SELF CARE CORNER

MEDITATION

Mindfullness & Appreciating Nature

By Jay Negron

Spring is here!  I’ve pulled out my shorts and tank tops from the under-bed storage, eagerly anticipating the warmth of the Sun’s rays on my exposed skin.   

From the corner of my eye I spy Bumblebees flitting from flower to flower, doing their thing. My feline friend works off her winter chub, chasing song birds and harassing lizards during their daily push-up routine on the side of our home.   

Yes, the days are finally getting longer and due to the crisis we are all facing at the moment, we find ourselves with more free time than we know what to do with..  Taking a mindful approach with our actions is one way to channel our energy towards propagating happiness and joy during a time that can be scary and uncertain. One of the quickest and easiest ways for us to experience the fruits of a mindfulness practice is by Being Present with and Appreciating our Natural surroundings. The natural world is all around us;  it is extremely varied, it is fairly accessible, and it is everlasting – meaning, it’s not going anywhere, anytime soon.   

In this installment of the Self Care Corner, we will be exploring thoughts, sharing ideas, and offering basic steps to cultivating mindfulness within and around our immediate natural surroundings.  Feel free to contemplate on these thoughts & suggestions and use them to begin,  add to, or refine your current repository of meditation tools.  

Compulsive Forward Thinking Mentality

As nurturing as the world around us is, there is the other side of the coin.. Mainstream culture has developed a compulsion with Do-ing.  This go, go, go, mentality of our society has given birth to a gap which has been slowly separating us from nature, a deep abysmal crevasse, that is only growing deeper and wider with the passing years and the advancement of technology.   In a world of instant gratification and multimedia overload, it would be a prudent act for us to balance the scales by slowing down and  taking a moment to “stop and smell the roses”.     

Too Much Time On Your Hands?

In light of the recent pandemic that is affecting us all on a global level, some of us find ourselves with a bit more “time on our hands”.    Intentionally reconnecting to that which is all pervading is a fantastic way to drop in and pay homage to the frequently forgotten details of our environment.   When we can practice feeling our way through the human experience by developing rapport with each moment, we are rewarded with a sense of peace, equilibrium, and gratitude .   Then, as our senses are flooded with natural stimulation, the beauty and Love being generated infinitely, and gifted to us unconditionally at every instant, will become undeniably apparent.

 

A word on Mindfulness

To be mindful is to intentionally give conscious attention without judgment, without self-projection.   According to Jon Kabit-Zinn, a renowned writer and Mindfulness meditation teacher, “Mindfulness is the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose” and describes meditation as “an act of love”.   A practice in mindfulness is a practice in cultivating a relationship with the present moment. Holding space… listening…, receiving the benefits of experiencing something new for the first time. In fact, the word “Shoshin” means just that.   A term used in Zen Buddhism and Japanese martial arts, “ Shoshin” refers to an individual that approaches a situation with a mindset of a novice.    Shunryu Suzuki (Zen Teacher) calls this “beginner’s mind” . This approach basically shows that the one who knows all has very little room for growth whereas the one who knows little has much more capacity for improvement and development. 

Doing vs. Being

Day to day life conditions are not inherently geared towards being in the present moment.   The highly conditioned mind, constantly bombarded with distractions and preoccupations of the future, has an incredibly difficult time sustaining the gift of delicate attention.   Being with the self. Being with the other. Being one with the present moment. The Taoist concept of Wu Wei, or non-doing, is a study in being in the present. It does not mean to “do nothing” but rather suggests an effortless flow through natural action and during this “flow”, a  reciprocal giving circle of appreciation without agenda, without trying, takes place. While meeting each occasion in this rhythmic dance, simultaneity occurs where the compulsion to “do” transforms to the curiosity to “be”. To behold the wonder, the joy, the surprise of the new thing not yet experienced. Even in montony there is differentiation. Of course we can say that what we are really doing is holding space for ourselves, continuously discovering infinite aspects of ourselves but, I will not go there today -lest we lose ourselves following Alice down the rabbit hole . 

