Green World
Explorations
Green world explorations use the garden and natural world as a portal to deepening awareness. The activities fall into broad categories grouped by similarity. The categories are a way to organize the information, but some activities fit multiple categories. The categories are: sensory, movement, creative craft, culinary creation, elemental, deepening awareness, and contemplation.
Cultivating an attitude of curiosity and fun as we approach mindfulness keeps the explorations light and easy. There is nothing to fail at—we just do the practice. In a world of a million distractions, mindfulness is a challenging practice. But if we develop a playful approach, each time we lose focus, we can simply smile and begin again.
Green world mindfulness practice does not work as a thought experiment. It requires us to go outside and experience our connection to the natural world. Pick an exploration and try it. There are many choices here, and some will call to you more loudly than others. Try not to dismiss an activity you may have done before. Be willing to experiment and try it in a new way.
Within each category, activities will have the following information:
• Name of Exploration
• Type of Exploration
• Supplies Needed
• Ideal Setting
• Child Friendly: Yes or No
You can begin anywhere.