Tag: nature

September 30, 2021 Autumn, mindfulness, Nature

Sensing Autumn

Autumn is here and I can feel a unique surge of joy that no other season can quite match. I’m starting to think it may just be my favourite time of year. But I certainly haven’t always felt this way.

Until I started to really experience nature deeply through my senses, Autumn just felt like a slippery slide towards the dark and gloomy days of Winter. I used to be filled with a sense of dread as the days closed in and I anticipated months of grey drizzle and Lemsips!  All the joy for me was in the long sun-filled days of Summer.

So now I feel like I’ve gained a season. In fact I’ve gained two. As it turns out, Winter has a little more to offer than my dank miserable image of it too. And to be honest I probably didn’t really notice Spring or Summer either before. I had ideas about them. My mind had a lot to say when I thought about them but seeing nature through the filter of the mind is completely different from the physical experience of it moment by moment. So waking up to the magic of Autumn felt a bit like discovering another world. And I’m still discovering it.

The bright clear Autumnal light and deep blue skies instantly lift my spirits. Leaves glow in one final burst of life before the still sleepiness of Winter settles on the earth.

And the berries have taken my breath away this Autumn. Hawthorn, sloes, elderberries, rosehips and blackberries lie like jewels in the hedgerows. An absolute feast for the eyes. And the mouth (well some of them anyway).

In Autumn,  every sense is treated. Dewey spider webs twinkle in the sunlight and golden leaves crunch and crackle as you walk. Geese honk overhead as they fly back for Winter in their perfect V formations. Noses twitch at the sweet earthy smell of apples, moss and woodsmoke. The crisp Autumnal air cools and freshens your cheeks and lungs and sweet juicy blackberries tempt your tastebuds from hedgerows.

Everywhere you look there’s an invitation to open up your senses and be absorbed by your surroundings. So if you want to start experiencing nature deeply, moment by moment, this is the season to give it a go.

I will end this post with a lovely quote from George Elliot which makes me smile. If I were a bird, I might just be tempted to do the same.

‘Delicious Autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive Autumns.’

 

July 28, 2021 barefoot walking, mindfulness, Nature

Barefoot walking

One of my favorite things to do is to walk barefoot (preferably through a wood). It energizes me, clears my head and fills me with a deep feeling of relaxation and connection to the natural world around me. It feels like I’m being plugged back into my natural energy supply.

When I started barefoot walking, I soon realized how much I’d been missing out on. It’s like a whole new world opens up that you just don’t experience when you’re wearing shoes. You feel the subtle contours of the ground as you walk. You feel the dry warm soil crumble against the soles of your feet or the cool mud squelching between your toes.

You feel the crack of a twig and the soft springy carpet of leaves and moss. You feel the warmth of the dappled sunlight on the forest floor and the contrast of the cool shady areas.

And it isn’t just your sense of touch that becomes heightened. When you’re not wearing shoes, you naturally walk more slowly as you are more mindful of where you are treading. This tends to increase the awareness in your other senses too.

You start to notice more details around you, not just on the forest floor but on the trees, the plants, the small insects flying or crawling through the woods, the sunlight on a spider’s web in the crook of a branch, the sound of the wind rustling the leaves or the tap tap tap of a woodpecker. So much of this can go unnoticed when you are pacing along with your mind on other matters.

And as the awareness of your senses increases it calms your mind. Your thoughts soften and slow down and the imaginary line between your human self and the rest of nature silently dissolves. It brings you back to a place of balance; to a place of deep connection and harmony.

When you walk barefoot you also walk a lot more quietly.  Squirrels, rabbits, birds and other creatures living in the woods feel less threatened if you are walking slowly, quietly and respectfully through their habitat. You blend in a little more and you can often have much closer encounters with wildlife.

And as luck would have it, it turns out that as well as heightening your connection with your environment through your senses, barefoot walking has numerous health benefits.  Studies have shown that when you walk barefoot you absorb health-boosting electrons from the earth. These electrons are said to reduce inflammation and pain, reduce stress, increase energy, boost your immune system, improve your cardiovascular health and  improve your mood. Clinton Ober in his book Earthing talks about the benefits of barefoot walking and the scientific research behind it.

So what are you waiting for? Kick off those shoes, peel off those sweaty socks and give it a go! I promise you won’t be disappointed.

(Photo by Monica Silva)

November 12, 2020 mindfulness, Nature

A lesson from a blackbird

For years I resisted getting a smartphone. As I saw more and more faces adopt that downward tilt towards a phone, I became more determined than ever to keep mine up. There’s just too much to see and I don’t want to miss it.

I stubbornly held onto my old Nokia and most of the time I felt smugly content with it. Phone calls and texts, what more could you need? Whatever captivating worlds lay hidden in smartphones, I did not want to know about them.

But a few weeks ago I succumbed. It was mainly the camera that did it. I love a good nature photo and liked the idea of  being able to capture some of the beauty I experience on my walks without lugging a big camera around. And dare I say it, having a smartphone has made some things a bit easier!

A few days ago, however, a little lesson came my way as I was heading out. I stepped into the garden and there, only a metre or so away from me, stood a little blackbird. It stared up at me and I stopped and stood transfixed by this sweet little bird. We both just stood there looking at each other and I hardly dared breathe for fear of scaring it away.

I couldn’t believe my luck. It didn’t seem to be hurt but it just wasn’t scared. I crept slowly towards it hoping with all my heart that it would sense I wasn’t a threat and I crouched down right next to it.

A feeling of pure joy came over me and I found myself smiling at this beautiful bird. I felt so honored that it had let me come so close.

And then after a minute or so of experiencing this special moment, a thought struck me. What a beautiful photograph I could take of this blackbird. It’s not every day that you are in such close proximity to a bird. I could take an amazing close-up picture.

And as my hand reached into my pocket to pull out my phone, I broke the spell.  Crouching, phone in hand, I felt ashamed as this little blackbird took flight across the garden.

And just like that I saw how strong the pull can be to try to capture beauty instead of experiencing it. I’d inadvertently stepped right into the hole I’d been avoiding all these years.

Taking a beautiful photograph is certainly rewarding but the gift of the present moment is one that is worth consciously choosing.

What the blackbird reminded me was that when I spend time in nature, I must make a decision.  I am either going to photograph it or surrender completely to the present moment but I can’t have my cake and eat it.