Head to the Woods…

Head to the woods – or at least head outside – if you want to experience yourself in a new ways!

The great outdoors is filled with special energies. Nature has the power to quickly renew heart and spirit. This renewal can happen with ease and without involving complex plans or activities. It can be as simple as a walk in the neighborhood, resting on a log in the woods, or enjoying tea while sitting in your backyard garden. Bare feet touching the ground furthers this glorious experience of rejuvenation!

I love the sense of peace and purity I experience amid the vibrant wildness of nature. In nature, we enjoy stillness and quiet as a respite from to the noise, frenzy, and overstimulation of days when we are plugged in, wired, and rushing about. The outdoors invites you inside – inside yourself. Once inside, you can reflect, ponder, daydream, or find that sweet spot of stillness and quiet. This invitation inside, when outside, is always available to you, and worth accepting whenever possible. For when surrounded by nature, one is surrounded by mystery and awe. And these states of mystery and awe, often lead one to contemplation, growth and to feelings of expansiveness and joy!

Even a small amount of time spent in nature can awaken you to aspects of yourself that might otherwise take days for you to notice and comprehend. Why is this? I believe it is because in nature, you reconnect with your true nature. Without the distractions of your crazy, harried life, you walk, breath in the air, smell the flowers, watch little earth creatures, and experience your brain relaxing to the natural rhythms of life. These natural rhythms then harken you back to your own personally rejuvenating cycles. You are reminded of your exquisite essence, your flow, and of what really matters to you. The clutter in your mind falls away, revealing the light and sparkle of meaningful truths.

Nature is uncomplicated and this, I believe, is what helps us unwind, and reset. Your mental and physical health is enhanced as you spend time outside in the quiet of nature. The immune system is switched into a much more restful mode when you are outside. When you are more restful, you feel more content and safe. Every inch of your body, down to the simplest of cells, experiences the benefits. You are deeply refreshed. The sun infuses your body with vitamin D, the fresh air fills your lungs with nourishment, and your bones are strengthen as you move and stretch. Perhaps best of all, your mood lifts as you savor the invigorating, intoxicating joy of feeling your life force rise amid the surrounding life force of the beautiful natural world.

So, ready to head to the woods?

This article is also published in The Brick Magazine