Field Trip Meditation: A Journey Back to Playful Curiosity

Remember the thrill of field trip day at school? The anticipation as you packed your lunch, the excitement of boarding the bus with friends, and that wonderful feeling of breaking free from classroom routine to explore something new? That's exactly the journey we embark on in this episode of Create Harmony.

As we continue our summer "Play it Forward" series, I guide you through a nostalgic field trip meditation designed to reconnect you with the childlike wonder and curiosity we often lose touch with as adults. This visualization isn't just about reminiscing—it's about rediscovering a mindset that doesn't take itself too seriously. We're giving ourselves permission to step away from the constant pressure to be productive and successful, instead embracing genuine curiosity about the world around us.

The essence of "Playing it Forward" lies in capturing summer's carefree spirit—those moments of children running through sprinklers, families gathering for fireworks, and laughter around campfires—then embodying that energy and spreading it to everyone we encounter. When we approach life with playfulness and wonder, we naturally lift those around us. This guided meditation might push you slightly beyond your comfort zone, but that's exactly where growth happens. Join me in this practice of reclaiming childlike wonder and watch how it transforms not just your perspective, but your interactions with the world. Subscribe to Create Harmony for a weekly dose of restorative practices and storytelling designed to refresh your spirit and soothe your soul.

To learn more, go to mycreateharmony.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Create Harmony
• 0:38 Introducing 'Play it Forward' Series
• 1:55 Beginning Field Trip Meditation
• 5:04 Reflection and Closing Thoughts
• 8:10 Final Goodbye

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Welcome back to the Create Harmony podcast. You have found a place where we shift the conversation to things that lift your spirits and clear your mind. So when life gets noisy and busy and you feel like there's conflict and chaos all around you, you can come right back here and we will dwell on how to incorporate more goodness and gratitude into your life and, we hope, to refresh your life and soothe your soul. So this is episode 139 and I am your host, sally Burlington. We're continuing on through our series. We're getting close to the end of our series that we're doing this summer, called Play it Forward. So what do we mean by Play it Forward? It means that we're really focusing on connecting to the playful spirit of summer. We revel in the freedom of summer and the season's essence. That's sort of carefree. It's like children running through sprinklers and families gathering for fireworks, sharing laughter around the campfire, all sorts of outdoor things. That's the spirit that we're really trying to take in and embrace and then, once we've captured that spirit, once we've adopted that spirit into our own essence, then we can spread it out to everybody that we encounter throughout our day. When we're filled with that playful, happy, upbeat spirit, then we play it forward to other people that we encounter through our rhythm. So the rhythm here that we've been doing back and forth is that one week we have a story, a childlike story, and then the next week we have a calming, restorative guided visualization or meditation. So we are going to do a guided visualization today. So that's what's on the agenda for today. So now it's time for us to shift into our mindful posture. So this is going to be a mental space where you're more receptive to calm and peace. You're going to let my voice guide you through the experience, but you're going to begin now to settle your mind, to settle your spirit. You're going to open up your imagination while you're listening to my voice, and then you're going to take a deep breath. You're going to breathe in possibilities and you're going to breathe out gratitude. And, as we always do at the beginning of our guided meditations, we're going to think about our body and try to release any tension that we can feel ourselves holding. You can shake it out. I always say shake out your fingers, shake out your toes, your arms, stretch out your neck, whatever you need to do to get into a comfortable position that you can listen for a few minutes, if it makes sense for you to that now and settle into calm. So today we are going on a field trip. We are not gonna sit in our stuffy classrooms and learn and work all day long. We are going somewhere special To a museum or the zoo, to a historical site, to a park. We are ready to go.

Speaker 1: 3:51

Before you left home, you gathered your lunch, you put on your sunscreen or your bug spray, you're wearing your comfortable shoes, you brought your extra jacket. The day is pleasant and you are excited. Get to school and load onto the bus and you find a just right spot next to your favorite friend, next to your favorite friend. The bus is moving now. You're on the way. You're watching trees and cars pass by the bus window. Where are you going on today's adventure? What do you have to look forward to?

Speaker 1: 5:04

The bus has arrived at the field, gives instructions and you and your friends are off to explore. What do you see? Can you remember what it felt like to be curious about the world? What are you learning today? It's time to stop for lunch on your trip and there is laughter and fun all around you. You love having this break from your routine and it is exciting to learn new things.

Speaker 1: 6:06

And now the time has come to board the bus and head back to school.

Speaker 1: 6:14

As you ride along, you think back through all the interesting things you saw today, you think about all the fun you had with your friends, the, and as the bus returns to the school parking lot, you begin to bring your awareness back to where you started, bring your mind back into your body and you take a final deep breath and breathe in possibilities and breathe out gratitude.

Speaker 1: 7:02

And if you closed your eyes at the beginning, you can open them now. Thanks for joining us on our field trip meditation. This might have been like I said a few weeks ago. This is maybe a little out of your comfort zone, maybe you felt a little out of place, but don't forget that the point is to rediscover a mindset that doesn't take yourself so seriously. You're giving yourself a break from being productive and successful and you're leaning into a wonder about the world. You're taking that new energy into yourself and then out into the world so that everyone you meet connects with that playful, fun-loving, wonder-filled energy. So thanks again for giving that a try today and hope you'll come back next week. And until next time, peace.