Teachings from the Natural World
Nature is known to have many physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. Just so, the body, mind, and soul are so interconnected for the human experience that we often experience health enhancement in all three of domains at once by spending time in nature. It’s like that whole chicken or egg phenomenon. When walking in the woods, it’s hard to tell if it’s the physiological movement or the presence of trees that boosts our mood. But, if we feel better, does it matter? Can the benefit regardless be argued with? Even for those of us who experience fears surrounding nature or simply aren’t outdoorsy people, there could be an opportunity for healing through slow and supported exposure. Get this though, we can still benefit from nature without even touching it or going outside if you prefer. Maybe we do this by painting landscapes or reading poetry about birds.
This blog series Teachings from the Natural World will focus on what can be observed, learned, accessed, and received in nature to support physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.
Throughout this series, a crucial theme will be at play—mindfulness. Though mindfulness is not a necessary practice to reap the benefits of the natural world, it can boost them, especially in collaboration with an ecotherapist. Many benefits from nature without even knowing it, and also, what the natural world can teach us becomes greater upon actively reflecting on what is being experienced in the present moment. Our willingness to actively perceive and reflect on our experiences in nature can open doors to new insights to foster wellbeing. I invite you to put yourself into this story or think about your own which might be similar.
You are completing the activity of raking the garden bed to prepare for the new planting season. It’s feeling like a chore on the task list. (You could stop right here and still experience the therapy of nature.) But then, you take notice of sweat dripping down your arm and the heaviness building in your right shoulder from the swiping motion. You focus on this. You recognize how you are able to move your body and that you are getting a good workout. This makes you happy because you have been wanting to exercise more. You begin to watch how the dirt spreads down the garden bed and a bit out the sides of the rake. You feel the dirt loosening. You think about how important it is for each root base to have enough dirt to be buried in so that they can live and grow. You see how your hard work matters so much to these plants. You send yourself some gratitude for spending the time on this task for your physical health and for the plants.
See how this farming task evolved to a self-compassion practice through the incorporation of mindfulness? Even without the mindfulness, you would have gotten the benefits of being in green space and movement. How much more pleasant the task became though when you immersed yourself in what you were doing and your relationship to plant life!
Today, I encourage you to connect with nature in a way that is most comfortable for you. I look forward to building on this series with you and seeing what sweet nectar we can sip from the natural world.