Sensational Sunday Mindfulness In Nature
Every Sunday the Single, Happy, and Strong Blog will have an exercise for you to do. This is a wonderful way to start a new week; to reflect, grow, and begin a shift in your life. This week for Sensational Sunday we will practice mindfulness in nature.
Mindfulness Through Nature
“Keep close to Nature’s heart, yourself; and break away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean from the earth-stains of this sordid, gold-seeking crowd in Gods’ pure air. It will help you in your efforts to bring to these people something better than gold. Don’t lose your freedom and your love of the Earth as God made it. -John Muir
If we can learn to be mindful, living in the moment, peace of mind will be attainable. The present moment is tolerable. Leaving in the past with regret or the in the future with worry, creates stress and anxiety in our life. Being mindful takes practice. Just like anything, the more we practice the better we become at it.
As John Muir so beautifully said, “wash your spirit clean from the earth-stains”. I always find that spending some time outdoors, in nature, I forget my worries and I am completely present, mindful. So today, go outside! Take a walk. You may not have mountains or woods nearby, maybe it is the beach, a lake, or a park. Maybe you just put a chair outside your door and watch the sunset or the clouds in the sky.
1. Breathe, reflect, and really pay attention to the sounds, the smells, and the small, intimate, beautiful aspects of nature.
2. When you return home, spend a few minutes reflecting on the words that described what you experienced. Tranquil. Serenity. Magnificent. Peaceful.
3. Write these words on paper.
4. Next time you are feeling tense remember these words and the feelings of peace that they invoked in you.
What words did you use to describe your time in nature? Where did you go to spend some time outdoors?