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Meditation on Nature

Audio May 12, 2020
Trees stand on uneven terrain in the foreground of this painting while the rooftops of a small village appear down the hill in the distance.
For an Impressionist to paint from nature is not to paint the subject, but to realize sensations.
Paul Cézanne

Enjoy this guided meditation focused on visualizing nature paired with Cézanne’s Landscape Near Aix, The Plain of the Arc River. Follow along with audio or the text below.

Step-by-Step Meditation on Visualizing Nature

  1. Take time to study the image.
  2. Close your eyes and imagine you are walking amid the trees depicted in the painting.
  3. Connect with your different senses: Notice how the branches overlap, allowing the sun to shine through. Imagine how the sun feels against your skin. Listen to the rustling of the branches as they move in the breeze.
  4. Breathe deeply as you visualize the forest around you.
  5. Open your eyes and look at the painting once again. Focus on the village in the distance.
  6. Close your eyes once again and begin to visualize yourself in this new space. What do you hear in the village? What do you see, what do you smell?
  7. Now, imagine a place that is special to you. Imagine you are there and begin to connect with your senses.
  8. Visualize yourself in this special place for as long as you like.