Maui Eyes-Open Meditation

(waves crashing) (waves continue crashing) (water burbling) (birds chirping) (birds continue chirping) Hi. I'm Rosie. Welcome to this eyes-open walking meditation in the bamboo forest on Maui's Pipiwai Trail in the Haleakala National Park. I'm so thrilled to be here with you and to guide you through this journey. Let's begin. (birds chirping) We encounter the magic of the world right as we open our eyes, if we know when and how to look. Wind blowing through trees. Running water. (waterfall crashing) Birds singing. (birds chirping) Flowers blooming. Open landscapes. All designed to remind us of the natural cycle of things. The outer reflects our inner. Some call this inner landscape "inscape," and we can use our senses to connect and draw from our surroundings. Bamboo is a symbol of strength and flexibility and resilience, so allow yourself to take it in. Everything you need is right here, right now, in this perfect moment. With your eyes open, begin to take a few big, deep breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Now, keeping your eyes open, look at an object in front of you, and it can be anything around you, but, ideally, it's something straight ahead of you that you can comfortably see without straining to look at it. You aren't laser-focusing, just maintaining a soft and wide gaze in the direction of the object. Begin to notice your visual field. Notice the shadows, the contrast, the colors, a depth in the distance of the object you're looking at. Maybe your eyes are getting pulled to a specific object. Just notice what you notice without judgment. See if you can take in this object in your visual field without thinking about the object or labeling or identifying the object. Allow yourself to simply leave your attention on your visual field. Just leave your attention here for a few moments. (birds chirping) Notice if you become distracted or your attention moves away from your visual field. Notice without judgment and return your attention to your visual field. Continue to breathe and relax your shoulders and your throat. As your eyes remain open, notice what is above you. Perhaps using this as an opportunity to change your perspective. Your vision is just another sense that you can gently place your attention on. (bamboo creaking) In the forest, when the wind blows, the sounds of the bamboo stalks bumping into one another creates a relaxing symphony of sound. Listen to your surroundings and notice where you hear the harmony. (bamboo creaking) Maybe your experience in the past has been meditating with your attention on physical senses or sounds, but your vision is just another place to practice mindfulness, an opportunity to see your strength and resilience. And, now, with your eyes still open, see if you can widen your peripheral vision just a little more, widening your scope, relaxing your eyes, the muscles of your face, and taking some deep breaths. (waterfall distantly crashing) (leaves rustling) Gently begin to...