Brisbane Bush Bathing

Where I live in Brisbane is just a 20 minute drive away from the D’Aguilar National Park. The Jinibara is the Aboriginal tribe that took in the clans inhabiting this area. Just keep travelling along Waterworks Rd as it becomes Mount Nebo road. It’s a bit windy, but there are plenty of spots to pull into to access walking trails. Just be careful pulling in and out - its a popular drive for motorcycle enthusiasts. This is ancient rainforest and open Eucalyptus woodland. These particular photos were taken at a track called South Boundary Rd - its relatively flat - so easy to navigate with children or if you are getting a bit on in years.

There are some magnificent trees. Straight and tall that reach into the sky. They have been here for a long time. Sometimes I wish they were Ents and could actually talk to me to tell me of the things that have past.

We are so fortunate in Australia. Even though many of us might live in big cities we are not too far away from bits of land that allow us to reconnect with the natural environment. In Japan it was called “forest bathing” but really you can do it anywhere; in Australia you could call it “bush bathing”. When I go I try to do a bit of mindfulness. I notice the trees, the texture of the bark, their infinite colours. I listen to the bird calls, the bellbirds and the whipbirds (click on each of these to see and hear them at Wild Ambience). I listen to the cicadas and the rise and fall of their whirr. I calm my mind and try to be present. I take a note of the leaves, of fungi, of flowers. I see and I hear.

I try not to be on a mission. Hiking for so many kilometres, or we need to be back at this or that time. Its so much better when you are not. I sometimes also do walking meditation - if there are not too many obstacles (I do have a tendency to trip!). This is a little bit like paying attention to your breath but in this case you pay attention to your footfalls, the way your body moves, you contemplate each step. Your mind will wander but you bring it back to each step. One foot in front of the other along the path. Then you gradually expand your consciousness to include the things around you. You start with sounds, then to smells and finally what you see.

Bush bathing and walking meditation remind me of two things. First, I am part of a bigger ecosystem - what I do in that system matters. Second, life is about putting one foot in front of the other. Some days doing that is harder that other days. But any movement along any path simply requires you to move forward.