Cultivating Presence Using Nature

As I type this week's column, we are basking in beautiful weather recently and I was reminded of how much easier it is to be present and enjoy the moment when we can tune into the beauty of nature.

If you find yourself dragged into the past in your mind or always worrying about the future, the best antidote is to cultivate presence in this present moment and nature can help us to do this in very simple ways. In this week's post, I would like to share some ways that leaning on nature can help you to become more present. 

When we are more present, regret and sadness from the past leaves us and anxiety about the future reduces.

The more engaged we are in living right now, the less time we spend in our heads thinking about the past and/or the future. If we can cultivate presence by focusing on our senses several times a day, we start to notice a sense of peace entering our lives.

Start with a simple presence exercise using three of your five senses.

Notice the feeling of the warmth of the sunshine on your skin for a minute. Let yourself enjoy the sensation and, if thoughts come into your head, take a breath and come back to enjoying the feeling of warmth on your skin. If you have a patch of grass , sit on the warm grass and notice how your feet feel in contact with the earth.

Listen to the birds. Close your eyes and allow yourself to enjoy the beautiful birdsong we have at the moment. Studies have shown that listening to birdsong calms our nervous systems by informing our brain that we are safe. Notice how it feels to really hear the birds.

Sit outside in your garden or in your local park and look at nature around you. Pay attention to the movement of the trees, birds nearby and the way the light hits the leaves of the trees and flowers. Find something to appreciate with your eyes and notice how that feels. 

Using nature at this time of year is the perfect way to practice using our senses to be more present in the moment. When we make it a regular practice throughout the day, we notice we can feel calmer, more solid and more able to meet the challenges that life will bring our way.

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