Coming To Our Senses…
Quantifiable goals and verifiable objectives with deadlines populate our To Do Lists…
So much so that ticking boxes, gauging our progress in measurable ways, follow in our wake as we escape into nature in search of respite.
This I say not only because I see it manifest in so many of my guests…but also myself.
With subliminal expectations created by tourism marketing material, fulfilment is sought in the ticking of newly constructed boxes…seeing a leopard or rare bird, witnessing a kill or coming really close to elephants. Convincing ourselves that salvation is just on the other side of objectively verifiable achievements.
What if?
What if this was an illusion?
What if this was an illusion which, like drinking sea water, just exacerbates the thirst?
Could it be that the answer is wrapped in so much simplicity that it seems incongruous?
“The obscure we eventually see. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.”
Edward. R. Murrow.
I am by no means diminishing the value or importance of visiting new places or seeking out specific sights or encounters, I’m merely cautioning against vesting disproportionate importance to extraneous experiences for delivering that which can only be achieved from within.
It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.
Henry David Thoreau
Enter Nature/Forest Bathing.
Mindfulness in nature opens the door to a much deeper immersion. Rewarding as pursuing and finding a specific animal might be, this, on a visceral level, ultimately leaves us wanting. What I am overtly promoting is a commitment to dedicate a few mornings/afternoons of your next adventure to nature-bathing. No objectives, no walking for exercise, no seeking wildlife or discovering something specific or capturing a particular image…just silently Wandering (or sitting) in Wonder…engaging with every single sense and faculty we are blessed with.
Smell - dusty heat, aromas from the plants crushed underfoot, dampness of the river.
Hear - bird song, bubbling river, your own heart beating, the rustling leaves.
Taste - sweetness in the water, the salty sweat on your lips and the wholesome nourishment of the mid-walk snacks.
Feel - heat from the sun, the breeze on the hairs on our arms, the texture of tree bark, the aching of muscles and soft sand underfoot…Despite all the verifiable health benefits of earthing, my focus is on the emotional and spiritual connection which sprouts from walking barefooted on the earth. Deliberately and mindfully exposing our skin to the soil and what it imparts, both soothing and scathing, forces us to be present. Paying fierce attention to every single detail surrounding us, relinquishing mental distractions set in the past or future.
Seeing - Expanding your ability to reach beyond looking and enter the realm of seeing, allowing your imagination to conjure a magical world from the ashes of what used to be called reality…
This mindful presence prompts recognition of the myriad gifts bestowed by life and a sense of meaningful gratitude.
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else.”
John Muir
Inextricably woven into the very fabric of existence, looking after and appreciating nature, we inadvertently do so to ourselves…be generous with your attention.
“We are each a dozen people who were all the same child.”
Robert Brault
Remember the absolute wonder with which you wandered as a child?
Irrespective of culture or creed, all of us marvelled at the simplest of things, completely void of any form of intellectual ownership in terms of names or understanding where things fit into the ecological pyramid. Everything was marvellous in their own right.
Everything mattered.
This matters!
Surrender again to that innate curiosity, appreciate every single stimulus brought to your attention via the multitude avenues our senses gift us…close your eyes, breathe…and let go.
Yours in mindfulness