Listen to a guided exploration of the Cloisters and Gardens of Westminster Abbey. This self-guided walk helps you to focus on small details and notice the nature around you in this historic site.
Connecting with and noticing nature is proven to help our mental health and is connected to eco-conscious actions. Use the skills you learn on this walk to connect with nature around you in your everyday life.
This self-guided walk starts in the South-East corner of the Cloisters, near the Pyx Chamber.
This event is part of the Creation Season. Join us this summer in College Garden to engage in events that explore our interconnectedness with the natural world.
Welcome to Westminster Abbey, my name is Helena, the Abbey Chaplain and I’m happy to guide you through a reflection on nature around the Abbey. It has been shown that really stopping and noticing nature has a calming effect on our bodies and our minds. I hope you notice that today.
Please pause the recording if you need more time to reflect and take your time exploring your thoughts and feelings.
To begin, find a space to sit or stand in the corner of the Cloisters near to the Pyx Chamber. This has always been a working space and monks would have walked this way for their daily chores as well as their prayer. Take a moment amidst the noise and busyness.
Notice all the sounds around you – focus on the sounds furthest away, then bring your attention closer to the sounds nearer to you. Bring your attention closer still to the sounds right next to you. Try to ignore all the other sounds.
Breathe in for a slow count of three, breathe out for a slow count of three and hold for a slow count of three. Again, breathe in, two, three... breathe out, two, three ... hold two, three... and one last time, breathe in ... breathe out.... and hold.
Head towards the darkness of the cloister away from the Abbey, past a signpost for College Garden. Stop at the second circular window on your right-hand side where you can see a man surrounded by animals.
This is St Francis of Assisi who believed that you could learn about God through nature, and that nature suffered because of human action. He is often shown with animals and there are many stories of him protecting wildlife and the environment. He said, “Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received – only what you have given.”
Think of a time when you really noticed animals or your environment. What happened? How did it make you feel? If you are with someone, share the story with them. If not, perhaps you can write down your experience.
It’s very hard not to be enthusiastic working at the Abbey. If this place doesn’t make you smile I don’t know what will.