Add Wellness to Your Life by Practicing a Self-Care Ritual in Nature

Let’s Celebrate Earth Day by Connecting with Nature…. And Ourselves

Why not honor Mother Earth with the intention of connecting with nature by spending some quality time outdoors – gifting yourself some “me and nature time”?

Create a space in your day to to slow down and tune inward to mindfully connect with yourself while going for a stroll in the park or taking your dog for a walk, for example.

Here are two different Neuro-Tips to help you get started:

Engage in a mindful walk- taking a moment to pause and notice the world around you, paying attention to colors and scents, sounds and textures:

Start by breathing through your nose- you can close your eyes.
Breathe in and breathe out a few times. Next, bring your attention to your breath and your body, becoming aware of the sensations while you inhale and exhale. Next, notice any tension in your body and any other sensations that may arise in your body; Shift your awareness to your skin, feeling the breeze or warm air on your face, arms, legs.
After that, shift your awareness to your feet and feel the bottom of your feet connected to the earth (imagine having sense of heaviness in your feet-from gravity pulling your feet into the soil-grounding you)
Now, open your eye, look around you and notice the trees and the contrasting colors of flowers and grass, remaining in that state for a few seconds.
Next, shift your attention to the different scents nearby- becoming aware of subtle different odors around you- while continuing to breathe.
Finally, tune into any sounds around you: birds, dogs barking and voices- allowing yourself to discern and notice the different tones and qualities of the sounds”.
Lastly, take the time to savor this experience!

Practice a standing slow-moving mediation with a visualization–synchronizing your breath with the movement

Use the breath to anchor yourself in the present moment:

Mindfully yawn a few times – and start moving your body in a super slow motion, keeping your feet in place and bringing the attention into the movement.
Become aware of all inner sensations, the muscles contracting and the breath; try synchronizing the breath with the movement.

Visualization:

Imagine yourself standing, growing roots like a tree into the ground and retrieve the feeling of being anchored, centered- rooted and calm.

After spending a few minutes with this slow-mini moving meditation, you can go back to your activities and daily routine, carrying with you the sense of peace, calm and centeredness throughout the rest of your day.

Let’s not forget:

Make sure to (unplug from digital devices) leave your phone and ear buds at home- Just you and nature
Can be done during an outdoor walk, hiking or while seated on a yoga pose at the park.

Keep in mind:

Consistently making the time to mindfully connect with yourself is a great “stress and anxiety buster”.

Happy Earth Day,

Fanny