometime this week with your family. Remember this is a game that can be played anywhere.
Pro-tip: Parents or Caregivers - this is an excellent tool to have when a child is having big emotions. If you can get them to calm enough to play with you, it often can bring them down from a meltdown to calming talk after. I use this one a lot as it requires NOTHING to play. No equipment or special space.
That is it for this week! I got a little off on my original schedule for the book club so next week we will have several more activities to cover together and close up the book. I am thrilled that you have joined so far. Please reach out and let me know what has been your favorite!
