Nature.
Think about a time you were star gazing or staring at a big blue sky.
Standing at the top of a mountain you just climbed or on a beach gazing out into the ocean.
Think about how you felt.
Didn't it feel good?
I love that feeling, I love the beauty and the colours. I love how no-one had to bulid it, no one designed it, yet its still mesmerising.
I love the healing properties, the calming properties, the vastness, the feeling of awe when you take it all in.
I used never used to be as excited about nature as I am now.
I was never the go out a walk and get some exercise, fresh air type of person.
I would go on family holidays and want to stay in the room/villa.
One year we went to Palm Desert. It was a beautiful, hot, sunny, fun place to be.
I must of been about 15.
Anyway my mum, dad and brother were going out sight seeing and to get some lunch.
Being a typical teen I refused to go.
Haha yes I was that child.
You will be happy to hear I grew out of that. Thank goodness.
Anyway as I was saying, for some wired reason - probably just laziness - I never really felt the urge to want to go out and enjoy nature.
Don’t get me wrong, when I was younger I would be out all the time, playing games and whatever else you do when your that age but as soon as I reached my teens and thought I knew better, lol, I decided outdoors wasn’t for me unless it included my friends and alcohol on a Friday or Saturday night. Don't judge.
But now. Now I can’t get enough. I crave fresh air. I crave the sights. I crave the feeling of awe. Thats what nature does to me now. I find peace when I’m there.
My mind slows down and my body relaxes.
I get this overwhelming feeling of gratitude and it floods my heart.
Sometimes I come close to tears.
I love the colours of nature in each season and the fact that all this just happens, with no-one having to control it. It just is. I LOVE THAT.
Nature inspires and teaches us so much. Wherever you look, you can see that our patterns and the patterns of the natural world are the same.
Look around you, and you will find connection and insight. Notice how your moods shift from one to another like when the sky shifts from blue to grey.
Your thoughts are like clouds, appearing and changing shape. Passing through and then disappearing without a trace. The rain cleanses the sky, just as an emotional release cleanses your mind. The sky itself is your internal awareness, unchanging underneath all these transformations.
In this day of age, we spend so much time indoors, focused on the busyness of our lives and are completely disconnected from Mother Earth. But much of what we truly need can be found under the vast starry sky, alongside tall trees, an open mountain top, or in the sound of the ocean.
Spending time in nature allows us to BE with other living beings and to find comfort in the nurturing environment of Mother Earth.
You can't help but experience a different sense of yourself while walking through a big beautiful forest or trekking up a mountainside.
Being in nature connects us to the earth, grounding us as we walk, almost like a meditative exercise.
Because we instinctively know that nature is good for us on many levels, it's not unusual to feel powerfully drawn to it.
I know I do.
Even if you live in a city or find it difficult to travel to a forest or the countryside, there are so many ways to reconnect with nature.
When you step out of your door each morning, pause for a minute and close your eyes long enough to let your senses take in your surroundings. Listen and breathe deeply, until you hear the wind rustling through branches or the smell of rain on damp grass.
This part of nature can remind us of all the blessings Mother Earth grants us each and every day.
Spending time connecting with nature nourishes the soul.
Taking a walk under the stars or feeling the wind on your face may be all it takes for you to reconnect with nature.
So what are you waiting for?
Go out there and get inspired, least of all cleanse your soul.
Hope this inspires you to get outside, take it all in and enjoy.
Peace and Love
Jen
xxx