The magic of meditating in nature

Do you love being outdoors? Taking in the sights and sounds of nature? There’s something about it that never fails to soothe my soul. I don’t say that in a cheesy way - it genuinely alters my state every time. I can remember some time after my brother and sister died, going for a run in the park and having this overwhelming realisation of how old the trees were. I stopped and looked at them in awe, and thought about how my existence and all that had happened to me was just a spot in time compared to the length of time they had been here, and will continue to be here. It made me feel so small and insignificant, and yet deeply connected and comforted by nature. I guess I could call my spirituality. The forest as my church :)

Anyway, I took a group out to the park on my Fresh Air Fridays session last week, and I wanted to try and convey to you the magic of a bunch of people sitting together in silence, in nature.

It was close to sunset when we arrived at our meditation spot - a little clearing under the tall trees off the path of park. We had been walking and chatting and stopped for some cake along the way, laughing and sharing stories of how we become more curious and playful in nature.

It had been a little noisy in the park that evening - summer graduation ceremonies sweeping through, and Michael Bublé playing at Cardiff castle! But somehow as we settled for our practice, the sounds seemed to die down and the atmosphere became still.

As I led the meditation, I sensed the stillness and peace between us as a group. Squirrels hopped around us and birds fluttered in the trees. The leaves rustled in the light wind and the faint sounds of music and chatter from the city melted away.

We opened our eyes, yawned, stretched and looked up at the sky, staying silent. Then we looked at each other. Snoozy smiles and a few teary eyes. A knowing that we had created something special for each other and nature had hosted that experience for us.

It reminds us that we are nature. There is no separation. Becoming still in the company of others, coregulating our nervous systems, magnifies any meditation that we do alone.

So a reminder - nature is a resource. It’s always there for us if we pay attention to it. And if we sit still in it for long enough we will connected back to our true nature too.

Let me know if you can relate to this. What experiences have you had in nature that have soothed your soul?