When a colourful butterfly glides by, you can’t help but stop to notice. As you do, you sink into the present moment, becoming aware of the life within you and around you. In this way, nature is a powerful teacher in helping to achieve mindfulness, both in your yoga practice and everyday routines.
Like everything, the more you practice, the better you get. Luckily, nature offers an abundance of lessons.
Acceptance and non-resistance
Think about the process trees go through, when the seasons change. Green leaves slowly fade to yellow and orange, and fall to the ground when winter approaches. Trees stay firmly rooted in the ground, surrendering to the universe and allowing the transient nature of all the elements to bring about change within them.
Next time you take a walk in the park or a forest, pay close attention to one tree at a time. Notice the colours, shapes, smells and sounds around you. Reflect on the ease in which nature never hurries, but always gets everything done – all at exactly the right time. When you gain a deep understanding of acceptance and non-resistance, it’s possible to live more mindfully in the present.
Listening and Communication
Have you ever watched a flock of birds creating patterns in the sky, flying unified towards their destination, while never once running into each other? With busy minds full of conflicting thoughts, communication between people isn’t always so seamless. Birds have no need of words in order to organise themselves.
When we’re mindful during conversations, we notice body language, energy and small nuances that help us connect with each other. We’re able to truly listen, without feeling the overriding need to speak. This fosters harmonious interactions, whereby we feel heard, accepted and comfortable to behave authentically.
Every day, sit outdoors in nature to do a listening meditation. Simply close your eyes and allow the sounds to drift by. Rustling leaves, chirping birds, buzzing insects and trickling water will become more distinct the longer you do so. Realise that you can’t fix or control any of them and mindfully apply the notion to future conversations.
Connection
The ocean simply wouldn’t exist without each particle of water. A community of bees play individual roles to ensure the survival of all. Everything you observe in nature has a crucial role in the universe, as do people, in order for families, communities and countries to thrive.
Mindful connection with the earth and your physicality helps you feel embraced and whole within the world around you, in every aspect. Go barefoot more often and guide your attention to the sensations in your feet, the texture of the grass and how it makes you feel. Focus on the feelings in your joints, muscles and on your skin. Notice how even the tiniest things are connected to the whole.
Unconditional love
If you have a pet, you’ll understand the experience of unconditional love.
Pets teach us about the true nature of love, by giving us unlimited and uninhibited affection. They don’t hold grudges, judge us or presume to do things better than we do.
Unconditional love doesn’t require the right words. Through making intentional eye contact, physical touch and energetically sensing each other, it’s possible to embrace the simplicity of being, pets naturally have. This helps to fill your world with unconditional love and truly embrace the magical lessons of nature.