Healing with nature

The pace of nature is different than the one of our world, have you noticed?

The way she speaks so slowly, she is in flow. And when I stop and notice the little things, I become one with her rhythm.

Take a deep breath in… and out.

I invite you to notice the following things when you next find yourself in nature:

• How does the tree closest to you look?
• What color are the leaves on the trees?
• Do you see how abundant the trees are, how many leaves are there? Can you count them all?
• Are there clouds in the sky?
• Notice any forms of the clouds.
• Can you feel a little breeze? What does it remind you of, and how does it make you feel?
• Deep breath in and out as you go and become present through what you choose to notice.
• When possible, watching the clouds move above you, how fast or slow are they moving.
• Check in with your 5 senses: what can I see, hear, smell, taste, touch.

And then notice. The slower pace, the peace in your mind, body, and in how you perceive your surroundings. Even a little bit.

Allow this to be not another task to do, but a peaceful noticing.

If in the first time you try this, you don’t notice much difference – that’s okay! Remind yourself that this is a process, and you can most definitely keep going. Step by step, day by day.

Observing nature this way has given me new ways of rest, of coming back to myself, of enjoying magic even, because in nature one can find truly magical things.

Firstly, how it began.

I was experiencing a lot of inner rush, restlessness, right in my mind and chest.

Felt messy. Felt full of what I had picked up during the day/week. And, as I had heard, this works. So I picked it up a little during each day.

Wherever I was, on the street, at a park, driving somewhere, or in my house, I spotted nature and its pace.

The way a tree moves softly with the breeze. How the air brushes against my skin, and I feel into my body just a little but more. The leaves falling from the trees in their season, the leaves on my plants indoors. And oh, the colors in the sky, clouds shifting and moving. One of my favorites to notice was the sunlight, its way of falling on the ground or any surface, or how it lights up the whole environment. The details I felt called to notice.

And each day, many times during the day, I noticed.

I did so in a way that was not just another task, but something I could rest in, relax in, and slow down to the pace of nature.

Whether you’re on the street, in a park, forest, anywhere where there is even a bit of nature around (a tree in the city center will do ;)), take a moment (can be even less than a minute, but I take as much time as I have) and notice. There is much to notice when we pay attention. And nature doesn't rush as we do.

Whenever I do this, it has become a necessary part of my day. Anywhere at any time, I see nature, and I smile. It truly feels like a reminder. A reminder to slow down and check in with myself. How am I feeling, am I rushing, am I calm, am I carrying something that's not mine? Am I fully in. And a reminder to see and feel the beauty all around.

Whenever you find yourself in nature, try this out.

For the people who can get overwhelmed by trying to notice stuff too much, hi, I know. It went for me that way as well. But that's why I said to keep it not as another thing to do, but as a practice to notice, feel relaxation and calm. If it goes into too much, let it go. No need to overexaggerate it. It can be a supportive practice, a very enjoyable one in fact. Let it be.

It can be a magical practice.

Maybe you wish to connect with your journal after this and write about your experience.

I wish you the best of time with noticing.

I enjoy it every time.