Rooted in Calm: Embracing Mindfulness in Nature

Connecting with nature has profound benefits for mental health. Whether it’s a walk through the woods, sitting by a lake, or even tending to a small garden, spending time in nature while practicing mindfulness can reduce stress, improve mood, and foster a sense of well-being. Here’s how nature and mindfulness combine to support mental health — and a few simple ways to connect with the natural world around you.

Why Nature and Mindfulness Are Good for Mental Health

Research increasingly shows that spending time in nature can have a positive impact on mental health. Studies in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health indicate that exposure to natural settings can reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. Nature seems to calm our overstimulated minds helping us feel grounded and at ease. 

The reality is that we live in a very fast-paced, media and technology driven society. It can be hard for our minds to keep up with all the information that we are constantly exposed to. We need to balance that with moments of calm and rest, which is exactly what nature provides. All we need to do is to take time every day to unplug from technology and step outside. This could be in a local park, your back yard or just a quiet green space near your office. 

One of the greatest benefits from taking a mindfulness break in nature is that you don’t have to have any skills or background in meditation. Many people try to meditate using apps or practices in books, and it takes practice. It can be hard to focus your attention, especially in a quiet room and without a teacher to help frame the practice. And many give up, thinking, "I just can’t meditate. My mind is all over the place.” Nature, on the other hand, provides a gentle calming alternative to rest the attention.

Simple Nature-Based Mindfulness Practices

Connecting to the Land 

Simply unplug from your technology, step outside and find a comfortable place to settle. Close your eyes and let your senses open up. Listen to the sounds of the wind in the trees or the birds singing around you. Feel the breeze against your skin or the warmth of the sun on your face. Feel the coolness of the earth beneath you. Anytime thoughts come into your mind just shift your attention back to one of the sensations you just noticed. 

Meandering in Nature 

Most of the time we are walking with a destination in mind and a schedule to keep up with. Instead, try taking a walk in the woods or a green area near you. Turn your phone off and just walk. Pick an intention for your walk like noticing beauty, or curiosity or wonder. See what your attention is drawn to with that focus. 

Four Elements Practice

Find a quiet, comfortable place to settle outside. Give yourself 3 to 5 minutes to look for each of the four elements in the area you have chosen. 

1. Earth element - This is the easiest one. This is the land, the trees, rocks and everything with density.
2. Air - This is the breeze in the trees, the air you breathe.
3. Fire element - This is the heat or absence of heat. This is the sun on your face, the dried grass nearby.
4. Water element - This is the water that is in all living things around you. This is the dampness in the soil, the green softness in the plants, the dew drops on the grass. 

Final Thoughts

I have been meditating for close to 35 years, but it wasn’t until I experienced a nature-based meditation that I really felt my practice deepen. Being in nature when I meditate also opens up my heart in ways that meditating indoors never did. If you would like to learn more about mindfulness in nature, take a look at A Field Guide to Nature Meditation: 52 Mindfulness Practices for Joy, Wisdom and Wonder by Mark Coleman. 

Guest Blogger: Bob Linscott, MTS, Certified MBSR Instructor, Certified Awake in the Wild, Mindfulness in Nature Instructor.

When I am Among the Trees
by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”