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Komorebi meditation<br />
To help you feel more present<br />
and appreciate komorebi, try<br />
this short meditation:<br />
• Find a comfortable seat and<br />
surround yourself with a<br />
scent you love.<br />
• Close your eyes and take<br />
three deep breaths, in<br />
through the nose and out<br />
through the mouth.<br />
• Visualise yourself on a path in<br />
a forest. There’s a soft breeze<br />
and dappled light appears all<br />
around you.<br />
• Take your breath a little<br />
deeper, and focus on the<br />
movement of the light and<br />
shadow.<br />
• If any other thoughts come<br />
up, let the gentle breeze take<br />
them away and refocus your<br />
attention on the light.<br />
• When you’re ready to return to<br />
your day, take another deep<br />
breath and bring movement to<br />
your limbs as you<br />
reconnect with your<br />
surroundings.<br />
• Gently open your eyes and<br />
remember you can come back<br />
to this forest any time you want.<br />
When we feel like this,<br />
existential psychotherapist<br />
Ondine Smulders encourages<br />
us to remember that everything<br />
passes, including the darkness.<br />
“Rather than consider this<br />
process pessimistically, we can<br />
see it for what it is: a process<br />
of continual change whereby<br />
experiences of pain and sorrow<br />
are as definite to pass as life’s<br />
special moments.”<br />
As well as recognising this<br />
impermanence in life, Ondine<br />
suggests that we find acceptance<br />
for the fact that the journey to<br />
mental wellness is rarely linear.<br />
Ondine likens it to a path, slowly<br />
winding up a mountain.<br />
“For some of us, the healing<br />
will be a relatively gentle walk.<br />
For others, it will be a steep hike.<br />
We’re all different and so, every<br />
journey is different.<br />
“Be prepared for setbacks,<br />
perhaps even for moments<br />
where you believe you’ve gone<br />
backwards. Sometimes we make<br />
lots of headway, other times we<br />
get stuck and need to make a<br />
U-turn. It may be tempting to<br />
give up when you feel worse and<br />
your progress appears to have<br />
ground to a halt. Before you do,<br />
take stock, and see how far you’ve<br />
come in spite of the problems.”<br />
When we give ourselves the<br />
space to do this, we allow<br />
ourselves to cherish the positives.<br />
Even if we discover something<br />
isn’t helpful for us, Ondine notes<br />
that it’s still a step forward.<br />
The interplay of light<br />
and dark can teach<br />
us a thing or two<br />
about life and<br />
mental wellness<br />
These darker moments in our<br />
journey may be difficult, but<br />
they’re also a sign that we’re<br />
showing up in our own life.<br />
But how can we see the light,<br />
or komorebi, when there’s a lot<br />
of darkness? Ondine suggests<br />
staying active, managing stress,<br />
and reaching out to friends,<br />
family, and professionals.<br />
“Make time to discover how to<br />
care for yourself in your own way,<br />
too,” Ondine says. “I try to look<br />
up during my daily walk so I can<br />
discover something new that I<br />
haven’t spotted yet.<br />
“You don’t need to be in the<br />
perfect forest to see komorebi.<br />
Just one tree and a bit of sun<br />
through the clouds will do.”<br />
Our paths may be different,<br />
but now and then we can look<br />
around, notice the komorebi<br />
and appreciate the gentle dance<br />
between light and dark.<br />
Ondine is an existential psychotherapist<br />
with an interest in depression. To<br />
learn more about Ondine Smulders<br />
and to find professional support, visit<br />
counselling-directory.org.uk<br />
happiful.com | 27
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