Nature Tradition
When I feel at my lowest low, I can be found outdoors next to a stream or sitting at the base of a large tree. When I become undone by my own expectations of self, others or situations, I turn to the never ending wisdom of mother nature.
When I need to turn inward and imagine a happy place, or a scene that causes me serenity, it is always out of doors. Often times it is a remote location that I exerted a lot of energy and time to witness. A place that I used all my senses to experience and can call up in my minds eye at the drop of a hat. I become wrapped in the memory of that time well spent in nature.
In moving to a new place I always become acquainted with the local flora and fauna. Find my places of refuge and and serenity. It may be a park, or a street that has trees that bloom in the spring, or a local farm where I can harvest my own food, or a rooftop to view the stars from. We can surrender ourselves even to snippets of nature, to receive the healing and rejuvenating effects of something so much larger than ourselves and our limited perspective of reality.
The gifts of nature are abundant. For children it can deepen creative thinking, reverence and wonder. For all of us it is an opportunity to unplug and truly witness the world around us. Numerous studies have validated out intuitive wisdom claiming the health benefits of spending time in nature, such as: lowering cortisol levels, heart pressure, and anger (just to name a few).
The natural world around us is a gift to be revered. It warrants not just our awareness but also our appreciation. Learning to commune with nature needs to be an intentional act, a remembrance of something that is buried deep down in our soul. It is the work of our ancestors waiting to be reawakened.
So the question is, are you ready to take up this work? To recieve the many gifts that the world around you so freely gifts you on a daily basis? If you are I have supplied a way to begin that journey, and if this works speaks to you and you would like to continue it, please reach out so you can start your nature tradition today.
1) Find a place outside where you can sit for five minutes. Ideally this would either be a dry spot or you would wear the appropriate outer gear to stay dry, and it would be comfortable for you to sit. If sitting in not available to you, then standing can also work.
2) Set a timer for five minutes so you do not feel the need to check the time, and sit with the eyes closed.
3) Observe the sensations both internal and external. Is this an excruciating process for you? Is your mind running a mile a minute? If so can you set those things aside so you can fully experience these five minutes? What do you feel? Where does your body connect to the earth? Is their wind? Can you hear anything.
4) After the alarm goes off take another moment to sit and observe how you feel now. Do you feel relaxed? Do you have clarity on something that has weighed heavily on you? Are you more aware of your physical sensations?
5) Go and journal your experiences. What did you like or dislike? What were your takeaways? What would you do differently next time?
6) Try this three times in the same place seeing how the experience changes each time. Then try it in different places to see if you can deepen the experience when in closer proximity to certain things. For example I know that when I do this exercise next to water it has many more benefits for me personally.
