COME STEP OUTSIDE WITH ME...

Connecting with nature can have a major impact on our health in a positive way and especially if we do it wisely and curiously. It is known in Ayurveda that health can be better influenced the more we are aligned with nature and its process. The body-mind-senses can regain balance the more we take time to let them explore a non-digital world. It’s currently summertime and what better time to take some time and take advantage of how easy it is to go outside and to really allow yourself this opportunity. This is a practice that can be done at any time of year. Dress accordingly. Notice the seasonal changes in these scenarios. Notice how this affects you. Which season do you resonate with? Which season makes you feel your best? Your worst? It is important for our overall health and well-being, body-mind-spirit, to be able to connect with nature, outdoors and indoors. How can you bring what is outside in? Not just into your home or dwelling but also into your sacred space within you? How do you create space for this? Hold space for it? Observe it? Allow it? To what degree? Some of you may indulge more than others but to some degree, it is essential that we all have a close relationship with nature somehow since we are part of it. Slowing down is fundamental! Finding stillness in some part of each day is very restorative! Finding silence while awake is crucial to our body-mind-senses-soul!

Take the time to explore this aspect of self-care. You can always make time…5 min…5 hours…5 days…You’re worth it! You definitely won’t regret it and your health will be a sign of thank you when you do.

Come step outside into the garden...

What do you see, when you step outside with me?

Do you notice the sun shining on the grass? Do you see that bud about to blossom? Do you notice the bud that was just a bud yesterday that blossomed today? Do you see the trails of small critters and large critters leaving their presence behind? What colors do you notice? Are you able to see the new growth and decay? Is there water nearby, can you see it?

What do you hear?

Do you hear the birds chirping? The hummingbird flirting? The sounds of bees buzzing? The butterflies fluttering about? Do you hear the wind on the leaves passing by? The sound of a tree moving side to side or the leaves rustling? Are you able to hear the sounds of your own footsteps on the ground? Is there water nearby, can you hear it?

What do you feel?

Do you feel the soil, grass, rocks, stones, brick, or wood beneath your feet? What does the temperature feel like (on your feet)? Are you barefoot or with some footwear? Take them off, if it’s safe, and notice what you notice. Connect with nature as much as you can by letting your feet explore. Do you feel the sun on your skin? Do you notice the stars in the sky and the moonlight, or void where it would normally be? Is there water nearby, can you touch it?

What do you smell?

Can you smell the roses? The flowers? The grass, just cut? The smell of earth around you? What does the dirt smell like? What other smells do you notice?

What can you taste?

That clover? That drop of water from the spring? That basil leaf? That edible flower? That fruit?

Come step out onto the beach…

What do you notice near and far? Can you hear the waves? Feel the sand beneath your feet? Feel the warmth on our skin from the day sun? Or, do you feel the subtle breeze upon the ocean tickling your skin? The stars and moon, or moon void in the sky? If there is a moon, what does that create as an ambiance for you? What else is glowing because of it? What does it feel like to have the waves touch your feet while partially dancing between the sand and the sea? What do you hear near and far? What do you see near and far? What don’t you hear near and far? What don’t you see near and far?

Come step out into the woods….

Do you notice the space between the leaves? Between the branches? Between the trees and shrubs? Do you see how interconnected everything is? How there’s a tree here and there climbing towards the sky? Do you see how that rock happens to be there? Or, how that cascade of trickling water falling over that rock? Can you how it all fits together and without judgment? How you fit in with all of it as part of it? Do you see that little spot waiting just for you to find a sense of oneness with? Did you realize that nature is aware of your presence? That it doesn’t judge you but simply acknowledges you as part of it? Is this relationship reciprocated?

Come step outside with me….so you can step into yourself more and observe your connection with all of nature around you….

Some part of it is always there, however big or small. It’s just a matter of being able to slow down to notice. Can you make the time for this? How does it make you feel? What does it make you think or not think? Can you notice how you respond to when you are with some part of nature?

Can you hear the silence?

Can you see the stillness?

Can you feel the silence?

Can you feel the stillness?

It’s always there when you can slow down and notice it.; not think it or believe it but simply allow for it with a passive awareness. The experience is very tangible. Like the breath, which comes and goes. It’s there but do you slow down enough to notice? What are you avoiding? What are you afraid of if you find this stillness? What is present when all the external distractions are put aside so you can be with yourself, intimately in a way that you may not be used to. If you are used to it, how much deeper can you go because you can always go deeper into the depths of the infinite abyss? How do we know there is a breath and that we are breathing? The answer is simple, which is that if we weren’t breathing we wouldn’t be in our beingness. We can slow down and observe others breathing? Are they really breathing? Is it shallow? Is it fast? Is it slow? Is it deep? Is it erratic? Notice how the mind is correlated to the breath pattern. What is yours doing right now as you are reading these words? How do you feel? Not just feel in the mind or emotions, but simply just feel in the body? What does it feel like? No stories. Just observe the actual feeling by feeling it.

DISCLAIMER: This information is meant for educational purposes only. Any changes in lifestyle should be reviewed with a qualified practitioner and primary care physician if you are currently under their care for specific conditions.