There is just something about spending time in nature that really makes you feel better. Why not get even more benefits by practicing mindfulness in nature? The rewards are worth it.
Getting outside and doing mindfulness activities can help you feel more invigorated and present in your everyday life. Spending an hour in nature each week can also help us relax, reduce our stress, and improve our mood.
But how can we practice mindfulness?
Ready to step into nature and embrace mindfulness? Here are three simple yet effective ways to get started.
- Nature walk – pick a place that inspires you, and you can wander aimlessly. A local park or trail system would be the perfect location. As you wander, look for a spot where you can spend a moment to connect with nature. Find a place to stand or sit, like a big boulder, fallen tree, or even just a nice patch of grass, and start to notice what’s around you. What do you feel? See? Hear? Touch? I won’t suggest taste. 😂 If you feel like it, bring a notebook with you and journal about your experience.
- Sit and Listen – find a spot away from noise pollution and people (if possible). This one is pretty easy: sit and listen to the world around you. What do you hear? The birds chirping? The wind in the trees? If your thoughts start to wander, pause, acknowledge them, and let them go. If you want to journal after you’ve listened for a bit, pull out your notebook. You could also bring a sketchbook to draw the scene.
- Keep it at home – this is for those little moments when you can’t go wander/sit in nature for an hour. If you have time in the morning, take your coffee, and only your coffee, outside and sip while you watch the sunrise or listen to the world come alive. Leave your thoughts and stressors in the house. You can also spend time in your backyard doing stretches or yoga while noticing the breeze and leaves rustling. Is yoga not your thing? Take your journal or sketchbook out back and write or draw what you see and hear.
Finding mindfulness in nature doesn’t have to be extravagant or time-consuming. You could find a park in your neighborhood and sit and listen. Yes, you may hear some cars or your neighbors, but put those out of your mind and focus on grounding and centering yourself. It’s about finding peace in the simple moments.
Having your coffee on the porch for 15 minutes each morning will give you over an hour and a half of time outside. On the weekdays, you can do something simple and short around your house and neighborhood, and then on the weekend, head out to a trail or larger park and put in a longer session.
Everyone considers giving back to mean donating money to charities. That is definitely one way to give back but you can do so much more to help others than with money.
