Sofia Speaks: The Complex Simplicity of Life

The purpose of each stroll is to introduce a new theme, and the journal provides you with promotes that complements the essence of each garden’s landscape. As you stroll, you’re invited to pause, read a prompt, reflect, and write in your journal. Then repeat. Each stroll has a varying number of journal prompts/ pauses and quotes. The garden that I strolled in for my first experience was the Japanese-style Gude Garden, and the theme for the garden was Awareness.

The purpose of the Awareness stroll is for you to disconnect with the outside world and tune into self and nature. A quote from the journal guide states, “this stroll invites you to engage in mindful awareness of your external and internal worlds to move toward inner peace and enlightenment.” (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 24).
                                                 
PAUSE 1
“Begin today’s stroll by focusing on your breathing. Feel the fresh, clean air expanding your lungs with each inhalation. Notice how your body feels as you breathe: where it is relaxed and where there is tension. Send your breath to each area of tension, relaxation slowly spreading through your body like shade creeping across a hot, sunny lawn.” (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 24).

Journal Entry 1
No response.

Update to Pause 1
When I first started this process, I was not aware of the technique that the journal prompts provided. Now that I have dived deeper into the Wellness Community, I am aware that what the journal prompt called for is a breathing technique. I have learned that when you focus on your breathing, you relax your nervous system, and it allows your mind to clear of anything that you are currently holding onto. It allows you to regroup and to come back into the moment with a clearer perspective. I have incorporated this technique into my daily life, for instance, when I’m working out, upset, anxious, and overwhelmed. I’m trying to teach this technique to my little one to help with self-regulation. 

PAUSE 2
“Let your schedule and your thoughts drift away as you bring your attention to your senses. Become aware of what you can physically feel, see, hear, and smell. What does the sun or the breeze feel like on your skin? How do the colors of the grasses and leaves vary, complement, and contrast with one another? What soft and loud sounds do you hear? How does the air smell?” (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 24).

Journal Entry 2
The sun feels warm.
The wind feels cold but cooling, the perfect contrast with the sun.
The sun feels amazing on my skin.
I feel it the most on my hands and face because they are not covered.
I feel pain in my lower back on the right side.

Update to Pause 2
I have incorporated the practice of mindfulness into my daily life. In the past, when I would walk my dog, I would typically listen to a podcast or a YouTube video. However, now I take that time to connect with nature, even if it’s for a short moment. When I walk my dog, I leave my cell phone in the house. As I walk, I tune into nature by listening to the birds, smelling flowers, and being aware of the different plants and animals that I encounter on my walk. This has been a small but very effective change that I now experience daily.

PAUSE 3
“Instead of letting our minds follow each train of thought as it occurs to us, we have the power to notice the thoughts and decide to let them go. Think of yourself as one of the garden’s tall, deeply rooted trees, your thoughts the breezes that sometimes rustle their leaves. Practice noticing the thoughts the breezes that sometimes rustle their leaves. Practice noticing the thoughts as they whisper through your branches, then letting them quietly pass you as you return your attention to the present moment.” (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 25).

Journal Entry 3
I love the contrast of the light when I walk under the tree branches.

Update to Pause 3
My life has recently gone through a huge shift and I really need to incorporate practicing being in the present moment. I am not my thoughts. I am what I believe and how I react to situation as they occur in the present moment.

PAUSE 4
“Find your way to the water’s edge and admire the sparkle of the sun on the surface. Martial arts masters coined the phrase mind like water to describe a clear, calm mental state. Even when an insect, turtle, or bird disturbs the serenity of the water, the surface eventually returns to stillness. Concentrate on letting your mind become still like water.” (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 25).

Journal Entry 4:
I’m starting to think of home as the water ripples in the pond; it feels hypnotizing.
The leaves are uniquely different in color, contrast, and size, and yet look beautiful together
I hear the geese loudly and the birds softly, and water like a brook, but I can’t see it.
The air smells unscented.
The wood on the bridge is damp too. It feels nice.

PAUSE 5
“Continue to become aware of the now, letting thoughts drift away. Notice the solidity of the path beneath your feet and the beauty of the landscape. Realize that you are connected to all of it, one small part of this much larger world. You belong here, just like these smooth stones, ancient trees, and waving waterside grasses.” (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 25).

Journal Entry 5
I noticed the different paths, some rocky, some smooth.
I chose to walk the path with the rocks because, although the rocks were rough, there was more light and sun on that path that I was drawn to.

PAUSE 6
“Buddhist monk Jack Kornfield wrote, If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. Take in, with wonder, the miracles that surround you at this moment. What changes might mindful awareness and staying present in the moment offer for your life?”  (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 25).

Journal Entry 6
“Clarity, being still seeing growth is amazing from raising a child and watching them grow to planting a seed and slowly watch its transition over the years.”

Journal Entry 6.1
Poem: Yes-ter Days
Yesterday is gone and forever a memory.

Today is here, so being present is necessary.
Tomorrow is the future and we don’t know what’s to come. And so I choose to focus on the now because it’s already begun.