For August’s photo outing, Kristin and I combined a Forest Bathing class and photos! (Actually, we did Forest Bathing first and photos after that.) For those of you who might not know what Forest Bathing is (I had no clue until I read the description), it’s a form of Japanese meditation. The basic theory is that we don’t spend enough time outside in nature, so it’s taking the time to connect with nature, meditate, and just notice and be in the moment. The class was great, and I would definitely recommend it. It was offered at the Arboretum, through the University of Minnesota.

It was 2.5 hours long, and we were introduced to an activity, given 15-20 minutes to partake in said activity, and then we talked about it as a group. I think we did about 5-6 different activities. The space that we were brought to for our nature connection, was really beautiful and peaceful. The instructor was great as well. Some of the activities were a little more “edgy” (his words), but he never made anyone participate or made them feel awkward for not participating. My least favorite part was going around in a circle and talking about the activities. I’m not a huge fan of talking in front of a group of people. It was reminiscent of the first day of school when you go around in a circle and tell everyone your name and something about yourself. (Does anyone really like doing that?)

After the class, I was definitely more relaxed. Honestly though, I can’t say for sure if it was because I was in nature and meditating or if it was because I blocked off a set of time for 2.5 hours and had nowhere to be and nothing to do except sit in nature. Either way, the end result was fantastic, and I’m glad I did it!

Kristin and I had a quick snack and then wandered the Arboretum taking photos. Yes, I took a lot of flower photos (I was definitely in the right place for that!), but there were a few non-flower photos that I really love. I’m not exactly sure what it is about them that draws me in, but they are so interesting, that I had to share them:

For this month’s poster, I didn’t do a poster. I wasn’t pleased with how it was turning out, and I realized that a postcard was much more interesting to me. So I did the postcard that I used as the featured image of this post, and the one below:

The featured post one is more traditional to me, so I think that’s why I like this one better, and I kept it to show you at the end. Surprise!