The Art of Pausing and Finding Inner Peace
The world of multiple crises around us is in constant motion. The news reports one crisis after another, social media screams for our attention, schedules tighten, and expectations grow. It's easy to feel like nothing is under control. In such turmoil, we need something to hold on to – a point of reference that reminds us that we are part of a larger whole.
A week ago, I participated in the Waves Gathering in Hanasaari, Espoo, Finland. WAVES is a “2.5-day gathering of first movers beyond political and sectoral divides. Participants gather from all over the world to wrestle with the complexities of shifting societal systems through shared inquiry and practical action.” I brought the Neulaset audiovisual meditation video to the conference space as part of our collective me, Saara Jäämies, Inka Koutaniemi, Outi Kinnunen, and Eija Pimiä 's ' Being With experience. We had a three-room reflection space: Hands and voice, Movement and Meditation for relaxing and reflecting on the conference talks and experiences.
Neulaset is part of my series of forest meditation videos. The videos are not just visual embellishments or a momentary escape from everyday life. They are an invitation to stop, breathe and reconnect with ourselves and the world around us. The art of pausing is vital - internal chaos leads to chaotic actions.
I was thrilled to see conference members engaging with the video; we had non-stop visitors, and the longest guest stayed for the entire hour. Visitors also wrote down their thoughts on the custom-made postcards (and took them with them)
When we focus on pine tree needles (or raisins, potatoes, chocolate, or whatever resonates with you) in mindfulness, the key point is that they resonate. We hear the rustling of leaves, the hum of the wind, and the song of birds – small but meaningful signs that nature is always present, if we stop to listen. The audio track of the video also features the pine tree's own biological processes, recorded with sensors from the trunk and translated into sound.
The silent connection to nature that arises through forest meditation helps us remember something essential: we are part of the planet, not separate from it. This awareness gives us strength. It helps us make choices that respect our environment and ourselves, and it reminds us that the world, although messy and chaotic, also contains permanence and beauty that we can grasp.
Forest meditation videos do not require any special skills. We can watch them with our morning coffee, in the evening before going to bed, or in the middle of a busy workday. A moment of silence and connection with nature can be just the anchor that helps us recover and focus our thoughts. It's like a small piece of peace that reminds us that even though there's a storm outside, we can find safety within and around us.
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