5 Basic Steps towards Mindfulness

1. An Effortless place of Tranquility
  • Action:
    • Find an indoor or outdoor spot that is easily accessible.
  • Key Objective:
    • If indoors, comfortably situate yourself near an open door or window with direct visual, audible, or kinesthetic access to nature.
    • You want your chosen indoor/outdoor spot to be calm, clear of clutter, peaceful and preferably with minimal distractions.
    • For some it will be a private corner in your house, or a vacant room, at a time where the area is least frequented 
    • For others it might be on the front porch, or area in your backyard
    • You can even take a short walk around your living quarters, around the outside of your home, or down your road.

2. Purposeful Conscious Scheduling

  • Action:
    • Pick a time of day that you enjoy and that works best with your daily routine
    • Add the event to your schedule keeper of choice.
  • Key Objective:
    • Choose an attribute which is highlighted specifically during your chosen time. Some examples:
      • Dusk/Dawn..Afternoon/After Dark..Before or after work..Lunch break.
      • Sunrise/Sunset..After-dark moon rise.. Evening Stargazing.. Sunbathing
    • If you are uncertain of which attribute to pick or are interested in discovering something new, approach this step with a beginner’s mind. allow yourself to receive which ever natural gem presents itself in the moment

3.  Stillness or Movement?

  • Action:
    • Choose to sit or lay down…. or choose to rock on a chair or walk
  • Key objective:
    • You will be practicing stillness and movement simultaneously so the most important thing, really, is that you are comfortable in your chosen method/mode of exploration 

 

 

 

​4.  Mindfulness with intention

  • Action:
    • Think, reflect, feel, into the  chosen attribute from the last step
  • Key Objective:
    • Practice being Mindful with Intention for  all actions.. Practice the act of non-Doing (Wu wei).
    • Whether mundane, Extraordinary, Esoteric, or familiar, intention is the key idea here.

5.  Mindfulness  Exercise

  • If choosing to sit or lay down
    • Begin by directing your attention to the breath.   Get comfortable.. Without trying, pay attention to the manner in which your body performs the act of breathing.   Without judgement, notice where you feel the expansion and contraction happening in your body. Does your abdomen move first or is your chest the first to rise?  Can you feel your shoulders, back, or neck assist in the activity or are they silent spectators? , Try to imagine the journey that your breath is taking down to your lungs and back,  Can you hear the sound of the air as it enters or exits your mouth/nostrils? What does it sound like? It is quite amazing what our bodies are capable of doing without trying. Take a moment to appreciate the engineering genius of the human system.
    • Try to approach each moment with a “beginners mind”, as a “Shoshin”. Depending on the time of day and chosen attribute of nature, allow yourself to take in the object of interest in a similar manner.
    • Remembering how you held space for your own breath moments ago.. notice the subtleties of your discovery, hold non judgmental space, and silently appreciate the gift Nature has presented to you.
  • If choosing to walk
    • Follow the breath exercise from above while walking slowly in a safe environment free of dangerous obstacles.  After listening and holding space for the breath for 5 or so minutes, direct your attention to each step you are taking.  Slow down, feel the earth beneath your feet, Acknowledge the texture of the ground.. allow yourself to be surprised by a texture or sound or feeling as it presents itself,
    • Try to approach each moment with a “beginners mind”, as a “Shoshin”.
    • Depending on the time of day and chosen attribute of nature, allow yourself to take in the object of interest in a similar manner.
    • Remembering how you held space for your own breath moments ago.. Notice the subtleties of your discovery, hold non judgmental space, and silently appreciate the gift Nature has presented to you. 

Appreciation and acknowledgement is healing.  When we appreciate the bounty that nature consistently offers, we become increasingly aware of how infinite the bounty actually is.   Take the time to listen.. Build a relationship with your surroundings.. Build a relationship with every moment, and give thanks.   




-Jay Negron