/ Nature Meditation & Mindfulness

For thousands of years, people across different cultural regions have used meditation to calm their minds, direct their attention inward, and focus on the present. The aim of meditation is not to stop our thoughts, but to be more mindful of the immediate moment. Better mindfulness, in turn, reduces emotional stress caused by ruminating on the past or future. Through regular practice, meditators learn to observe their thoughts non-judgementally and thus learn to control their emotions better.

These are emotional learning processes and are controlled by the prefrontal cortex which has been shown to have more grey matter in people who meditate. It is therefore possible to reprogramme the mechanical response to situations with meditation and to thereby learn to become more patient, mindful, mentally flexible and more resilient.

A common misconception is that you need to be calm and relaxed before you can start to meditate. Although it’s not unusual for beginners to encounter resistance at first, the more frequently you practise, the more often you will have deeper and profoundly peaceful experiences. Start with just a few minutes, integrating a short, regular practice into each day, and you will quickly see a positive effect on body, mind and spirit.

To prepare for an outdoor meditation, first attune yourself for the practice.

The forest provides an ideal environment for meditation as there’s nothing like connecting with nature to help you find inner peace. Forest meditation is also known as forest bathing or shinrin-yoku. If you’d like to meditate in the forest, find a quiet and secluded place free of distractions, somewhere you feel safe. Sit on a tree trunk, on the forest floor or on a rock – whatever feels comfortable.

There’s quite a range of practices that are suitable for a forest meditation – observing your breath, paying attention to your surroundings, or practising gratitude for the beauty of nature. Harness the healing power of nature and create a deeper connection with yourself and the environment.

The dragon on Wildschönau’s coat of arms refers to an ancient legend: Once upon a time, Wildschönau was a large lake. On its shore, there lived a dragon that wreaked havoc on the land and its people. Eventually, a brave and cunning farmer was able to slay the monster. But, in its death throes, the dragon flapped its tail and, with a terrible roar, bit a hole into the rock. The hole reached all the way to the Inn Valley, and became the Kundler Gorge. The sole survivors of the resulting flood were a man from Wildschönau and a woman from the Brixental Valley. They stumbled across each other at the Halsgatterl in Oberau and, relieved to find that they were not alone, fell around each other’s necks. According to legend, this couple are the first ancestors of the people of Wildschönau.

Meditating in nature, surrounded by birdsong and the rustle of leaves, offers peace, freedom and a deep connection to our own nature.

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