Here are the simple & highly effective ways to connect with nature:
Probably the most important thing to remember when you want to connect with nature is learning how to slow down and be truly present with the natural world. Most people live their lives at such a fast pace that it becomes difficult to appreciate the subtleties of birds, plants, trees & natural settings. If your mind is too busy with thoughts about the past or future, then you won’t be able to experience nature even if it’s right in front of you. Modern society trains us to move fast and pack our schedules full of activity, but when it comes to nature this will actually interfere with your ability to connect. Slowing down is something that can be done intentionally by taking a few deep breaths & letting go of everything that isn’t here in the present moment.
You can think of this like a little nature meditation time to focus 100% of your energy on the birds, plants, trees & animals in your surroundings. This can be done in as little as 2 or 3 minutes, and it’s the first step towards quickly feeling much more connected to nature.
Nature is a sensory experience that humans have been having since the beginning of our species. For humans living a modern experience however, technology and artificial environments have caused our sensory awareness potential to atrophy. If you ever find yourself struggling to reach a more calm and meditative experience in nature, it’s probably because your five senses are not engaging properly. So when you step outside, always start by giving yourself a few minutes to consciously tune in with your five senses.
Here’s a little sense meditation you can use to get your awareness tuned up:
- Close your eyes & take a slow deep breath.
- Feel the air coming in through your nose, filling your lungs.
- Relax your physical body & allow yourself to feel any external sensations like sun or wind on your skin.
- Feel your feet connecting with the ground.
- Feel your entire body awareness against the sensation of space in the environment.
- Now scan through your audible surroundings & listen for any sounds like birds, insects or wind blowing through the trees.
- Spend a few moments just listening in every direction, near & far as you relax into your sense of hearing.
- Try to listen more deeply than you’ve ever listened before.
- Finally open your eyes and focus your attention on something beautiful. Let your focus expand outwards to engage your peripheral vision, taking in the whole scene.
- Add in your sense of smell & taste as much as possible.
A sit spot is simply any place in nature where you can go on a regular basis for the simple intent of connecting with your local environment. Just by sitting down in nature, it gives you the space to put 100% of your attention on your surroundings. This is the core practice I’ve been using since the very beginning of my own journey with nature connection, and it’s always the first activity I give to new students. The beauty of the sit spot is you begin to organically absorb connection just by being immersed in natural surroundings.
As you have repeated experiences with the same birds, plants & trees at your sit spot, you gradually gain a deeper appreciation for the subtle flow of seasons, daily cycles, life cycles and weather patterns. I sometimes compare nature connection to making a new friend. You wouldn’t expect to know a human being after only spending 5 minutes with them… and the same is true of nature!
Spend a year sitting quietly in nature, and it will change your life forever.
Connecting with wild animals is one of the great joys that inspires people to really appreciate & become engaged with nature. Animals have a natural appeal because they’re living, breathing, active forms of intelligence. They’re cute, funny, emotional & entertaining, so this is a great next step to explore if you ever get bored of sitting quietly in the forest meditating on your senses…
When is the last time you just stopped to really watch a wild animal for an extended period of time?
It’s amazing how much you’ll notice when you slow down enough to appreciate the squirrels chasing around the forest & nesting birds raising their families.
For some people, plants provide the ideal pathway to connecting with nature.
The great thing about plants is you can really take your time to study all the little details and not have to worry about scaring them away. Most people only ever look at the surface level of plants… they might take a brief glance & then moving on to something else. But nature connection requires deeper experiences in order to really have the most impact. So instead, try getting down close and really study one individual plant more carefully than you’ve ever done before.
Try to really connect deeply with that plant until you know it very well before moving on to the next one. This is one of the secrets to avoiding overwhelm when learning about plants. Notice all the little characteristics of the leaves, stems, flowers & branches.
Wildlife tracking is one of the oldest of all human skills.
It’s the original form of primitive science where the only measuring device is your own sensory awareness.
There’s no other skill quite as effective at sparking the innate curiosity and problem solving potential of human beings as tracking.
Occasionally I meet people who are not drawn to any one particular area of nature study like birds, or plants or tracking. Some people just want to be immersed in the natural world & follow the intuitive pull of whatever natural mystery shows up in the moment.
In this case, you might find wandering is a great activity to help you start connecting outside.
Whenever a coyote or bobcat comes stalking through a bird’s territory, birds will respond by creating distance & alarm sounds that broadcast useful information about their perceived threat.
If you’re drawn to the idea of finding wild animals by tracking, but lack a good substrate like sand or snow, bird language can help you accomplish this same result.
For me personally, bird language was one of the main ways I learned to connect with nature.
Every time you ask a question, your mind is coaxed out of it’s shell and into the wider world of discovery.
A curious mind is an absorbed mind, and nothing works better to actually get your senses activated than a really good question.
Asking good questions is also one of the personality traits that tends to emerge in everyone who becomes deeply connected with nature.
