Own Your Breath - nurturing wellness & mindfulness one breath at a time

25/05/2025

Of course Mary Oliver expresses it beautifully 🌿

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.

~Mary Oliver, Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver https://amzn.to/3YYGvwf [ad]

‘Study of a Wood’, 1848 by August Cappelen

24/05/2025

Gentle guardians stand sentinel along life's path - providing inspiration,shelter, refreshing filtered air. There are so many lessons we can learn from the trees - we must simply pay attention.
In the company of trees,close your eyes and focus on your breathing.
Inhale air made rich in oxygen; absorb the phytoncides that protect the tree and boost your immune system.
Let negative ions lift your spirits.
Sense the scents of Nature's aromatic therapy from pine, eucalyptus,cedar.
Trees are a blessing. Like wise elders they may thrive for decades or centuries - watching over our frantic lives in silence.
Be still.
Breathe.

Let the trees embrace you with their towering presence and quiet wisdom. Stand beneath their sprawling branches and feel the strength of their roots deep in the earth, anchoring them through storms, droughts, and seasons of change. As the gentle rustle of leaves dances in the breeze, listen closely; the trees speak in a language of resilience, patience, and healing. Their bark, scarred yet strong, reminds us that growth often comes through enduring hardships. In the shade of their canopy, let your mind find rest, your heart find peace, and your soul find renewal. Like the trees, allow yourself to be grounded yet flexible, to reach for the light while staying deeply connected to your roots. In their timeless embrace, find a sanctuary where nature’s quiet strength can gently heal your wounds, restore your balance, and awaken a profound sense of calm within you.

~ The Garden Of Pensiveness

~ Image by Mitch Crispe

30/04/2025

22/04/2025

International Earth Day 🌍 Pause. The world is full of beautiful gifts to enjoy. Take time to look around you - feel the sun on your face, or the rain. Listen to the sounds of life - birdsong, a stream splashing between stones. Reach out and touch - a tree, a rock, a leaf 🍃 Inhale the air that gives life to us all and give thanks.🙏

A Metta in honor of upcoming Earth Day. 🌎🌳🌏🌱🌍

14/04/2025

Always excited to discover projects to protect & nurture our vanishing wildlife 🌳🐝 Knepp looks incredible

Guided wildlife safaris and luxury campsite in the heart of the Knepp Rewilding Project

11/04/2025

This is an amazing season to connect with nature 🍃
Restore balance in your life. Find harmony in the wonderful world around you. Discover your inner calm.
A woodland trail, a countryside footpath, a winding walk through the park - take your time.
Go slowly.
Breathe.
Listen.
Look closely as you pass hedgerows or trees - pay attention to the details.
This is truly a wonder-full world when we take time to appreciate it.

.ownyourbreath.net

21/03/2025

The Spring Solstice.
The threshold of new life, fresh beginnings: birds nesting, spectacular flowers thrusting through the soil, young leaves on every tree impatient to escape from slowly unfurling buds.
The woodland is a symphony of excitement: songbirds and spring breeze accompany a wondrous transformation as the Sleeping Beauty awakes from Winter's Rest.
Take time to experience this feast for the senses - a quiet stroll among the trees helps to soothe away stress, clear the mind and generally enhance sense of well-being.
Slowly inhale.
Feel your lungs expand with healthy, oxygen-rich air.
Linger beneath the bare limbs of trees and consider the intricate weave of branches and roots. They have endured the cold blasts of winter; so have you.
Look up. Watch as the clouds drift through the vast expanse of the sky.
Feel yourself connected: with the trees, with the ground, with the clouds.
Close your eyes.
Enjoy this moment.

What are your favourite ways to celebrate this season?
Do you have a particular custom to mark this time of year?

09/12/2024

Wonderful words from Donna Ashworth - enjoy.🙏

There is a reason why walking amongst nature is most people’s best advice when depression strikes.
Because walking in nature is a return to ‘home’.
You are not a lover of nature, or a fan of nature, you ‘are’ nature.
You are as much nature as the trees in your garden and the bees on your picnic.
You were designed to live your days out in the wild with your fellow creatures and plants but progress, humanity, had different plans for us all.
And so we exist day-to-day, in our homes, but never ‘home’.
The quickest route back to self, to inner peace, is bare feet on grass, arms around trees, head in the clouds and heart in a forest.
Put your bones in water, whenever you can, smell each flower you see and crumble dirt between your tired-of-typing fingers.
You are nature, go home once in a while.
It will bring you much you didn’t even know you were missing.

~ 'You Are Nature' by Donna Ashworth from 'Wild Hope' ~ Donna Ashworth

~ Art by Jane Newland