Renew Your Connection to Mother Earth
The first official day of summer began yesterday, which makes it a perfect time to get outside and renew our connection to Mother Earth. Being in nature brings peace, beauty and healing into our lives. It slows us down, calms us, and helps us feel connected to something greater than ourselves—all key ingredients in fostering optimal emotional and physical health.
The benefits of being outdoors are well-documented. An article titled “Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health” in Yale’s Environment 360 magazine sites multiple studies that show time in nature (as long as people feel safe) reduces stress hormone levels, lowers blood pressure, increases self-esteem, reduces anxiety, improves mood, enhances immune system function, and speeds healing.
According to the article, a diverse group of health professionals have begun to view time spent in nature as a prescription for better physical and emotional health. “The growing body of research—combined with an intuitive understanding that nature is vital and increased concerns about the exploding use of smartphones and other forms of technology—has led to a tipping point at which health experts, researchers, and government officials are now proposing widespread changes aimed at bringing nature into people’s everyday lives.”
We can reap and amplify the many benefits of being in nature by consciously practicing mindfulness outdoors. In collaboration with meditation teacher and certified Mindful Outdoor Guide, Katie Dutcher, Quest for Eternal Sunshine is delighted to offer you one of my favorite resources, “Mindful in Nature.”
Katie has recorded two lovely and powerful guided meditations to do outside that awaken our sense of wonder and belonging while calming our nervous system and restoring our equilibrium—“Connect with the Natural World” (20 minutes), and “Outdoor Refresher” (10 minutes).
“We are all part of nature,” Katie explains. “We’ve only lived inside buildings with electric lights, tethered to technology for a tiny fraction of human life on earth. Deep within each of us, there is a desire to reconnect to the natural world. Nature invites us to be fully present, while it refreshes our mind, body, and spirit.”
Here are seven tips from Katie for practicing mindfulness in nature, shared with wishes for a joyful, peaceful and healing summer season.
Settle yourself: When you first go outside, close your eyes and take a few deep, slow breaths to shift gears and settle yourself in the present moment. Become aware of your feet on the ground, the sky overhead, and your surroundings.
Slow down: The more you slow down, the more you will notice, and the more you will experience the relaxed pace of the natural world. Follow the encouragement of Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, who invites us to, “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”
Activate your senses: Begin by taking each sense in turn: What can you see close by and far away? What can you hear close by and far away? What can you feel? What can you smell or taste? Pause one by one to bring each sense “online,” open and ready to be wowed by the world around you.
Let your curiosity lead you: Let yourself roam without a destination, just going where you feel yourself drawn to go, pausing often. When you hear, see, smell, or feel something that intrigues you, move closer and take it in!
Make changes: To find the newness in the everyday, find ways to do things differently than you normally do. Change your perspective by lying on your back and looking up at the clouds, or by lying on your belly and looking down at the grass, sand, rocks or soil. Go someplace new, or to a familiar spot at a different time of day—what is it like at dawn or under moonlight?
Sense inside: Periodically, take time to close your eyes and send your attention within. What do you feel in your body? What emotions arise? What thoughts do you have? Let yourself feel the impact of the experience.
Set a closing intention: Take a moment to notice any sense of appreciation that is arising. You might place your palm on the earth or make another sign of connection and gratitude. Include in your gratitude a sense of appreciation toward yourself for making time for this restorative experience. Carry the gifts you received throughout your day and beyond.
