See, feel or imagine you are in bed in a cosy cabin in the mountains in winter – you wake up in the morning and look out of the window and oh! outside it’s been snowing.
You can see the patterns of frost on the window pane. It’s one of those sunny winter days – the sun is bright and the sky is so blue.
You decide to go out for a walk – first you grab a quick drink – maybe a coffee or tea? Whatever you like – can you smell the coffee? Feel the warmth in your mouth as you sip? Can you taste the flavour?
Next let’s get ready with our winter kit – first your thermal base layers – slip the thin warm material on.
Then your thick warm jumper and trousers.
Your thick comfy warm socks.
Then your coat and hat and scarf and gloves.
Your winter boots with special grippy soles.
Can you feel the texture of the warm clothes? See the colours?
Now you are wrapped up cosy and warm – ready for anything.
So let’s open the door – after the warmth of the cabin the air feels so fresh and bracing – awakening – can you feel the coolness inside your nose? On your skin? Can you feel the contrast of the warm cabin and the fresh outdoors – feel the air cool on your skin but the warmth of the sun touching your face?
What’s the first thing you can smell? Is it the smell of snow? Or the scent of pine?
Can you see your breath foggy as you breath out?
Can you hear the sound of silence that comes with freshly fallen snow?
All sounds are muffled and soft – there’s a very special quality to the silence of freshly fallen snow.
You are the first person to walk on this freshly fallen snow – look out and see how perfect it is – maybe a few tracks of birds feet or some animal paws you don’t recognise – but apart from that the snow is completely untouched – waiting for you!
Can you see the colours of the snow – from brilliant white to deep blue.
Can you see how the sunlight shines on the snow – maybe you even put your sun glasses on – see the contrast of the brightness – then the softness of the light through your sun glasses.
Now let’s take a step – hear that magic crunch as your boots sink into the snow – it’s not too deep – just right – go ahead and start walking – each step is a new experience – the sound – the sensation of the snow under your feet.
As you walk you look around – see the snow settled on the branches of the trees…. See icicles hanging down from the trees.
You pass a stream all iced up – see the patterns of the ice and snow settled on top – parts of the ice a deep mysterious black.
Your path takes you uphill – feel the muscles in your legs working – you build up a pleasant heat.
Then you arrive at the top and look out at the most magical view.
The sky has layers of blue and white clouds – the sun shining, it seems so big and vast – so peaceful.
The mountains in the distance are covered in snow with layers of deep blue/purple as the peaks cast shadows.
Closer you can see the green of the tree tops – the green layers with the snow on the trees.
You look down and see your feet snuggled in your boots in the snow – see your single set of footprints leading here – pure magic.
Breathe in that pure fresh air…
Feel the air bringing energy and healing.
Feel the sun warming your face.
Clean, pure energising…
Now walking back down to your cabin – feel how different muscles work as you walk downhill.
See your tracks going the other way.
Now arriving back to the cabin you open the door and feel the warmth – maybe it has a special woody pine smell? Maybe you can smell the log fire.
Take off your boots and lie down on the comfy couch – close your eyes and let images or feelings of your walk float past you – the clouds in the sky – the colours – the textures – the smells, and that sound of silence that comes with the snow.
Copyright: Melanie Cooper
