Connecting with nature practices.
The following are two mindfulness practices in nature to help us connect more deeply with nature or perhaps reconnect with nature.
Nature is always here,
Present,
Patient,
Non-judgmental and solid.
It can have a powerful impact on our wellbeing and as we spend more time in nature we can begin to notice its immediate calming and grounding effect.
And yet often we feel distant from nature,
Particularly when we live in a city.
Ian McGilchrist,
Philosopher,
Neuroscientist and author speaks of three great longings of our time.
The first great longing is to have experiences that allow us to be in close connection with the natural world.
Intuitively we know that we come from nature,
That nature is our place of origin,
Where we feel most at ease with ourselves and all life,
Where we can sense that we are life.
Why is it that nature is so good for us?
When we spend time in nature we slow down naturally,
Which lowers the heart rate,
Blood pressure and stress hormone levels,
Cortisol and adrenaline.
As the body softens the nervous system calms down and we feel more relaxed,
Grounded,
In the body versus in the head,
Calm and more confident about ourselves and life.
Being in nature strengthens our immune system,
Improves mood and reduces feelings of isolation.
Spending time in nature also reminds us of our interconnectedness with all life.
It helps us connect to something bigger than ourselves,
Fostering a deeper,
Kinder connection with ourselves,
Others and the world.
And now let's begin with the first practice.
I call this practice 4,
3,
2,
1,
Coming back to our senses.
Four things we see,
Three things we hear,
Two things we feel,
One thing we touch,
Taste or smell.
This practice can be done anywhere in nature,
In our back garden,
Local park,
Across the land and the countryside or you could do this practice from home,
Sitting or standing by a window.
So wherever we are right now,
Let's begin by taking a moment to arrive in the space.
Noticing the feet on the earth,
The sky above the head,
The space around us.
Slowly connecting to the breath,
Perhaps taking three slightly deeper breaths to help us arrive a little bit more here.
Feeling the breath in the body as the air is flowing in and flowing out.
Beginning now by noticing four things that we can see,
Resting our eyes on four things,
Taking them in one at a time.
Taking a moment to find something that our eyes feel attracted to,
For example the shape of the clouds in the sky,
A flower or a beautiful tree that we want to look at.
Staying a while with whatever we are seeing,
Really seeing,
Really looking.
What can you see?
Shapes,
Forms,
Colours,
Texture.
Exploring,
Noticing and resisting the urge to move on to the next thing too quickly.
Then moving on to the next thing we see.
Again taking a moment to really look.
If the mind has wandered off,
It's not a problem.
We can notice it and can come back to what we are seeing.
I will be silent for a moment now so that you can see,
Look at the third and fourth thing in your own time,
Taking a few breaths.
While looking,
Really seeing.
Letting go of everything that you are seeing,
Really looking,
Really seeing.
Letting go now of seeing,
Taking a deep breath to transition to the next sense,
Hearing,
Listening to sounds.
Listening out for three sounds.
Taking a moment to tune into sounds,
Letting each sound come to you.
Maybe there's birdsong,
Children's laughter,
The wind in the trees,
Sounds of traffic nearby or far away,
Allowing the sound to come to you.
If there's a lot of sounds around you right now,
You may need to take a moment to tune into the sounds and let one of the sounds come to you,
Really listening.
What is it like?
Taking a moment to feel the sound in the body,
Then letting go of this sound and listening to another sound.
What do you notice?
What does this sound like?
Sharp,
Soft,
Nearby,
Far away.
And now moving on to one more sound in your own time.
What is another sound you can hear?
Letting go now of listening to sounds,
Taking a deep breath and shifting to the next sense,
Feeling.
Feeling something inside,
Like the breath in the body or a sense of calm or some tension.
Or feeling something outside,
Perhaps the fresh air on the skin,
The salt of the feet on the earth.
Tuning into something we feel,
What is it like?
Allowing yourself to go into the experience,
Really feeling with an open,
Kind,
Curious awareness.
Moving on now to one more thing you're feeling.
Letting go now,
Feeling,
Taking a deep breath and transitioning to the next sense,
Smelling or touching.
Once more taking a moment to choose whether you can smell something just now.
Maybe there's an earthy smell in the air or the scent of a nearby flower or bush or the smell of traffic.
Or whether you want to touch something,
The grass,
The bark of a tree,
A leaf,
Your hands.
Really smelling,
Really touching,
Exploring,
Being curious about what you're smelling or touching.
What is it like?
What do you notice?
And now at the end of this practice spending a moment in silence.
You might want to walk or find yourself a sit spot to absorb the effect of this practice.
You might want to walk or find yourself a sit spot to absorb the effect of this practice.
You might want to walk or find yourself a sit spot to absorb the effect of this practice.
You might want to walk or find yourself a sit spot to absorb the effect of this practice.
You might want to walk or find yourself a sit spot to absorb the effect of this practice.
You might want to walk or find yourself a sit spot to absorb the effect of this practice.
