The weather had been unusually hot for May, making this week’s walk a mission of seeking shady shelter as the hot sun shone from behind a patchwork of fluffy clouds, scattered across the sky.
As the group departed from the library, out towards the shade of the Centenary Woodlands, squirrels hopped across the grass, chasing one another as a lone coot ploughed through the cool water under the Andresey bridge.
With the hot weather, the discussion quickly leapt from city breaks to ice cream with one member sharing their recent enjoyment of a Mr Whippy 99 ice cream complete with tangy raspberry sauce & sprinkles! The conversation then moved on to volunteering, with a member sharing their sense of fulfilment from recently helping others in the community. They said that helping others had enabled them to see how far they had come in their own journey.
Across the fields, the group headed into the comfortable shade offered by the Centenary Woodlands, where they engaged in a new experience, Japanese Forest Bathing. Not swimming in the River Trent, but immersing themselves in the sights, sounds & feel of nature. This involved finding a tree & introducing yourself to it, placing a hand on its sturdy trunk, feeling the texture of the bark, looking at the colour of the leaves, noticing the height, the neighbouring trees & listening to the birds sing & leaves rustle.
From there came structured breathing, breathing in for 3 seconds & gathering strength from the tree, holding it in your body for 4 seconds, feeling the energy flow through you before breathing out for 5 seconds whilst giving love to the tree in exchange. This breathing & thought pattern was repeated several times & brought with it a sense of deep relaxation, peacefulness & calm. This was just what the group needed to feel refreshed before making their way further through the woodland, spotting mushrooms at the base of a tree, sharing nutrients from the earth & listening to the gentle birdsong from birds hidden high up in the tree canopy. Being careful not to trip over the network of tree roots & hurdling over fallen branches & encroaching nettles, the group approached the edge of the woodland & were back out into the sunshine where cows grazed peacefully in the field.
Whilst walking from the woodland, back along the riverbank towards the Ferry Bridge, one member commented how the walking group had allowed them to open their mind, forget external worries & enjoy the lovely nature around them. This, they felt, was in addition to a change in mindset, to give new things a go & led to chatting about the Bowls & Banter project & the difference between crown green bowls & flat green bowls!
Under & over the Ferry Bridge & into Stapenhill Gardens, the group took a refreshment break whilst learning about more breathing techniques. They learnt about 7-11 breathing, which can provide relaxation & reduce anxiety & stress as well as the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Techniques & also tried finger tracing. This involved using the index finger of one hand to slowly trace the edges of your thumb & fingers on the other hand, breathing in as you trace up the finger & breathing out as you trace back down the other side. This would be repeated for each finger, synchronising the breathing with each digit. The group agreed on how relaxing it felt. Breaktime over, the group put away their breathing techniques booklet & were permitted to give the other methods a try, noting down how it made them feel & reporting back next week.
From Stapenhill Gardens, the group took a steady walk along the river, appreciating the beautiful weather & noticing the spiky green husks of conkers, developing on the pink & white blossom-filled horse chestnut trees, signalling springtime. Conversation turned to the different leaf variations of trees & plants & how they communicate with each other (through the wood wide web), supporting each other with nutrients, warning of diseases & selecting the best years to fruit etc. We wondered, ‘how do they know’ & concluded that there are still many mysteries in the world!
At the end of the river path, it was a stroll across the Trent Bridge as the group reminisced about the childhood game of Pooh Sticks, where friends would drop a stick into the river, watching it float under the bridge to see who’s made it to the other side first. We proposed we might have a game on the Ferry Bridge next week! With that the group made the short walk back to the library, clocking up another 3.3 miles & completing the penultimate walk of the weekend walking program. Fingers crossed for more beautiful weather for the final walk next week.
